Split Payment vs Single payment

With Playtomic, players booking a private booking through the app can choose between two payment options: Split Payment or Single Payment.

A few things to keep in mind:

• 🌐 Split payment is not available on the Playtomic website — players can only book with Single Payment there.
• 📋 Split vs. Single Payment only applies to private bookings.
• 🔄️A booking cannot be changed from single payment to split payments, or vice versa, after it has been created.

Split Payment

With Split Payment, the total court cost is automatically divided by the number of players. Each player pays their own share in the app, avoiding the hassle of collecting cash or chasing people for money after the match.

How the guarantee works

Because not everyone pays at the moment of booking, Playtomic needs a way to guarantee that the full amount will eventually be collected. This guarantee mechanism depends on the billing model configured for your club — it works differently depending on whether your club uses Card on File (CoF), Pre-authorization, or the Debt system.

1. Clubs with Card on File (CoF)

• When booking, the player selects Split Payment and must save a card in the app as a guarantee.
• The booking owner only pays their own share upfront — no hold is placed on their card.
• If any shares remain unpaid 2 hours after the match ends, the outstanding amount is automatically charged to the booking owner's saved card.
• If that charge attempt fails, Playtomic creates a debt for the booking owner equal to the total outstanding amount. This works a bit differently from the Debt system (point 3): here Playtomic hasn't advanced the money to the club, so the debt is between the player and the club — once the player pays it in the app, the club receives the funds directly.
• 📖 More info: Card on File (CoF): your guarantee for split payment bookings

2. Clubs with Pre-authorization (Italy, United Kingdom, Portugal and Norway)

• The full reservation amount is temporarily frozen (pre-authorized) on the booking owner's payment method at the time of booking, to confirm the card is valid and has sufficient funds.
• The hold is released once all players have paid their share.
• If any shares remain unpaid, the outstanding amount is automatically charged 2 hours after the match ends, using the pre-authorized funds.
• 📖 More info: How a pre-authorization works

3. Clubs with the Debt system

• The booking owner pays only their own share at the time of booking — no hold and no saved card required.
• If other players don't pay their share in time, or a club-collected payment isn't marked as registered within 2 hours of the match ending, the outstanding amount is added as a debt on the booking owner's profile.
• 💡 Why this is a debt with Playtomic, not with the club: to guarantee the club always gets paid, Playtomic advances the outstanding share to the club on the player's behalf — even though the player hasn't paid yet. That means the debt is now between Playtomic and the player, not between the club and the player. Playtomic then needs to recover that amount, so the player must pay it back directly in the app, using a card (wallet payment is not allowed).
• This debt cannot be cancelled by the club. When the player opens the app, they'll see a message on the home page letting them know they have a pending payment — tapping it takes them straight to pay.

Single Payment

With Single Payment, one player pays the full amount upfront when making the booking — so the reservation is fully paid and guaranteed from the moment it's made. The other players don't need to pay anything online or at the club, making things a bit simpler all around: no shares to track, no guarantee mechanism needed, and nothing left to collect after the match.

Bookings made manually by the club

The guarantee mechanisms above (CoF, Pre-authorization, Debt) only apply to private bookings made by the player through the app. They do not apply to private bookings created manually by the club in Playtomic Manager — these bookings have no payment guarantee, and it's the club's responsibility to make sure players pay.

If you want players to pay online only

When a player books in the app with Split Payment, they pay their own share online and guarantee the full court amount. Only the other players in the booking can choose to pay their share online or at the club. If you'd rather have every player pay online, keep in mind that Playtomic Manager has no setting to block payment at the club, and Split Payment can't be turned off for private bookings in the app.

What you can do:

• Accept bookings only through the Playtomic app or website. Website bookings and app bookings with Single Payment are always paid in full online.
• Add the rule to your terms and conditions in Settings > Agreements. Players must accept them before they reach the payment page.
• Mention it in the booking confirmation email in Settings > Venue > Communications > Booking confirmation.
• Write to players in the match chat. Open the booking from the Schedule and send a message.

Note: If a player still pays at the club, mark their share as Paid within 2 hours of the match ending. Otherwise it's charged automatically to the booking owner.

Handling payments at the club

If the reservation was made online via split payment, and a player pays their share at the club instead of in the app, don't forget to mark it as Paid in Playtomic Manager within 2 hours of the match ending — otherwise the system will charge it automatically to the booking owner, and you'll need to refund them directly.
👉 For the full details (including how uploading the match result can close this window early), check out How to mark a booking or activity as paid in Playtomic Manager

FAQ

Can club owners, admins or staff have a debt too?

Yes. A debt belongs to the player profile, so it can happen to anyone, including club owners, admins and staff. It usually happens when they book as a player with their personal profile using Split Payment, and some shares are left unpaid, or a payment made at the club is not marked as Paid in Playtomic Manager within 2 hours of the match ending. The outstanding amount is then added as a debt on their profile.

While a debt is open, the profile can't make new online payments, such as bookings, paid Open Matches, tournaments, leagues or classes. Payments made at the club are not affected. The debt applies to all clubs and can't be cancelled by the club. Once the player pays it in the app, using a card, they can make payments again.