Using RCP Subscriptions for Courses
Problem
You want to collect monthly course fees (for example junior courses) by Recurring Card Payment (RCP) instead of rolling course places manually each month and chasing debt.
Resolution
Create an RCP subscription for the programme
- Create an RCP subscription for the programme. See Recurring Card Payment Set-Up in Plus2.
Restrict the course to subscription holders
- Restrict the course or session so only holders of that in-date subscription can book it. RCP is only the payment method: it doesn't control enrolment by itself.
- If unpaid, the subscription goes out of date and the customer can't book until the debt is cleared.
- Separate subscriptions per session can restrict members to one session; moving between sessions means changing the subscription.
Prepare before migrating existing customers
- Report outstanding balances and classify each as cash or RCP debt.
- Decide whether to clear historic debt. Clearing existing debts before moving customers onto RCP is recommended.
- Communicate the card-registration step and the collection date.
- Pilot with a small group and reconcile before scaling.
- Use cash debt where the customer should pay manually; RCP debt only where it should be collected with a future payment.
Plan around course rollover timing
- An RCP runs for a rolling period from its payment date (for example the 20th to the 19th), not calendar months or a course's weekly structure.
- If courses are rolled over in advance (for example on the 15th for next month, or up to about 2 months ahead for large programmes) and the course requires the subscription, the subscription may not cover the new dates yet, so the rollover charges or rejects the customer.
- Courses tracked weekly (joining in week 2, 3 or 4 with pro-rata) don't match monthly RCP billing.
- The clean fix is one monthly RCP-backed purchase rather than weekly instalments.
- With large programmes, plan a transition (possibly a parallel set-up for RCP payers) rather than switching everyone at once. Avoid duplicating products for RCP and non-RCP customers unless the maintenance is accepted.
Automate the failure path (if applicable)
- Full automation option: failed payment > automated email > sale converted to cash debt > status set to RCP pending > the customer isn't renewed onto next month's course.
Test before replacing manual rollover
- Test future-date recognition of subscription validity, mid-period joining, moving between groups, cancellation, failure and reactivation.
Notes
- To stop a course RCP, untick automatic renewal and remove the customer from the course. See Cancelling, Freezing and Refunding RCP Subscriptions.
- For pricing the course at £0 for subscription holders, see Recurring Card Payment Set-Up in Plus2.