Training Module 37 — Card Payments (Stripe)
GoClubPro User Training | Area: Card Payments Setup & Use
What Users Need to Learn
GoClubPro can now take card payments alongside the original Bank Transfer/wallet flow — it's optional, connected per club through Stripe, and can be paused independently of the connection itself. Users need to understand:
- Card payments are a per-club opt-in, not a platform default — Bank Transfer and wallet credit always work regardless
- How a Club Admin or Treasurer connects the club's own Stripe account (no API keys, ever)
- The difference between disconnecting Stripe and pausing card payments with the on/off switch
- What a member sees and pays when they choose "Pay with Card" — including the processing fee added on top
- Where the money goes (straight to the club's own Stripe account) and what "refund" means for a card payment
Primary audience: Club Admins, Treasurers See also: 04 Payments · 07 Treasurer & Accounting · 09 Settings
1. Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Connecting Stripe (Club Admin or Treasurer)
- Go to Treasurer → Card Payments, or Settings → Integrations → Card payments (same screen, two entry points).
- Click Connect with Stripe.
- You're redirected to Stripe's own hosted onboarding — this is where you enter business and bank details. GoClubPro never sees or stores them, and never asks for an API key.
- Finish Stripe's onboarding and you're returned to GoClubPro, which re-checks your status directly with Stripe (not just trusting the redirect, since Stripe's own review can still be in progress).
- Once Stripe confirms charges are enabled, the screen shows Connected — you can take card payments.
If setup is incomplete, the screen shows Setup unfinished with a Continue setup on Stripe button. If you've submitted your details but Stripe is still reviewing them, it shows Stripe is reviewing your details — this usually clears in a few minutes.
Pausing Card Payments Without Disconnecting
Once connected, a toggle appears: Accept card payments from members.
- Turn it off to immediately hide the "Pay with Card" option everywhere in the app — members still see and can use Bank Transfer and wallet credit as normal.
- Your Stripe connection itself is untouched — no need to reconnect later, just turn the toggle back on.
- This is the right tool for "we're pausing card payments this month" — use Disconnect (below) only if you're removing Stripe from the club entirely.
Disconnecting Stripe
- Click Disconnect on the Card Payments screen.
- Confirm — you'll be warned that members can no longer pay by card.
- Your Stripe account and its payment history are not deleted; reconnecting later picks up the same account.
Paying a Fee by Card (Member view)
- On any fee with card payments available, a Pay with Card button appears next to the existing Bank Transfer option.
- If you have wallet credit, it's applied first automatically — the button shows the reduced card total, or "Pay [amount] from wallet" if credit fully covers it (no card needed at all).
- Click through and you'll see a fee breakdown: the fee amount, any wallet credit applied, and a card processing fee added on top — the total charged to your card is always shown before you confirm.
- You're taken to Stripe's own hosted checkout to enter card details. GoClubPro never sees or stores your card number.
- On success, the fee shows as Paid immediately — no Treasurer verification step, unlike a Bank Transfer declaration.
2. Simple Explanation (Beginners)
Card payments are optional and switched on per club. If your club has connected Stripe, you'll see a Pay with Card button next to fees — pay instantly, no waiting for a Treasurer to check a bank transfer. If your club hasn't connected Stripe, or has paused card payments, you'll only see the usual Bank Transfer and wallet credit options — nothing else changes.
3. Advanced Explanation (Power Users)
Platform vs. club-level setup: GoClubPro itself must have its own Stripe platform configuration in place before any club can connect. If that's not done, the Card Payments screen tells the club admin there's nothing for them to do — this is not a per-club problem to troubleshoot.
Two independent on/off states:
| State | Meaning | Who sees "Pay with Card"? |
|---|---|---|
| Not connected | Club never completed Stripe onboarding | Nobody |
| Connected, toggle on | Stripe live, club has not paused it | Everyone with an outstanding fee |
| Connected, toggle off (paused) | Stripe live, club chose to pause | Nobody — same as not connected, but reversible with one click |
Processing fee: the card total shown to the member includes Stripe's own processing rate plus a GoClubPro platform margin, both server-configured — the exact percentage isn't hardcoded anywhere in the UI, so the number shown at checkout is always the live, accurate one rather than a rate that drifted out of sync with what's actually configured.
