Payments & Billing Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about processing payments, managing subscriptions, and handling refunds in Zipper. Find answers to questions about Stripe integration, payment processing, subscription management, refunds, and customer portal.
Product Capabilities and What It Can Do
Q: What can I do with Payments & Billing?
A: Payments & Billing allows you to:
- Process credit card payments through Stripe
- Manage recurring subscriptions
- Process refunds for transactions
- Provide customer self-service portal
- Track payment history
- Handle subscription cancellations
- Manage payment methods
Q: Do I need to connect Stripe?
A: Yes! Stripe integration is required:
- Connect Stripe to accept payments
- Complete merchant onboarding
- Process payments securely
- Access Stripe dashboard
Stripe integration enables all payment processing capabilities.
Q: Can customers manage their own billing?
A: Yes! Customers can:
- Access Stripe Customer Portal
- Update payment methods
- View invoices and billing history
- Cancel or update subscriptions
Customer portal reduces support requests and enables self-service.
Q: Can I process refunds?
A: Yes! You can:
- Process refunds for transactions
- Refund multiple transactions at once
- Process partial refunds
- Track refund history
Refunds help you handle returns and customer requests.
How to Use the Product
Getting Started
Q: What do I need before I can accept payments?
A: Before accepting payments, you should have:
- An active organization account at https://app.joinzipper.com
- Stripe account created
- Stripe integration connected
- Merchant onboarding completed
You can start accepting payments once Stripe is connected and onboarding is complete.
Q: How do I connect Stripe?
A: To connect Stripe:
- Go to Organization Management → Integrations
- Find Stripe integration
- Click Connect Stripe
- Complete Stripe authorization
- Complete merchant onboarding
- Verify connection
Once connected, you can accept payments.
Common Tasks
Q: How do I process a payment?
A: Payments are processed automatically when:
- Customers purchase products
- Customers register for events or classes
- Customers book appointments
- You use Point of Sale
Payments are processed through Stripe automatically.
Q: How do I create a subscription?
A: To create subscription:
- Create a subscription product
- Customers purchase subscription
- Subscription is created automatically
- Recurring charges process automatically
Subscriptions are created when customers purchase subscription products.
Q: How do I process a refund?
A: To process refund:
- Go to Payments → Transactions (or customer payment history)
- Find transaction to refund
- Click Refund
- Enter refund amount (full or partial)
- Process refund
Refund will be processed through Stripe.
Q: How do I cancel a subscription?
A: To cancel subscription:
- Go to Payments → Subscriptions (or customer subscriptions)
- Find subscription to cancel
- Click Cancel
- Choose immediate or end-of-period cancellation
- Confirm cancellation
Subscription will be canceled as requested.
Troubleshooting
Q: Why can't I process payments?
A: Payments might fail if:
- Stripe isn't connected
- Merchant onboarding isn't complete
- Payment method is invalid
- Stripe account has issues
Solution: Connect Stripe, complete onboarding, verify payment methods, and check Stripe account status.
Q: Why do payments fail?
A: Payments might fail if:
- Payment method is declined
- Insufficient funds
- Payment method expired
- Stripe processing error
Solution: Check payment method, verify funds, update expired cards, and review Stripe error messages.
Q: Why can't customers access the portal?
A: Portal access might fail if:
- Stripe isn't connected
- Customer doesn't have Stripe customer ID
- Portal session creation fails
Solution: Connect Stripe, ensure customers have Stripe customer IDs, and verify portal session creation.
Edge Cases and Advanced Usage
Q: Can I process bulk refunds?
A: Yes! You can:
- Refund multiple transactions at once
- Process bulk refunds efficiently
- Track refund status for each transaction
Bulk refunds help you handle multiple refunds quickly.
Q: Can I cancel multiple subscriptions at once?
A: Yes! You can:
- Cancel multiple subscriptions in bulk
- Process bulk cancellations efficiently
- Track cancellation status for each subscription
Bulk cancellation helps you handle multiple cancellations efficiently.
Q: How do I handle subscription updates?
A: To handle updates:
- Update subscription through Stripe
- Handle proration for mid-cycle changes
- Process subscription changes automatically
Subscription updates are handled through Stripe integration.
Customer Credit Balance
Q: What is customer credit balance and how does it work?
A: Customer credit balance is a store credit system that allows customers to have a monetary balance on their account:
How credits are added:
- Refunds applied as credit instead of cash refunds
- Promotional credits or rewards
- Gift card purchases
- Manual adjustments by staff
How credits are used:
- At Point of Sale checkout
- For drop-in class payments
- For product purchases (when enabled)
Credit balance appears on the customer profile and is automatically offered as a payment option during checkout.
Q: How do I add credit to a customer's account?
A: To add credit to a customer's balance:
- Go to the customer's profile
- Find the Credit Balance section
- Click "Add Credit" or "Adjust Balance"
- Enter the amount and reason
- Save the adjustment
The credit is immediately available for the customer to use.
Family Payment Methods
Q: How do parent payment methods work?
A: When a guardian relationship is configured between parent and child accounts:
- The parent's saved payment methods become available for purchases on behalf of the child
- This works for class registrations, event registrations, appointments, and Point of Sale
- Payment receipts are tracked for both parent and child accounts
This simplifies family billing by using a single set of payment methods for the entire family.
Q: Can I charge cancellation fees to parent payment methods?
A: Yes! When a child's booking is cancelled and a cancellation fee applies:
- The system detects the guardian relationship
- Parent payment methods are offered for charging the fee
- You can select which parent payment method to charge
- Both parent and child receive notification of the charge
This ensures cancellation policies can be enforced for family accounts.