IN THIS ARTICLE:
Learn about Early Bird Discounts, how they are created, and how they can affect billing.
- What is an Early Bird Discount?
- Where do I configure Early Bird Discounts?
- How are Early Bird Discounts Reflected?
What is an Early Bird Discount?
Early Bird Discounts are discounts for customers if they pay their charge in full before a specified “Early Bird” date. When creating a charge from the Family Ledger or running the Class Tuition Charges/Camp Tuition Charges tasks, you can enter the Early Bird Date to establish the date when the created charges go back to normal pricing.
The defined "Early Bird Cutoff Date" cannot be AFTER the specified Due Date of the charge.
The amount of the Early Bird Discount itself must be defined as a “Special Discount.” (See the following section for more details.)
Where do I configure Early Bird Discounts?
- For CLASSES, the amount of the Early Bird Discount is defined on the “Special Discounts” tab of the Discount Schedule attached to the Class Program.
- For CAMPS, the amount of the Early Bird Discount is defined on the “Special Discounts” tab of the Pricing Schedule that is seclected in the “Payment Settings” area of the Camp Details.
- For both classes AND camps, the Early Bird Date is defined when creating the tuition charge for the class/camp.
- Click here for information about manually creating Class Tuition Charges on the Family Ledger.
- Click here for information about manually creating Camp Tuition Charges on the Family Ledger.
- Click here for information about running the TRANSACTIONS>CLASS TUITION CHARGES task.
- Click here for information about running the TRANSACTIONS>CAMP TUITION CHARGES task
Early Bird Discounts are not available for enrollments made via the Customer Portal, as these enrollments usually charge tuition and require payment immediately. As there is not a way to set an Early Bird Date on those charges, the Early Bird Discount cannot be enforced.
How are Early Bird Discounts Reflected?
As Early Bird Discounts are only valid if a charge is paid by the specified Early Bird Date, they are not permanently recorded until the charge is paid in full. Instead, it is shown as a “potential” discount depending on where the charge is being viewed.
On the Family Ledger
The charge will reflect the full price to be paid. However, text will be displayed below the charge title notifying the staff member of any eligible Early Bird Discount that is applicable to the charge.
On the “New Payment” screen
If the payment is made before the Early Bird Date, the amount shown in the "Apply to Outstanding Charges" section of the “New Payment” screen will reflect the discounted amount. Text will be displayed below the charge title notifying the staff member of the amount that will be due for the charge after the Early Bird Date has passed:
On Statements
The charge will reflect the full price to be paid. However, text will be displayed below the charge title notifying the family of any eligible Early Bird Discount that is applicable to the charge.
When running the TRANSACTIONS>PAYMENTS task
If the TRANSACTIONS>PAYMENTS task is run before the Early Bird Date, the amount shown on the Payments Preview screen will reflect the discounted amount.
On the Category List Report (FIN-6)
The Category List Report (FIN-6) will reflect the full charge amount, but will include a column reflecting potential Early Bird discounts:
A note is also included to alert Staff members that “Early Bird is estimated based on when charge is created and only added to the total discounts when charge is fully paid.”
In the Customer Portal/Mobile App
In the Payments section of the MY ACCOUNT screen, the system will show the full amount due. However, a message will be displayed notifying the family of any eligible Early Bird Discounts that are applicable.
When viewing the Ledger info/Transaction History, the charge will always reflect the full amount for outstanding charges. Once a successful payment has been made, the ledger will record the discounted amount.
