Initial Payment and Credit Allocation
When a student purchases a membership, the first payment is processed immediately, and the associated class credits are issued right away.
For example, if a membership is purchased on a Friday at 4:00 PM, both the payment and the credits for that week are processed at that time.
Students also have the option to choose a future start date when signing up. In this case, the credit issuance will be scheduled according to that selected start date, but the initial payment will be taken immediately. The next payment is then due one billing period after the start date (for example, a weekly membership starting 10 March is next charged on 17 March). The student can already book classes dated on or after the start date.
Setting or Back-Dating the Start Date at Checkout
You do not need to cancel and repurchase a membership just to change when it begins. At checkout you can schedule the membership for a future start date, or back-date it to an earlier date, so the billing cycle and credit issuance align with the date you actually want.
If a membership has already been purchased and its start date needs adjusting, contact support and we can update the start date for you.
To change the billing day/date of an Active membership (without changing its start date), use Change Billing Day/Date on the student's Memberships tab. This is a permanent change, not a one-off: the next payment moves to the new date, and all future payments are calculated from that new date. For example, if a weekly membership is billed on the 5th and you move the next payment to the 12th, it is then billed on the 12th, 19th, 26th and so on. If you only wanted to move one payment, go back after that payment has been taken and move the next billing date back to the original cycle. See How can I adjust the billing date for my Groovio membership?
Ongoing Weekly Payment and Credit Schedule
After the initial purchase:
Payments will be processed at 2:00 AM (local time)
Class credits will be issued every week after the start date
Groovio processes payments 30 minutes before credits are issued to ensure that, in the event of a failed payment, the student has time to resolve the issue and still receive their credits for the upcoming week.
How a Pause Affects the Payment Date
The pause end date is included in the pause, and the membership resumes the day after it. When the pause starts, the next payment date moves later by the number of paused days. The next charge is the original due date plus the pause length, not the pause end date.
Example: next payment due 1 November, paused 10–16 October (7 days). The membership resumes 17 October and the next payment is taken on 8 November. See Handling Membership Pauses.
Payment Failures and Notifications
If a payment attempt fails:
The student will receive an email and in-app notification prompting them to complete the payment.
The membership goes onto Standby with a 7-day grace period. The billing date does not move. See What happens when a membership payment fails (Standby).
Note: Groovio does not send a reminder email before a recurring membership payment is charged — students are notified only after a payment succeeds or fails. See Groovio Automated Student Emails for the full list of automated emails.
Important Note:
If a studio manually adds a membership or class to a student’s account, and the student does not have a card on file by the time payment is due, the system will be unable to process the payment.
To prevent this, students should ensure their payment details are saved and up to date in the Groovio app.
If a student/studio sets a future start date to a membership, the initial payment will come out immediately.
When you upgrade or downgrade a membership, when the new membership is paid for depends on the timing option you choose. With At the end of the current billing cycle, the new membership's first payment is taken on the current membership's next billing date, at the new price. With On a specific date, a card-on-file payment is taken on that date. With Immediately, the change takes effect today and the new membership is paid for straight away — Card on file charges the student's default saved card now (or take payment by wallet or another method). For an immediate change only, you can edit Revised Grand Total to charge a different amount for that first payment; later renewals are charged at the full price. When the change is scheduled for a future date, the student can already book classes that fall on or after that date - classes from the new membership's start date are immediately bookable. See Managing Membership Upgrades.