Membership Plans & Subscriptions

Overview

Membership plans are how MartialFlow knows what each student owes. You assign a plan and pricing tier to each student, and the system tracks the expected payments — amounts, deadlines, and statuses — so you always know who is up to date and who needs a follow-up. This guide covers setting up plans, assigning them to students, handling plan changes, and keeping membership records healthy.

Important: MartialFlow tracks memberships; it does not collect them. There is no recurring card charging, no automatic renewal billing, and no retry engine for member fees. Money arrives through the channels described in Setting Up Payment Methods — including external direct debit providers — and staff record payments against memberships.

A note on the word "subscription": your school also has its own MartialFlow subscription — the SaaS fee your school pays for the platform, which is billed through Stripe. This article is about student memberships, which work on the tracking model described here.

Prerequisites

• Payment collection channels are decided
• Customer billing profiles are complete
• Pricing tiers and discounts are established
• You understand your school's membership policies

Understanding Memberships

Membership Types

Student Memberships

• Monthly Tuition - Regular class fees
• Program Memberships - Specific program enrollment
• Family Plans - Multiple students under one customer account
• Trial Periods - Temporary trial arrangements before a full membership

Membership Features

• Expected Payment Tracking - MartialFlow knows the amount and deadline for each cycle
• Status Visibility - Paid, pending, and overdue states at a glance
• Discount Application - Family and promotional discounts reflected in expected amounts
• Flexible Cycles - Monthly, quarterly, or annual payment expectations

Payment Cycles

Standard Cycles

• Monthly - Most common for martial arts schools
• Quarterly - 3-month cycle, often with a discount
• Semi-Annual - 6-month cycle with a larger discount
• Annual - 12-month cycle with maximum discount

Whatever the cycle, the pattern is the same: MartialFlow shows what is expected and when, the family pays through your chosen channel, and staff record the payment.

Setting Up Memberships

Creating Student Memberships

Enrollment-Based Setup

1. Enrollment Creates the Membership

   • Enrolling a student in a class links them to that class's pricing
   • Pricing based on class tier and student status
   • Start date based on enrollment date
   • Expected payments tracked from the start date

2. Membership Configuration

   • Amount - Tuition rate from the plan and pricing tier
   • Cycle - How often payment is expected
   • Start Date - When tracking begins
   • Payment Deadline - When each payment is due

Manual Membership Setup

1. Navigate to Customer Billing

   • Go to Tables → Customers
   • Select customer account
   • Open the memberships or billing section

2. Create the Membership

   • Select student and program
   • Choose the pricing tier
   • Set the payment cycle and deadline

Membership Parameters

Amount Configuration

1. Amount and Frequency

   • Base membership amount
   • Payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.)
   • Discount applications
   • Custom pricing arrangements where needed

2. Payment Timing

   • Payment deadline (1st, 15th, anniversary date)
   • Grace period before an account is treated as overdue
   • Alignment with your direct debit provider's collection day, if used

Adjustment Rules

1. Mid-Cycle Changes
   • Mid-cycle enrollment amounts
   • Partial period expectations
   • Class changes and adjustments
   • Refunds handled through the original payment channel, then recorded

Managing Active Memberships

Membership Monitoring

Membership Overview

1. Active Memberships

   • Total active memberships per club
   • Expected monthly revenue
   • Overdue accounts needing follow-up
   • Upcoming payment deadlines

2. Individual Membership Tracking

   • Membership status and history
   • Recorded payments against the membership
   • Customer membership lifecycle
   • Cancellation tracking

Performance Metrics

1. Key Indicators

   • Expected vs. recorded revenue
   • Churn rate and retention
   • Average revenue per student
   • Overdue balance trends

2. Health Monitoring

   • Accounts repeatedly paying late
   • Cancellation trends
   • Plan and pricing distribution
   • Reconciliation mismatches

Membership Modifications

Plan Changes

1. Upgrades

   • Additional classes or programs
   • Premium program enrollment
   • Family plan upgrades
   • Competition team additions

2. Downgrades

   • Reduced class schedules
   • Basic program changes
   • Temporary reductions
   • Financial hardship accommodations

Pricing Adjustments

1. Price Changes

   • Annual price increases
   • Promotional rate adjustments
   • Discount applications or removals
   • Remember to update the matching plan at your direct debit provider, if used

2. Communication

   • Notify families before changing expected amounts
   • Confirm new deadlines and amounts in writing
   • Record custom arrangements in the customer's notes

Membership Lifecycle Management

Membership States

Status Overview

• Current - Payments recorded and up to date
• Pending - Payment expected but not yet recorded
• Overdue - Payment deadline passed with no recorded payment
• Cancelled - Ended by customer or school

Membership Transitions

1. Trial to Active

   • Trial period completion
   • Regular plan assignment
   • First payment expectation set
   • Welcome communication

2. Active to Overdue

   • Deadline passes without a recorded payment
   • Account surfaces in overdue views
   • Follow-up per your collection procedures — see Handling Overdue Payments

Cancellation Management

Voluntary Cancellations

1. Customer-Initiated

   • Cancellation confirmation process
   • Retention offer procedures
   • Exit interview opportunities
   • If the family pays by direct debit, remind them the mandate is cancelled at the provider

