Packages

Related docs: Memberships | Services | Bookings

What is a package?

A package sells bookings up front. There are two types:

• Credit package: a set number of package credits, used one booking at a time, such as "10 sessions"
• Unlimited package: books without spending credits for as long as it lasts, such as "Unlimited for a month"

A package is sold either as a one-off purchase or, with a recurring pricing option, as a membership that grants it again each billing cycle.

Creating a package

1. Go to Packages and choose Create package
2. Fill in Details: name, description and the package type
3. Fill in Credits and validity:
   • Credits: how many bookings a credit package covers
   • Valid for: how many days it lasts after purchase. Leave it blank for no expiry
   • Unused credits last for: on a recurring option, how many billing cycles unused credits roll over. 1 means they end with the cycle they were granted in
4. Fill in Coverage and tax:
   • Covered services: which services it can be used for
   • VAT rate: covered services must share this rate, and each needs a price above zero. Shown only when your business has a VAT number; without one, the form says to add it on the Tax tab of your business settings
   • Available at: the locations that sell it
5. Add at least one pricing option, each with a price and either One-off purchase or a recurring billing frequency
6. Create the package

A package with no covered services cannot be used for anything, and a package offered at no location cannot be sold. Paydough warns you about both.

A package belongs to your whole business, so a change made from one location applies at every location it is offered at. A location's Packages list shows the packages it sells; set Offered at to Any location to see every package, including one offered nowhere yet. A location that sells none says so and links to the whole list. The list shows each package's pricing options, how many customers hold it and how many memberships bill it, and flags a package with No active option to sell.

How package credits are spent

Customers never choose to spend a credit. When they book a covered service, Paydough uses one automatically, and the booking shows Paid with a package credit.

• One package credit covers one seat. Extra seats in a party are billed
• A credit is held as soon as a booking is made, so a pack can read 0 left while credits are booked for upcoming visits
• Cancelling in time returns the credit. Cancelling late, or not turning up, can use it up, depending on the service's policy
• A pack bought in the same order as a booking cannot pay for that booking

When you book for a customer, turn on Charge for this booking to bill them instead of using a credit.

Customer package status

A customer's package is always one of Active, All used, Expired, Cancelled.

• Active: ready to spend
• All used: every credit has been spent. It stays in view so the customer can see where their credits went
• Expired: its validity ran out
• Cancelled: you cancelled it

Giving a customer a package

Open the customer's record, go to Packages and choose Add package. Choose how:

• Grant free of charge: nothing is billed. Choose one of your packages, or make a Custom grant with its own credits and expiry
• Charge the customer: creates an invoice for one of your packages. The credits are added when it is paid

To charge straight away, turn on Take payment now. It uses the customer's account credit first, then the card they have saved with you. Whatever happens, an invoice is raised, so a declined or missing card becomes a pay link to send rather than a lost sale.

Managing a customer's package

On the customer's Packages tab, each package shows its credits, its expiry, and how many credits are held for upcoming bookings.

• View history: every change to its balance, such as granted, used, returned, adjusted or expired
• Adjust package: change the credits left or the expiry date. A new expiry alone does not restore an expired package: add credits to top it up
• Cancel package: clears the credits left on it. Bookings it already paid for are kept, and the customer is emailed. A cancelled package can't be adjusted

While a membership is paused or has unpaid dues, the packages it granted are on hold and can't be spent; each says why.

Changing or deactivating a package

• Credits and validity: changes apply to new sales. Packages customers already own keep what they were sold with. On a recurring option, current members get the change from their next billing cycle
• Covered services: changes apply straight away to packages customers already own. Removing a service asks you to confirm first
• Deactivate package: hides it from new sales. Packages customers already own keep working, and memberships on a recurring option keep renewing until they are cancelled

What your customer sees

Customers buy packages from your storefront and see them under Packages in their account, with credits left, expiry and the services they cover. Credits are used automatically when they book.