Monthly card payments

For teachers · Last updated October 16, 2026

Monthly card payments charge a family's saved card automatically on your billing day each month. The money goes straight into your own Stripe account, and Pydia takes no cut.

Pydia works out every amount, sends every family email and receipt, and keeps your roster up to date. Stripe moves the money. You decide refunds, discounts and what to do about late payers.

Who owns the money

You do. You connect your own Stripe account, so every charge, payout, refund and dispute lives there.

• Where the money lands: your Stripe account, paid out on your Stripe schedule.
• Pydia's cut: none.
• Card fees: Stripe's normal card fees, plus Stripe's Billing fee on monthly payments, come out of your account.
• Refunds: always your choice. The Refund button in Pydia refunds from your Stripe account.
• Chargebacks: handled in your Stripe account. Pydia shows the result on your roster.
• Late payers: Pydia flags them and emails the family. Following up is up to you.

Where monthly payments fit

There are four ways a family can pay you by card in Pydia: in full at sign-up, a saved card you charge after each private lesson, paying an ESA invoice by card, and monthly payments. Use monthly payments for memberships and anything else billed by the month.

In the same offering, some families can pay by monthly card while ESA families get a monthly invoice. Both follow the same schedule.

Getting started

1. Connect your Stripe account on the Billing page.
2. Pick your billing day on the Billing page, under Card payments.
3. Set the offering to bill monthly and set its monthly price.
4. Share your sign-up link. Families who choose card agree to the monthly terms and pay the first month.
5. If a family already paid this month another way, tick "They already paid this month another way" when you send their link or add them. Card billing then starts next month.

The details

Billing day. Any day from the 1st to the 28th. The default is the 1st. A change applies only to families who sign up after it.

Signing up. The family pays the current month right away, then the card is charged on each billing day. Before paying, they tick a box agreeing to "$X today and $X on the [day] of each month until [end] or I cancel." Pydia saves that agreement and emails them a copy.

Which months are charged. Every month that has a class. Payments stop on their own after the offering's last class. Pydia reminds you 10 days before a family's payments end.

Emails Pydia sends. The family gets a reminder 3 days before each charge and a receipt after it. You get one email when a family's monthly payments start.

Already paid another way. The family saves their card with nothing charged today. Their first charge is on your next billing day.

Price changes. Each family keeps their own price until you move them to a new one. When a price goes up, families paying monthly by card get 30 days' notice by email, for example "Starting Dec 1, your monthly payment for Art Club will be $95." A price that goes down applies from the next month, with no email.

Discounts and free months. Add a discount for one month or ongoing. A free month is a 100% discount: the card stays saved and that month shows $0. To start a family's charges next month instead of now, set their start date to the 1st of next month.

When a card fails. Stripe tries the card again. If the month is still unpaid after 7 days, Pydia stops their monthly payments and emails you and the family. The family stays enrolled and your dashboard shows it under Needs attention. They can pay what's owed from their dashboard, and their monthly payments start again with the same end date.

A family cancels. Families can cancel from their dashboard. There is no refund, and they keep the month they already paid for. You get an email, your roster shows "Cancels [date]", and the family is withdrawn on that date.

You end it. If you withdraw the family, switch them to ESA, or complete or cancel the offering, Pydia stops their card payments.

Common questions

Does Pydia take a percentage?

No. The only fees are Stripe's, and they come out of your Stripe account.

Does a family need a Pydia password?

No. Every email Pydia sends a family has a button to their dashboard, where they can update their card, see receipts or cancel.

What if a family joins partway through a month?

They pay for the full month. To charge less, add a one-time discount.

What about siblings?

Each child has their own monthly payment, charged separately with its own receipt.

Related: Arizona ESA invoices in Pydia and Emails Pydia sends for you.