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Cash Payments

"Can I just pay cash today?"

You'll hear this regularly. Member's card expired. They prefer not to put it on a card. They want to pay for their friend's guest pass. Whatever the reason, not every transaction goes through Stripe.

The system still needs to know the invoice is paid. That's what the "Mark as Paid" feature is for.

When You'd Use This​

  • Cash at the front desk — Member hands you bills
  • POS terminal — Member taps or swipes at your terminal
  • Check payment — Especially from corporate accounts
  • e-Transfer/Venmo/Zelle — They transferred money outside your system
  • Bank transfer — Wire or ACH
  • Comped — Manager approved waiving the charge

In each case, the invoice exists but wasn't paid through the normal card flow. You mark it paid manually.

Marking an Invoice as Paid​

The Process​

  1. Find the invoice in your dashboard
  2. Click "Mark as Paid" — it executes immediately for quick action

Marked it by mistake? Click "Mark as Unpaid" to reverse it.

What Happens​

Before: Invoice #INV-2025-0142 — PENDING — $300.00

After:  Invoice #INV-2025-0142 — PAID — $300.00
        Activity: [MARKED PAID 2025-01-15 10:30]
                  Cash payment recorded by Amy.

The member's account is now current. If the invoice grants credits, they get them. Everything is documented.

Unmarking a Payment (When Things Go Wrong)​

The Dreaded Bounced Check​

Tony paid by check last week. You marked the invoice paid. Then the bank calls—NSF, check bounced.

What to do:

  1. Find Tony's invoice
  2. Click "Mark as Unpaid"

The invoice goes back to Pending. Tony owes you money again.

Important: If Tony already used credits from that invoice, they don't automatically disappear. You'll need to follow up with him about payment and potentially adjust his credits manually.

Other Reasons to Unmark​

  • Bank transfer got reversed
  • You marked the wrong invoice by mistake
  • Payment was recorded but money never actually arrived

Real Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Card Declined, Member Pays Cash​

Rachel's card declined for her $300 monthly charge. She's at the front desk and wants to pay cash.

You do:

  1. Accept the $300 cash (count it)
  2. Find her pending invoice
  3. Change the payment method to Cash
  4. Mark as Paid
  5. Ask her to update her card info for next month

Result: Rachel's current, next month will charge her new card.

Scenario 2: Corporate Check​

A local company pays for 3 employees' memberships. They send one check for $2,700 covering all three.

You do:

  1. Deposit the check
  2. Find each employee's pending invoice
  3. Change the payment method to Cash on each
  4. Mark each as Paid

Result: All three accounts are current.

Scenario 3: The Bounced Check​

You marked Tony's invoice paid by check. A week later, the check bounces.

You do:

  1. Mark the invoice as Unpaid
  2. Contact Tony
  3. Collect new payment (or cancel membership if he ghosts you)

Result: Invoice goes back to Pending. Tony owes you money again.

Scenario 4: Comping a Month​

Member Sarah got injured during a session (freak accident, not negligence, but still awkward). Your manager wants to comp her next month as a goodwill gesture.

You do:

  1. Find Sarah's pending invoice
  2. Change the payment method to Cash
  3. Mark as Paid

Result: Invoice shows paid. Sarah's account is current and she keeps her credits.

Scenario 5: Partial Payment​

Invoice is $300. Member can only pay $200 today.

Your options:

Wait for full payment. Don't mark paid yet. Mark paid when you get the remaining $100.

End-of-Day Reconciliation​

If you handle cash regularly:

Before closing:

  1. Count the cash drawer
  2. Pull up today's invoices marked as Cash
  3. Totals should match
  4. Deposit cash

If they don't match:

  • Review each cash transaction
  • Check if something was marked wrong

Who Should Have This Access?​

Not everyone needs to mark invoices paid. That's a potential fraud vector.

Should have access:

  • Gym owner
  • Managers
  • Front desk staff who handle payments

Probably shouldn't:

  • Trainers (unless they're also handling front desk duties)
  • Members (obviously)

The audit trail logs who marked what, so you can always trace actions back.

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