Letting parents spread the cost

Set a deposit and a balance due date together on the Budget tab, and parents get a third option when they pay: Spread the cost. They authorise once, and both amounts are then collected automatically on the dates you chose — no second payment link, and nothing for them to remember.

The pay page shows them exactly what will be taken and when before they agree to it, because the second payment happens without asking again. Set a deposit on its own and the balance still works as it always has — a separate payment the parent makes themselves — so nothing changes for existing camps until you add a balance date.

One thing to expect if a camp is close: Direct Debit can't collect for a few working days after it's set up, so a balance date inside that window is pulled forward to the earliest date the bank allows rather than the plan being refused. For two clearly separate collections, leave a few weeks between the deposit and the balance date.