2. Cancellation Processing

   • Immediate vs. end-of-cycle cancellation
   • Refund policy application
   • Final balance settlement and recording
   • Account status updates

School-Initiated Cancellations

1. Non-Payment Cancellations

   • Sustained overdue status after follow-up
   • Final notice requirements
   • Account closure and record keeping

2. Policy Violations

   • Behavioral issue cancellations
   • Contract violation responses
   • Safety-related cancellations
   • Legal compliance requirements

Payments Against Memberships

Recording and Reconciliation

1. Recording Payments

   • Record each payment (cash, transfer, terminal, direct debit outcome) against the customer
   • Partial and custom payments supported with notes
   • Statuses update as soon as payments are recorded

2. Reconciliation Dashboard

   • Match recorded payments against memberships
   • Find expected payments with nothing recorded
   • Find recorded payments that don't match a membership
   • Use the per-club financial overview to see the big picture

Missed Payments

1. Visibility First

   • Overdue accounts appear with their deadlines and amounts
   • No automatic retries or dunning — you decide how and when to follow up

2. Follow-Up Tools

   • Message templates and bulk messaging for reminders
   • Notes and communication history on the customer account
   • Payment arrangements recorded as custom expectations

Membership Analytics

Financial Metrics

Revenue Analytics

1. Expected Recurring Revenue

   • Total expected membership revenue
   • Recorded vs. expected comparison
   • Growth rate tracking
   • Churn impact analysis

2. Customer Metrics

   • Average revenue per student
   • Customer lifetime value
   • Retention cohort analysis

Membership Health

1. Retention Metrics

   • Monthly churn rates
   • Membership renewal patterns
   • Customer satisfaction indicators

2. Collection Performance

   • On-time payment rates
   • Overdue recovery rates
   • Payment channel breakdown
   • Follow-up effectiveness

Reporting and Insights

1. Membership Reports

   • Active membership summary
   • Membership lifecycle reports
   • Churn analysis reports

2. Payment Reports

   • Expected vs. recorded analysis
   • Overdue aging reports
   • Per-club financial overview

Membership Optimization

Retention Strategies

Churn Reduction

1. Early Warning Signs

   • Repeated late payments
   • Attendance drop-off
   • Engagement level monitoring
   • Proactive conversations before cancellation

2. Retention Interventions

   • Personalized retention offers
   • Payment arrangement accommodations
   • Program adjustment options
   • Loyalty program benefits

Customer Success

1. Proactive Engagement

   • Regular check-ins with customers
   • Goal achievement support
   • Progress celebration
   • Community building activities

2. Value Enhancement

   • Additional service offerings
   • Exclusive member benefits
   • Family engagement programs

Revenue Optimization

1. Pricing Strategy

   • Market research and competitive analysis
   • Value proposition optimization
   • Tier structure reviews

2. Upselling Opportunities

   • Additional program offerings
   • Premium service upgrades
   • Family plan conversions
   • Long-term commitment incentives

Best Practices

Membership Management Excellence

1. Transparent Terms - Clear communication about amounts, deadlines, and channels
2. Flexible Options - Multiple payment cycles and collection channels
3. Proactive Communication - Reminders before deadlines, not just after
4. Prompt Recording - Record payments the day they arrive
5. Continuous Monitoring - Regular membership health assessment

Customer Experience

1. Easy Changes - Simple plan modification processes
2. Clear Policies - Understandable cancellation and refund policies
3. Regular Communication - Consistent membership and payment updates
4. Value Focus - Continuous value delivery and enhancement
5. Problem Resolution - Quick and fair issue resolution

Financial Management

1. Predictable Tracking - Keep expected payments accurate so forecasts are reliable
2. Regular Reconciliation - Match payments to memberships on a schedule
3. Collection Discipline - Systematic follow-up on overdue accounts
4. Provider Alignment - Keep direct debit provider plans in sync with MartialFlow pricing
5. Growth Planning - Use membership metrics for strategic planning

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Membership Problems

Issue: Expected amount doesn't match what the family should pay
Solution: Check the plan and pricing tier assignment, verify discount applications, review enrollment dates

Issue: Customer appears twice with separate memberships
Solution: Check for duplicate customer accounts, verify family account setup, consolidate memberships

Payment Tracking Issues

Issue: Many accounts showing overdue
Solution: Confirm payments are being recorded promptly, check the reconciliation dashboard for unrecorded payments, verify deadlines are configured correctly

Issue: Cancellations increasing
Solution: Analyze cancellation reasons, improve retention strategies, enhance value delivery

Next Steps

After mastering membership management:

1. Payment Status Tracking - Monitor statuses and deadlines
2. Handling Overdue Payments - Manage collections
3. Reports & Analytics - Analyze membership performance
4. Communications - Improve customer communication

Getting Help

For membership management assistance:

• Review Managing Customer Billing for billing basics
• Check Setting Up Payment Methods for collection channels
• Contact support for complex membership scenarios

Well-managed membership plans give you a reliable picture of expected revenue, catch missed payments early, and support sustainable business growth — with collections handled through the channels that work best for your families.