Spond Club offers two different ways to handle recurring payments. Whilst both are called "subscriptions", they are two separate features with different purposes. This article explains the differences, so you know when to use which.
The Two Features
1. Subscription Payments (under Finance)
This is a feature for automating ongoing, general fees such as training fees, season subscriptions or other regular costs linked to groups or member types.
Managed under Finance → