Gaining new clients is great, but keeping the ones you have is even better for your business. Memberships are a big part of client retention, and give you steadier, more predictable revenue.

To handle the direct debit side of things, we use a Stripe connection. If you're already connected to Stripe for Online Bookings or POS, you can start selling memberships straight away.

This article covers:

How to connect to Stripe

Note: If you've already connected to Stripe for Online Bookings or POS, skip to Set the Membership Payment Gateway.

Click your profile at the bottom left of the main menu, then select Account.
Under Add-Ons, find Stripe and click Edit.

If you're not connected yet, you'll be redirected to Stripe.

If you already have a Stripe account, enter your password and log in.
If you don't have a Stripe account, you'll create a password, then enter your business details as Stripe prompts you until sign up is done.

Click Connect to finish the connection. You'll be sent back to Simple Salon.

Once you're back in Simple Salon, make sure Stripe Gateway is switched on and click Save.

Set Membership Payment Gateway

1. Click your profile at the bottom left of the main menu, then select Settings.

2. Search for or open the Memberships section.

3. Set Membership Payment Gateway to Stripe.

4. Click Save.

How to sell a Direct Debit Membership in POS

First, set up your Memberships in Admin > Memberships.

Need ideas for different types of Memberships and how to set them up? Click here.

When you're ready to sell one:

1. In POS, add the client to the sale.

2. Open the Memberships tab and pick the Operator who's selling it.

3. Choose the Membership you want to sell.

4. Enter the Start Date for the membership.

5. Make sure Use Direct Debit is switched on, then click Save to add it to the sale.

Finish the sale as normal via Receive Payment.

Tip: If there's nothing else in the sale and no joining fee set up, the total at POS will be $0.

What does the client see when signing up to a membership?

Once you've sold a Direct Debit Membership, you'll see a pop-up confirming the client has been emailed a link to accept it.

In their email, the client is asked to enter payment details and confirm the new subscription. They can pay by debit/credit card, or with direct debit details.

After they click Subscribe, they'll see a confirmation that the subscription worked and their membership will be active shortly.

The client gets follow-up emails from Stripe about when their first payment is due, and, if they picked direct debit, a confirmation of the direct debit request. That's it.

How to view Membership details

View Membership in Simple Salon

To view a client's Membership details:

Before you start: this is done in the Old Look. Click your profile icon at the bottom left of the main menu, then click Switch to Old Look.

1. Search for the client (or click their name on an appointment) to open their client card.

2. Open the Memberships tab.

3. Click Edit next to a Membership to see its redeemable items for the current Inclusion period, or its Activities (like when an inclusion item was claimed).

View Membership in Stripe

You can also see any Membership you sell in your Stripe account.

In the Payments section of Stripe (https://dashboard.stripe.com/payments), new Memberships show up as a Subscription creation. Click one to see more.

Or go to Billing > Subscriptions (https://dashboard.stripe.com/subscriptions) for a list of every subscription processed through your account. Click one to see when its next payment is due.

How to cancel a Membership with Stripe Direct Debit

To cancel a direct debit Membership, go to your Stripe account's Subscriptions page under Billing (https://dashboard.stripe.com/subscriptions).

Find the client on the subscriptions list and click the three dots next to their row.

Select Cancel Subscription. You can cancel it straight away, at the end of the current pay period, or on a custom date.

You can also refund the client if you need to.

See Stripe's help guide on cancelling a subscription.

Once you've cancelled it in Stripe, the client's Membership details in Simple Salon update straight away. There's nothing else you need to do.