What is automatic charge card on file?
The automatic charge card on file (COF) feature allows you to automatically charge a customer's card on file so that you do not manually have to generate the charge yourself.
How can I enable this feature?
If you are in our beta group, you will be able to access by navigating into your Account settings. You will then want to click into Invoice settings > Automations.
Once you are in the 'Automations' tab you will see 'Automatic payments'.
Coming soon: The ability to exclude specific customers from being automatically charged if they do have a card on file for additional customization.
Which auto charge card on file trigger is right for me?
You have to options for triggering the charge:
Upon job completion
On invoice due date
We recommend upon job completion for businesses where you typically want to take payment as soon as the job is done and are typically wanting to receive payment as soon as the invoice is sent.
The invoice due date trigger is a better fit for any of you that have net due terms and aren't taking payment as soon as the work is done. For example, the job might be complete and invoiced today but the customer has 30 days to pay. This would auto charge 30 days after the invoice is sent. Sending out the invoice and setting a due term is a critical part of this option.
Please note: At this time, the invoice due date will not work for batch invoicing or auto invoicing, it will require a manual send. This will be a future improvement. If this is valuable for your set-up, please be sure to share your Pro vote with our support team.
Important notes
This will not retroactively charge jobs that meet the criteria for automatic COF, this will only work moving forward for jobs that are finished where the customer has a card on file
There is a 5-10 min delay from the moment the 'trigger' for auto charge is met
i.e If you mark the job as finished at 3:05 p.m, the charge will be attempted at 3:10 p.m.
If the job hits the criteria for auto charge and the amount is modified after the fact, that will cancel auto-charge
For invoice due date, the auto charge will happen at 5 p.m PST/ 8 p.m EST
FAQs
Do I need to be set up for payments to use this feature?
Yes, in order to be able to have customers put a card on file you must be connected for payments set up and ensure your customer has a card on file registered. How to get set up for payments.
How can I start getting a card on file for customers to use this feature?
You are able to put a card on file by requesting one from your customer or manually entering it on their customer profile. Learn more here
What triggers the automatic charge?
In alpha, the charge will be able to be triggered when you 'Finish' the job on web or mobile.
Will those retroactively charge jobs for customers who have a card on file?
No, this will not retroactively charge finished jobs for customers who have a card on file.
Will my customer automatically receive an invoice or receipt for the auto-charge?
Your customers will automatically receive a receipt for the automatic charge. Invoices do still need to be manually sent if you wish to send it to your customer.
If I make a mistake on the amount and undercharged, will this automatically charge again for the remaining balance?
No, at this time, the auto charge will only be for the full amount at the time the criteria for auto-charge is met.