Use this link to share with your colleagues:
How Partial Payments Work in PatronManager: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1143649
Partial payments allow you to use multiple credit cards, STS gift cards, or other payments types to pay for one ticket order. Super helpful!
While that sounds pretty simple (and most of the time, it is), there's some important information to keep in mind when using partial payments:
- What partial payments are intended for (and that they're not intended for Group Sales)
- Partial payments "lock" the order
- Your local laws
Finally, we'll go over how to process partial payments, for those situations when you need to.
What partial payments are intended for
Specifically, partial payments are intended to accommodate for situations in which one of your patrons needs to pay for a ticket order with one or more payment methods, such as:
- Multiple credit cards
- Some cash and a credit card
- An STS gift card and a credit card
- Any combination of the above
Generally, partial payments should all be paid as in rapid succession as possible - ideally all within the same day. We know subscription payments may get a bit delayed, but be aware of order "locking" and your local laws.
Partial payments are not intended as a substitute for Group Sales
If you're using our Group Sales feature, you might be asking, "Can't I just use partial payments instead of Group Sales? Then I could complete the whole order right on the Ticket Order!"
Here's the issue: when using Group Sales, you'll usually collect a deposit, and then collect payments in installments over days, weeks, or months. Because making any partial payment - including a small deposit - "locks" the order, you'll be unable to make changes to the Group Sale Ticket Order before payment is complete. That's not ideal if your Group Sale patron wants to add seats, needs a discount, or wants their tickets in advance.
Additionally, our Group Sales solution is just a better solution overall than working from the Ticket Order; invoices, payments by multiple patrons, and reporting are all easier with Group Sales.
Partial payments "lock" the order
Once a partial payment is paid, no matter the amount, the Ticket Order becomes "locked". You won't be able to do any of the following until full payment has been received:
- Change the order total (via discounts, waived fees, or added donations)
- Add or remove seats
- Print tickets
Taking partial payments for subscriptions?
Don't worry - you can print tickets while they're in reserved status. If you accept a deposit for subscriptions and then full payment in the next installment, be sure to print your patron's tickets before you enter their first partial payment!
Fees are applied based on the first payment method used
Only the first payment method is used to calculate any fees that should apply, since after the first payment, the order is "locked."
This means that if the first payment method is not set to trigger a fee, based on the Fee rule configuration in the Fee Setup Tab, that fee cannot be recalculated and added if a later payment method should trigger a fee.
If you know the combination of payment methods ahead of time, you can make sure to process the payment method that should trigger the fee first, to ensure that relevant fees are calculated before the order is locked!
For this reason, the first partial payment will always need to be enough to cover the amount of all donations, fees, and taxes on the order.
Be sure you're versed in your local laws surrounding partial payments
Some states/municipalities have specific laws regarding partial payments, when they can be processed, when they can be refunded, and how all of that weaves into fees and/or sales tax.
Get familiar with your local laws before using partial payments!
Okay, so how do I process partial payments?
So you've reviewed the above criteria and you need to process a partial payment. We'll walk you through how to do that here!
1. Create the Ticket Order normally, up until Payment
That means you'll go through steps 1-12 here, then click Next.
2. Take the first payment
In this example, the first payment will be $25.00 by Credit Card.
- Adjust the Payment Amount
- Capture Card Swipe
- Add Name on Card
Need to process an STS gift card? Here's how!
3. Submit Order
5. Click Next again
6. Change the Payment Method, if necessary
Since Jefferson will pay the rest of this order with Cash, we'll switch the Payment Method to Cash.
7. Process the remaining payment
