Paying for things: cards, Apple Pay, Direct Debit and refunds

When a club, association, or player needs you to pay for something, a guest fee, a membership renewal, a tournament entry, a coaching course, you'll get a payment request. This page explains what to expect when you tap "Pay".

What a payment request looks like

You'll see it in three places:

• In-app: your inbox at /me will show a notification. Tapping it opens the pay page.
• Email: the request lands in your inbox with a "Pay now" button.
• At the door (walk-in): clubs sometimes print a QR code on the door for guest fees. Scan with your phone camera; you'll go straight to the pay page.

The pay page shows what you owe, who it's to, and the easiest way to pay it.

Paying with card, Apple Pay or Google Pay

Most one-off payments, guest fees, match fees, tournament entries, use card. The pay page will show a big Pay £X button. Tap it:

• On iPhone with Apple Pay enabled, you'll see Apple Pay first, Face ID / Touch ID and you're done in two taps.
• On Android with Google Pay, same story.
• If you've never paid before, you'll type your card details once and (if you want) save them in your browser for next time.

The whole thing usually takes under 20 seconds. You'll come back to a confirmation screen on the pay page, and an email receipt arrives within a minute.

Your money goes directly to the club. Badminton Clubhouse never sees or holds it, Stripe (the card processor) settles directly to the club's bank account. On your statement you'll see the club's name, not ours.

Paying by Direct Debit (memberships and recurring)

For memberships and other recurring payments, clubs increasingly use Direct Debit because it's cheaper for them than cards (which means more money stays in the club). The first time you sign up for a Direct Debit:

1. Tap Pay as normal, you'll be redirected to GoCardless.
2. Fill in your name, address, and account details once.
3. Sign the Direct Debit mandate digitally (no paper).
4. You're done. Future renewals come out of your account automatically, you don't have to do anything.

You're protected by the UK Direct Debit Guarantee: you can cancel at any time through your bank, and any incorrect or unauthorised payment is refunded immediately.

After the mandate is set up, your first Direct Debit takes about 3 working days to clear. You'll get a "payment received" email once it does.

Other ways to pay

When the club has multiple rails connected, the pay page shows the preferred one as the big button and the others under "Other ways to pay". You can pick the one that suits you, for instance, paying a £50 tournament entry by Open Banking saves the club a chunk in fees.

You'll never see a surcharge on a personal card, that's illegal in the UK. If a club wants to discount-steer you toward a cheaper rail, you'll see the saving framed positively, not as a card penalty.

Receipts

Every successful payment triggers a receipt email straight away. You can also see your full payment history in-app at /me/payments.

If you ever need a VAT receipt or specific format for an employer, ask the club directly, they have your full transaction in their own Stripe / GoCardless dashboard.

Refunds

Refunds come from the club's side. When a club issues you a refund:

• We send you an email with the amount and a reference.
• The money goes back to the same card or bank account, usually in 5–10 working days.
• You'll see the refund on /me/payments next to the original payment.

If you cancel a booking inside the club's refund window, the refund usually happens automatically, no need to ask. See booking a session for the booking-side rules.

If you think a refund is missing, contact the club first, they can see the payment in their provider dashboard and can chase it. Anything we can do from our side, we will.

What happens if a payment fails

Cards get declined occasionally, sometimes for fraud checks (often when a new merchant shows up), sometimes for an expired card, sometimes for a typo. If a payment fails:

• You'll get an in-app + email + push notification telling you it didn't go through.
• The original request stays in Pending state, your booking isn't cancelled, your membership isn't lapsed.
• Open the pay page again and try a different rail, or the same one once you've checked the issue.

If you keep hitting the same wall, it's almost always your bank doing a check. Either reply to the bank's text confirming the transaction, or pick a different card.

What about cash or cheque?

If your club takes those, you arrange it with them directly, the platform won't ask you to pay online for those payments. The club admin will log it manually on their side and you'll see it cleared on /me/payments shortly after.