Wallet credit still applies first even for card payments — the server re-checks and applies any available wallet credit before quoting the card total, so a member is never charged by card for a portion already covered by their wallet.
Payouts go directly to the club, not through GoClubPro — each club's Stripe account is its own, and payout timing/schedule is whatever that club set up with Stripe. The Reconciliation and Transactions sub-tabs on the Card Payments screen pull this directly from Stripe (balance, payout history, a rolling 90-day charge list) for the Treasurer to check against the accounting ledger.
Refunds are still ledger-only — see 07 Treasurer & Accounting. A card payment does not get an automatic Stripe-side refund; "Issue Refund" records a ledger adjustment the same way it does for a Bank Transfer payment.
4. Tooltips & Hints
| Location | Tooltip Text |
|---|---|
| Connect with Stripe | Takes you to Stripe's own site for setup — GoClubPro never sees your bank details or asks for an API key. |
| Accept card payments toggle | Off hides Pay with Card everywhere without touching your Stripe connection — turn it back on any time. |
| Disconnect | Removes the connection entirely. Your Stripe account isn't deleted — reconnect later to pick up where you left off. |
| Pay with Card (member) | Shows the exact total before you confirm, including any wallet credit applied and the processing fee. |
| Reconciliation tab | Live balance and payout data pulled from Stripe — use this to match card income against the accounting ledger. |
5. FAQ — Card Payments
Q: Do we have to use card payments? A: No. Bank Transfer and wallet credit work exactly as before whether or not your club connects Stripe.
Q: We want to stop card payments for a while but keep our Stripe account connected — what do we click? A: The Accept card payments from members toggle, not Disconnect. Toggling off is instant and reversible; Disconnect is for removing the integration entirely.
Q: Does GoClubPro take a cut of card payments? A: The card total the member pays includes a processing fee covering both Stripe's own rate and a GoClubPro platform margin — it's added on top of the fee, shown in full before the member confirms, not deducted from what the club receives.
Q: Can we refund a card payment straight through Stripe? A: Not automatically — a refund on a card payment is the same ledger adjustment as a Bank Transfer refund, recorded manually by the Treasurer. See 07 Treasurer & Accounting.
Q: A member says their card payment isn't showing as paid. A: Unlike Bank Transfer, a successful card payment shows Paid immediately with no Treasurer step — if it's stuck, check the Transactions tab for the underlying Stripe charge before assuming it needs manual confirmation.
6. Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Consequence | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Clicking Disconnect to temporarily pause card payments | Stripe connection has to be redone from scratch to resume | Use the Accept card payments toggle instead |
| Assuming a refund on a card payment happens automatically | Member expects money back on their card; nothing moves | Explain it's a ledger adjustment — see Module 07 |
| Expecting GoClubPro to hold or forward the funds | Confusion about where payouts come from | Payouts go straight from the club's own Stripe account to its bank, on Stripe's schedule |
| Toggling card payments off and not telling members why | Support questions about a missing Pay with Card button | Post a Noticeboard note when pausing, same as any other payment method change |
7. Short Onboarding Script
Card Payments — Optional, Per-Club, Reversible
If your club has connected Stripe, members see a Pay with Card button next to Bank Transfer — instant, no Treasurer wait. Nothing changes for clubs that haven't connected it. Need to pause it temporarily? Use the on/off toggle on the Card Payments screen, not Disconnect — that keeps your Stripe setup intact so you can turn it straight back on. Refunds on card payments are still a manual ledger adjustment, same as a Bank Transfer refund.
8. Micro-Training (Quick Tips)
⚡ QUICK TIPS — Card Payments
✅ Optional per club — Bank Transfer/wallet always work regardless
✅ Toggle OFF to pause · Disconnect ONLY to remove the integration entirely
✅ Wallet credit applies first, even to a card payment
✅ Processing fee is shown in full before the member confirms — never hidden
✅ Payouts go straight to the club's own Stripe account, on Stripe's schedule
✅ Refunds are a manual ledger adjustment, not an automatic Stripe reversal
Training Module 37 | See also: 04 Payments · 07 Treasurer & Accounting · 09 Settings