Automatic charging for group sessions

What this is for

When automatic charging is on, about an hour before a group visit the clinic charges each participant who has an active consented card saved with that clinic’s Square account. Money goes to the clinic’s Square seller, not to Up2Date Connect.

The switch is off by default. Only a clinic admin can turn it on.

Before you start

• Square is connected for this clinic, and a location is chosen.
• Clients who should be charged have saved a card and agreed to the consent text (or staff recorded verbal consent).

Steps

1. Open Settings → Payments.
2. In the payment setup list, find Automatic charging.
3. Under Card fee, Cash App, Venmo, and automatic charging, check Charge saved cards automatically for upcoming group sessions.
4. Read the short explanation under the checkbox.
5. Choose Save payment settings.

The setup list shows On or Off for that step.

What happens when it is on

• About 45–80 minutes before a scheduled group visit, the hourly job tries each open bill for that visit.
• Only clients with an active consented card are charged.
• Each try uses a stable Square key from the bill and attempt number, so running the job twice does not charge twice.
• After several failed tries, the job stops for that bill. Staff see an alert. The client gets a text when SMS is allowed.
• A client who removes their card is never charged automatically again.

What it does not do

• It does not charge individual visits or assessments (those paths come later if the product adds them).
• It does not charge when the switch is off.
• It does not charge a removed or inactive card.

Tips

• Leave the switch off until staff are ready to explain card-on-file charges to clients.
• If a charge fails, check the staff alert, the bill’s failure reason, and whether the client’s card is still active.
• Test in Square sandbox first (clinic connected with sandbox credentials) so no real money moves.