Payments & Refunds FAQ

Common questions about processing payments, handling refunds, and managing customer credits.

Refunds

Q: How do I do a partial refund?

A: Partial refunds must be processed through Stripe because Zipper integrates with Stripe for payment processing.

Steps:

1. Log in to your Stripe Dashboard at https://dashboard.stripe.com
2. Go to Payments in the left sidebar
3. Search for the payment by customer name, email, or amount
4. Click on the payment to open details
5. Click Refund in the top right
6. Select Refund a different amount
7. Enter the partial refund amount
8. Add a reason (optional but recommended)
9. Click Refund

Important notes:

• Partial refunds are immediately processed by Stripe
• The customer's payment method is credited automatically
• Stripe fees are not refunded on partial refunds
• The refund appears in the customer's Zipper account as a credit

Alternative for class/appointment credits:

If you want to give a customer credit toward future purchases instead of refunding to their payment method:

1. Go to CRM > find the customer
2. Scroll to Ledger or Credits section
3. Click Add Credit
4. Enter the amount and reason
5. Save

Q: Do I need to manually update customer accounts after refunding?

A: No. When you process a refund through Stripe, Zipper automatically:

• Records the refund in the customer's ledger
• Updates their credit balance
• Sends a notification email (if enabled)

For punch card credits used for a booking that was refunded, you may need to manually restore the credit if it was already consumed.

Q: What's refunded when I cancel a subscription?

A: Subscription refunds depend on the cancellation timing:

• Canceled before next billing date: No refund (customer retains access until period ends)
• Immediate cancellation: Pro-rated refund to customer's credit balance (not payment method)
• Canceled recurring payment: No refund of past charges

To refund a subscription payment, process the refund through Stripe as described above.

Gift Cards

Q: What's the best way to handle gift cards?

A: Zipper has a built-in gift card system, but for custom gift card scenarios, you can use this workflow:

Option 1: Use Built-In Gift Cards (Recommended)

1. Customer purchases gift card through your website
2. Gift card code is emailed to recipient
3. Recipient redeems code for account credit
4. Credit can be used for any purchase

Option 2: Manual Gift Card Processing

For gift cards sold outside the platform:

1. Charge the purchaser the gift card amount (or record external payment)
2. In CRM, find the recipient's account (or create one)
3. Scroll to Ledger section
4. Click Add Credit
5. Enter gift card amount
6. In notes, write: "Gift card from [purchaser name] - [reason]"
7. Save

The recipient now has account credit they can use toward any purchase.

Tips:

• Always add notes explaining the credit source
• For tracking, use a consistent note format like "Gift card #123"
• You can set credit expiration dates if needed

Credits & Ledger

Q: How do I add credits to a customer's account without charging them?

A: See the detailed guide: How to Add Package Credits Without Charging the Customer

Quick summary:

1. Go to CRM > find customer
2. Scroll to Ledger or Credits section
3. Click Add Credit or Issue Credits
4. Enter amount and reason
5. Save

Q: What's the difference between ledger credits and punch card credits?

A:

Ledger credits (account balance):

• General account credit in dollars
• Can be used toward any purchase
• No expiration unless specified
• Shows as "Available Balance"

Punch card credits:

• Specific to a product/package
• Count as "uses" or "visits" rather than dollar amounts
• May have expiration dates based on package rules
• Shows as "X credits remaining"

Q: Can customers use credits automatically at checkout?

A: Yes. During checkout, customers can choose to apply available credits. The system shows their credit balance and allows them to apply all or part of it to reduce their payment amount.

Stripe Fees & Processing

Q: What are the credit card processing fees?

A: All credit card transactions are charged 3.4% + $0.30 per transaction. This applies to all card types, including American Express and premium cards. This fee is a direct pass-through to Stripe — Zipper does not add any additional processing markup.

Q: When are processing fees deducted from my payments?

A: Fees are deducted at the point of sale. When a customer makes a payment, Stripe automatically deducts the processing fee before depositing the remaining amount into your account. You'll see the fee breakdown for each transaction in your Stripe Dashboard under Payments.

Q: How frequently are processed payments deposited into my bank account?

A: Payment deposit frequency is controlled through your Stripe settings. By default, Stripe deposits funds on a rolling basis (typically 2 business days after the transaction). You can customize your payout schedule in your Stripe Dashboard:

1. Go to https://dashboard.stripe.com
2. Click Settings in the left sidebar
3. Click Payouts under Business settings
4. Choose your preferred schedule (daily, weekly, monthly)

Stripe offers daily, weekly, or monthly payout options depending on your account status and preferences.

Memberships & Subscriptions

Q: How do I charge a retroactive membership?

A: You cannot retroactively charge for past membership periods. Subscriptions in Zipper start billing from the date they are created or a future start date — they cannot be backdated to charge for previous periods.

Alternatives:

• Charge a custom amount: Use Point of Sale to charge a one-time payment for the amount owed, then start the subscription going forward
• Add an externally tracked payment: Record the past period as an externally tracked payment on the customer's profile for record-keeping, then start the active subscription

Q: How do I give staff an all-access membership for free?

A: Use an externally tracked payment with a far-future end date. See the detailed guide: How to Give Staff an All-Access Membership

Quick steps:

1. Go to CRM > find the staff member's customer profile
2. Find Purchases or Subscriptions section
3. Click Add Externally Tracked Payment
4. Select the all-access membership product
5. Set end date far in the future (e.g., 5 years)
6. Save