Members can pay from their checking account by ACH bank transfer instead of a credit card. ACH payments usually cost your school much less than card payments.
Bank (ACH) payments are processed by Stripe or Bluu, and card payments can use a different processor. To see which one handles each, go to Settings → Payments → Payment Settings and check Online payments.
Step 1: Set up bank transfers
These steps connect Stripe for bank payments. To process bank payments with Bluu instead, contact NextKick support.
Go to Settings → Payments and open the Payment Settings tab
Under Online payments, find Bank transfer (ACH). It shows Not enabled until you set it up.
Click Set up bank transfers
Create a new Stripe account, or connect one your school already has, and complete Stripe's setup steps
Once setup is complete, Bank transfer (ACH) shows Connected, and you can start collecting bank account details.
Step 2: Add a member's bank account
Recommended: send a payment update link
We highly recommend sending the parent a payment update link instead of entering bank details yourself:
The parent enters their checking account details through the secure link
There's no waiting period or verification code
The parent can switch their membership autopay to it in the same step
To send it, go to Accounts → Profiles, open the student's profile, click Payment Info, and click Share payment update link. To move several families to ACH at once, check them in Accounts → Profiles and click Actions → Request payment info.
For every way to send the link, see How to Send a Payment Update Link.
Entering bank details manually
You can also enter a member's bank account yourself, but it requires a verification process before the account can be charged:
Go to Accounts → Profiles, open the student's profile, and click Payment Info
Click Add new bank account and enter the checking account details
A small verification deposit is sent to the bank account. It takes a few business days to arrive.
The parent finds the code on that deposit in their bank statement. Either the parent or your school can enter the code to finish verification.
Switch the membership to the new bank account: on the membership, click Actions → Change payment method and select the bank account
The bank account can't be charged until it's verified. If a payment is due soon, send a payment update link instead.
Note: Autopay switches to the new bank account automatically when the parent uses the payment update link. If the parent adds it in the student app, a pop-up asks whether to use it for autopay too. If an admin adds it, click Apply to Memberships when NextKick lists the memberships it would pay for, or change the payment method on each membership. See How Autopay Works & What Happens When a Payment Fails.
How ACH payments are processed
ACH payments take a few business days to clear. In NextKick, a payment shows as Processing first, then changes to Paid once the bank confirms it.
An ACH payment can still fail during processing, for example if the account doesn't have enough funds.
ACH fees
If your bank payments are processed by Stripe, Stripe charges its standard fees for ACH payments, failed payments and disputes. See Stripe’s pricing page for current rates.
If your bank payments are processed by Bluu, your rates are in your Bluu merchant agreement.
Passing the fee on to members: you can add an ACH convenience fee in Settings → Payments → Fees. See Convenience Fees and Late Fees.
When an ACH payment fails
Failed ACH payments are handled differently from failed card payments:
Notifications: the parent gets an email, an SMS text and a push notification with the payment update link. Your school gets an email and a push notification, and a "!" appears next to the student's name in Accounts → Profiles.
No automatic retries: each failed ACH payment costs a fee, so NextKick doesn't retry it automatically.
The membership stays active.
To process a failed ACH payment again:
Go to Home and find the Overdue Invoices section
Click the invoice
Click Pay Now
Before you click Pay Now, check with the parent that the account has enough funds or that they've updated their bank details. Otherwise the payment may fail again and cost another failed-payment fee.
To find out why a bank payment failed and how to fix it, see Why Did a Bank (ACH) Payment Fail? What to Do.
Common questions
Why can't parents choose to pay by bank account?
Bank transfers aren't set up yet. Go to Settings → Payments → Payment Settings and click Set up bank transfers.
Do I need a Stripe account?
Only if your bank payments are processed by Stripe. You can create a new Stripe account or connect an existing one during setup. To use Bluu for bank payments instead, contact NextKick support.
What's the best way to add a parent's bank account?
Send them a payment update link. They enter their bank details themselves, there's no verification wait, and they can switch autopay to it in the same step.
How do I send the payment update link to many families at once?
In Accounts → Profiles, check the students, then click Actions → Request payment info. A link is emailed to each one.
I entered a bank account manually. Why can't it be charged yet?
Manually entered bank accounts need to be verified first. A small deposit is sent to the account, which takes a few business days to arrive. The parent finds the code on that deposit, and either the parent or your school enters it to finish verification. To skip this, send a payment update link instead.
How much do ACH payments cost?
With Stripe, see Stripe’s pricing page for current rates. With Bluu, your rates are in your Bluu merchant agreement.
Why does a payment say Processing?
ACH payments take a few business days to clear. The payment changes to Paid once the bank confirms it.
Are failed ACH payments retried automatically?
No. Each failed ACH payment costs a fee, so an admin needs to process it again with Pay Now. The membership stays active in the meantime.
A member switched from card to bank account. Will their convenience fee change?
Yes. When a membership's payment method changes, your school's current convenience fee rate for the new method applies. To check or change it, open the membership and click Actions → Edit billing schedule.