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Which cards and payment methods can families use?

Families book with a card — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and debit cards carrying those logos. A bank account cannot complete a new booking. Once enrolled, they can add a bank debit for recurring tuition in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. Apple Pay and Google Pay appear when the family adds a card on their own phone.

Last updated: September 16, 2026
Applies to: Owner / Manager / Staff (Limited Staff: conversation only)
PLUS Feature: No
Plan: All

Table of Contents

  1. What families can use
  2. Which method works when
  3. If you came here for something else
  4. Why booking needs a card and tuition doesn't
  5. Cards
  6. Apple Pay and Google Pay
  7. Bank accounts (after they are enrolled)
  8. Currencies
  9. Before you answer the parent
  10. What to tell the parent
  11. Who can add what
  12. What none of these will do
  13. FAQ
  14. Related Articles

What families can use

Method Book online with it? Pay tuition with it?
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover — credit or debit Yes Yes
Apple Pay / Google Pay — on the family's own phone — Opus1 Payments only Yes Yes
Bank account — US, Canada, UK, Australia No Yes, once they are enrolled
Cash, check, or card at the desk No — staff take it Staff record it
PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Afterpay, Klarna, crypto No No

The short version: a card gets them booked, a bank account can keep them paying. A Visa debit card counts as a card — it is the routing-and-account-number route that self-booking does not offer.

Everything is charged in your school's currency, whatever the parent's card is issued in.

Which method works when

They are… What they can use Why
Self-booking a trial, lesson, group class, or event Card, or Apple Pay / Google Pay on their own phone A card answers yes or no in seconds, so the timeslot can be confirmed while they are still on the page. A bank debit takes days, and if it comes back you have already given the time away
Self-booking again, with a bank account already on file Card anyway Same reason. Being an existing family does not make a bank debit settle any faster, so the checkout asks for a card no matter who is booking
Enrolled, and they want tuition to come out of checking Bank account set as the default on the payer Tuition is not waiting on a timeslot. An invoice can sit for a few days while the debit clears, and bank debit usually costs the school less than a card
Paying an open invoice from their login Saved card or saved bank, or they add a card first Both work, because nothing is being reserved. A bank payment leaves the invoice Processing until it settles, so use a card if you need it closed today
Standing at the desk with cash or a check Staff Pay with cash, check, or the terminal Opus1 records what you took in person. It is not on the public checkout because the family cannot hand you cash through a web page

Cards for anything booked online; bank accounts once they are an enrolled family and the money has time to move.

Other payment questions

What you're after Where to go
Which methods families can use, when, and in which currency This page
How to turn on Opus1 Payments, ACH, and payouts How do online payments work?
How ACH / PAD / BACS / BECS settle, fees vs cards, and why they are not for self-booking ACH Enablement, BACS Enablement (UK), BECS Direct Debit (Australia)
Apple Pay / Google Pay on the family's device Apple Pay & Google Pay with Opus1 Payments
The parent-facing clicks: credit-card icon, Pay on an invoice Send A Guide to Using Opus1.io for Parents
A charge failed and you need a script Why was my client's card declined and what do I tell the parent?
Staff taking cash, check, or a terminal at the desk That is an admin Pay, not a family method — How do online payments work?

Why self-booking needs a card and tuition doesn't

A parent is on the self-booking page, or on the phone, because they want to pay from their checking account. Or they have a UK debit card and the school invoices in US dollars. Or they used Apple Pay last fall and now the front desk cannot "see" Apple Pay on the staff form.

Opus1 does not accept every payment method a family might want to use. It takes cards for the checkout that has to succeed immediately, and bank debit later for tuition that can wait a few days to settle. That split is on purpose. A card authorizes in seconds, so a new lesson can be confirmed. A bank debit (ACH, PAD, BACS, BECS) takes several business days, can still come back declined after the family thinks they are booked, and is a poor fit for "book this timeslot now."

Cards

When this applies: it authorizes immediately. Self-booking, a proposal they finish on their phone, Pay on an invoice, and autopay all run on a card.

What "a card" means in practice
  • The family types the number, expiry, and CVC, or they use Apple Pay / Google Pay to drop in a card that is already in their phone wallet.
  • Some issuers ask for an extra "yes, this is me" step (3-D Secure). That only works while the parent is in the browser. Autopay cannot tap through it overnight — see Why was my client's card declined and what do I tell the parent?.
  • The charge is in your currency. If their card is issued in another currency, their bank converts it and may add a foreign-transaction fee. That fee is the bank's, not Opus1's.
Where they add it

What you tell them: log in → credit-card icon on their profile → Add a payment method → card → set it as default if more than one is saved.

Staff can add the same card on the payer profile with permission. You cannot offer Apple Pay or Google Pay from the staff-side form.

Pictures: A Guide to Using Opus1.io for Parents.

Apple Pay and Google Pay

When this applies: the parent already has a card in their phone wallet. They never type the number. It still saves a card on the payer — it is not a separate autopay rail.

