INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: CourtReserve offers multiple tools that can help minimize the number of credit card processing fees organizations incur. These include batch billing, convenience fee automation, account credit preloading, ACH/eCheck payment profiles, and packages/punch cards.
Use Cases: These strategies are beneficial for clubs that want to:
Reduce the number of small per-transaction fees
Collect revenue upfront
Encourage lower-fee payment methods
Increase cash flow predictability
Automatically recoup a portion of their processing fees
Support members with flexible and convenient payment options
View the Cut the Cost of Payments and Increase Revenue webinar here.
OVERVIEW
The Five Most Effective Ways to Reduce Credit Card Fees
Below is an explanation of each strategy, including how it reduces fees and where the feature lives in CourtReserve.
1. Batch Billing & Invoicing
Consolidate many small charges into one monthly or weekly payment.
Why It Reduces Fees:
Batch Billing allows your club to collect multiple charges in a single transaction, dramatically reducing the number of times your payment provider charges you a fixed per-transaction fee. Instead of being charged 30 cents multiple times, for example, you’re charged once—regardless of how many reservations, POS items, or event drop-ins the member accumulated.
How It Works:
Turn off upfront payments for select membership types.
Allow charges to accumulate throughout a period (daily, weekly, monthly).
Generate invoices and optionally auto-process payments using members’ payment profiles.
Useful For:
Members who play or purchase frequently.
Clubs wanting to run monthly billing cycles.
Organizations wanting predictable revenue and fewer micro-transactions.
Visual Example:
This example shows a member’s invoice after all monthly charges were consolidated into a single statement, which is currently pending payment.
Learn more about Batch Billing here.
2. Convenience Fees
Offset credit card fees by applying a percentage-based surcharge to online card transactions.
Why It Reduces Fees:
Convenience Fees let you recover a portion of the cost your payment provider charges. When allowed by law, you can apply a convenience fee to online credit card payments, helping offset processing expenses. Note: Convenience fees are not allowed in all jurisdictions. You are responsible for ensuring compliance before using this feature.
Key Facts:
Members see the convenience fee before payment for full transparency.
Reverting the payment also voids the convenience fee.
By law, convenience fees may not be applied to transactions using card present terminal for payment (Chip/Swipe/Tap).
Convenience fees will only be applied to purchases made online in the member portal or using card on file.
A convenience fee cannot exceed 4% of the transaction (less in some jurisdictions).
Useful For:
Clubs that process a high volume of credit card payments.
Organizations wanting to pass along some of the processing costs.
Visual Example:
In this example, the admin is processing a payment for a member using their card on file. Because the system is configured to apply a 2% convenience fee, an additional $0.60 is added to the $30 court fee.
Learn more about Convenience Fees here.
3. Allow Players to Create eCheck Payment Profiles
Encourage members to use lower-cost ACH payments instead of credit cards.
Why It Reduces Fees:
ACH/eCheck payments typically cost less than credit card transactions, allowing clubs to save on processing fees. Note: You can take this a step further by enabling the option to prevent players from saving a credit card profile.
By enabling eCheck payment profiles, clubs can:
Reduce per-transaction costs.
Provide a secure, recurring payment option.
Encourage long-term players to choose the cheaper payment method.
Useful For:
Membership dues
Regular weekly players
High-volume billing scenarios
Visual Example:
Here is an example of a member who has an eCheck payment profile saved as their preferred payment method:
Learn more about Payment Profile settings here.
4. Packages (Digital Punch Cards)
Sell activities in bulk, allowing members to pay once and redeem multiple times.
Why It Reduces Fees:
Packages (i.e. digital punch cards) allows members to pay one upfront payment, which they redeem over time for lessons, events, or court time. This means you incur only one processing fee, rather than one for each individual visit or registration.
Additional Benefits:
Provides predictable cash flow
Encourages member engagement
Reduces staff workload at checkout
Supports multi-use items (court time, drop-in events, lessons)
Useful For:
Regular players who book a lot of court time
Members who attend multiple clinics or weekly events
Clubs wanting to offer discounted bundles while lowering fees
Visual Example:
This example shows how a club can bundle several services into a package, enabling members to complete one upfront transaction and redeem each activity as needed.
Learn more about Packages here.
5. Preloaded Account Credit
Allows clubs to deposit funds onto a member’s account in advance to be used toward future fees
Important: Members cannot load or add account credit on their own. Preloaded credit must be added by a system user from the admin side of CourtReserve.
Why It Reduces Fees:
Each time a credit card is processed, transaction fees apply. By preloading a larger amount once to a member's account, clubs reduce the number of individual card transactions. For example, instead of incurring a processing fee every time a member books a $20 court, the club processes one transaction when $200 is added as account credit.
How It Works:
A system user adds credit from the member’s Billing page in the Admin Dashboard.
The credit remains on the member’s account until applied.
From the admin side, credit can be applied to unpaid fees.
When booking through the Member Portal, members can choose to apply available credit to eligible transactions based on configured settings.
Useful For:
Frequent players
Families booking multiple courts each week
Clubs looking to reduce transaction fees
Clubs wanting improved cash flow and fewer micro-transactions
Visual Example:
This member has a $200 Account Credit balance. When an admin books a $30 court time on their behalf, they can apply $30 from the available credit to cover the fee—eliminating the need for an additional credit card transaction.
Learn more about Preloaded Credit here.
Summary
CourtReserve’s built-in tools can help reduce credit card fees by consolidating payments and minimizing the number of individual transactions your club processes. By implementing any combination of the five strategies above, clubs can save on processing costs while also improving the payment experience for members.