Whether responding Going costs you money right away, later, or never depends entirely on how the admin set the event's fee timing up. Here's how to read it.
The 3 fee timings
Pay when responding
You're charged the moment you tap Going or Available. The respond bar shows "Respond & Pay" with the amount due now. If you back out of the payment screen instead of completing it, you're marked Going and Overdue immediately, there's no grace period on this one.
Pay on selection
This only applies to events using team selection. You can respond Available, Maybe, or Not available freely with no payment at any point. You're only charged if the admin actually picks you for the team. If you're not selected, you're never charged, no matter what you responded.
Pay after attending
You respond freely with no payment. After the event finishes, the admin marks who actually attended. Only members marked as attended are charged, you'll get a payment request with 24 hours to pay before it's marked overdue.
No fee
Some events are simply free. Going, Maybe, and Not going are recorded instantly with no payment step at all.
Important: For pay on selection and pay after attending, saying Maybe or not being picked never costs you anything. Only being confirmed (selected, or marked attended) triggers a charge.
Responding for family members
If you have children or other family members linked to your account, the same rules apply per person, not per family. See "How to Respond for Family Members" for how the family picker and combined payment work.
FAQ
I said Going on a pay-when-responding event but changed my mind after paying. Do I get a refund?
Not automatically. Changing your response afterwards doesn't reverse the payment, you'd need to ask the club admin to handle a refund manually.
Why does my card show "£5.00 after attending" even though I haven't been marked attended?
That's just letting you know the fee that will apply if you do attend and get marked present. It's informational until the admin actually confirms your attendance.