When a family… Apple Pay / Google Pay?
Adds a new card during self-booking Yes
Adds a payment method on their profile Yes
Finishes a proposal on their own device Yes
Pays with a card already saved No — the saved card is enough
Tries to pay with a bank account No
Is enrolled by staff on the school's computer Do not use it — that would be saving the staff member's card

Apple Pay usually appears in Safari on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Google Pay usually appears in Chrome (and most non-Safari browsers) when Google Pay is set up. They typically see one wallet, not both.

This is an Opus1 Payments family-checkout feature. New Opus1 Payments accounts get it automatically. Older accounts: ask support@opus1.io to confirm. CardConnect does not offer these wallets.

Full article: Apple Pay & Google Pay with Opus1 Payments.

Bank accounts (after they are enrolled)

When this applies: lower processing cost, money comes straight from checking, good for families who are already on a subscription. Bad for "hold this Tuesday at 4:00."

They cannot self-book with a bank account

The public self-booking checkout does not list bank accounts. It will not offer "add a bank." A returning family who already pays tuition by ACH still needs a card (or a credit) to self-book another lesson or a sibling.

That is not a bug. Bank debit settles in days, not seconds. If the debit comes back, the timeslot was already given away. Cards (and Apple Pay / Google Pay) are the self-booking option on purpose. Same limit is documented on ACH Enablement and BECS Direct Debit (Australia).

Staff can enroll from the admin side using a bank already on the payer. Do not promise that to a parent on the public URL.

They can add a bank later, for recurring invoices

Once the family exists and can log in:

  1. Payer logs in → credit-card icon → Add a payment method.
  2. They choose Bank Account (the label next to Credit Card).
  3. They complete the bank form (US routing/account, or the UK / Canada / Australia equivalent, including any mandate / verification the processor shows).
  4. They set it as default so autopay and a later Pay use the bank, not the card they self-booked with.

Staff can do the same on the payer profile. If Disable ability for clients to use Bank Transfer is on, only staff can add it.

After it is default, existing recurring invoices — monthly tuition, the next autopay — debit that account. The card they used to self-book can stay on file as a backup; default is what runs.

Which bank scheme they get

The scheme follows the school's country, not the parent's. A US school cannot debit a UK sort code.

School country What families add Currency it must match Typical settle time
United States ACH (bank account) USD 3–5 business days
Canada Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) CAD Several business days
United Kingdom BACS Direct Debit GBP Up to 6 working days (includes a 2-day notice)
Australia BECS Direct Debit AUD About 3 business days
New Zealand BECS Direct Debit (NZ) NZD About 3 business days
Anywhere else we bill (Eurozone, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Barbados, …) No bank debit in Opus1 Cards only n/a
What to warn them about

What to tell the parent

You are talking to the payer. Give one next step.

Self-booking, they want to use a bank account:

"For a new booking we need a card — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover all work, including a debit card with one of those logos. That's so the spot is actually confirmed today. Once Maya is enrolled, log in, tap the credit-card icon, and you can add your bank for the monthly tuition. We can't take the bank on the public signup page."

Self-booking, they only have a bank (no card):

"We can't complete an online enrollment from a checking account. A debit card with a Visa or Mastercard logo works the same as a credit card on that page. If you don't have one, we can enroll you from the office and put the bank on file for the monthly invoices."

They already pay by ACH and are self-booking a sibling / makeup:

"The bank on file is what we debit for tuition. This checkout still needs a card, even for a family we already know. Use any card to finish the booking; we'll keep using the bank for the monthly invoice unless you change the default."

They want Apple Pay:

"Use Safari on your iPhone when you add a card or finish the booking. Apple Pay shows up there. We can't tap Apple Pay from the front-desk computer — that would charge the school's phone, not yours."

Send A Guide to Using Opus1.io for Parents if they want pictures of the credit-card icon.

What none of these will do

  • Let a family self-book with a bank account. Not a new family, not a returning family, not "just this once" on the public URL.
  • Let a family pay in a different currency than the school. One school, one currency.
  • Offer PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Afterpay, Klarna, SEPA, iDEAL, or crypto. If they need those, that is outside Opus1.
  • Put Apple Pay on the staff add-card form. It only appears when the family is on their own phone.
  • Charge the student's profile when the invoice bills the parent. The card belongs on the payer.
  • Auto-retry a failed bank debit. Replace the method, then Pay.
  • Turn a prepaid card into a reliable monthly autopay. Prefer a regular credit or debit card for tuition.

FAQ

Can they use a debit card to self-book? Yes, if it has a Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, or another supported card-brand logo. That is a card. A routing number is a bank account, and that is not offered at self-booking.

They already have ACH on file. Why can't they pick it at checkout? Self-booking hides bank accounts so a time slot is not held on a debit that might bounce in three days. They use a card for this booking. The bank stays the default for tuition unless they change it.

Do we take American Express? Yes on Opus1 Payments and typically on CardConnect. Amex's own fees to the parent are the issuer's, not a school setting.

Will a UK family's card work at a US school? Usually, as a card, in USD. Their bank converts. They cannot attach a BACS account to a US school. 3-D Secure is more common on international cards — they must complete it in the browser.

Can they use Apple Pay for the monthly autopay? Apple Pay saves a card. Autopay then charges that saved card, the same as if they typed the number. They will not see an Apple Pay button on an overnight autopay.

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