Event Payments

Overview

Every Event has its own pricing, set separately from the Member and Non-member pricing used for Reservations. Pricing is configured in the Admission Rate section during Event creation. Customers are not charged at signup — PodPlay places a hold on the Customer's credit card to verify funds, and the charge settles after the Event ends.

Set Event pricing

1. Create an Event and choose the Event type.
2. In the Admission Rate section, enter the price for Members and the price for Non-members.
3. Complete the remaining Event details and publish.

Once pricing is set, a Customer pays the configured amount when they sign up, based on their Non-member status or Membership tier.

When Customers are charged

The default charge time is 45 minutes after the Event ends. At signup, PodPlay places a hold on the Customer's credit card that verifies sufficient funds on the Profile's card. The hold appears in the Customer's Purchase History in the App and on their card statement, and the Dashboard shows a Settling in X days status on the purchase.

A Customer who signs up today for a Tournament two weeks out sees the purchase in their Purchase History immediately. The card is not charged until the day of the Tournament, 45 minutes after it ends.

A visible hold is not a completed charge. Customers often call about the pending amount on their statement. The money moves only after the Event ends.

Series

A Customer who signs up for a Series is charged for the whole Series after the first session ends. The hold is placed the day before the Series starts.

For example, a Customer signs up on Monday for a Series that starts on Saturday. The hold is placed on Friday. The charge processes on Saturday, after the first session ends.

Cancellations and refunds

Because the charge does not process until after the Event ends, canceling beforehand does not require a refund — there is nothing yet to refund. The hold is released when the Customer cancels. The same applies when an Admin removes a Customer from an Event.

Until the Event ends and the charge settles, the purchase shows Settling in X days on the Event's Purchases tab and on the Customer's Profile in the Dashboard.

A canceled signup can still incur a Cancellation Policy fee. Whether a fee applies depends on how the Event is configured. See Is the Cancellation Policy Different for Events?

Payment issues at signup

Every Customer needs a phone number and full credit card details on their Profile before signing up for any Event or booking any Reservation. PodPlay requires the full 16-digit card number, the expiration date, the security code, and the zip code. Missing or incorrect information produces an error and blocks the signup. The Customer is prompted to enter the correct information before the signup completes.

Once a Customer signs up successfully, an Admin sees their details in the Admin Dashboard by clicking into the Event.

Less than 6 days before the Event

The card is authorized at signup. If the authorization fails, the Customer sees an error immediately and cannot secure a spot until they update the card and sign up again.

More than 6 days before the Event

The hold is placed 24 hours before the Event rather than at signup. If the hold fails at that point:

• The Customer receives an email asking them to update the card.
• The Admin sees a flag in the Attendee list.
• The Admin may need to charge the Customer manually through the Dashboard. See Situations when an Admin needs to charge a Customer.

Charge Failed and Canceled tags in the Purchases tab

A Charge Failed tag on the Event's Purchases tab means the Customer secured a spot and the payment then failed. The Customer already knows — the App shows them an error and notifies them to update the card. In most cases the Customer updates the card and retries, so the Purchases tab shows Charge Failed followed by Confirmed, or Settling in X days if the Event has not happened yet.

A Canceled tag means the Customer signed up and then canceled. That spot is open for another Customer.

Charging for a Private Event

For a Private Event, an Admin normally charges the Event Planner a lump sum instead of charging each attendee. See Private Events → Charge an Event Planner for the full workflow.

Series pricing

See Series → Series pricing for how to price a Series, set unit pricing, and configure prorated costs for late joiners.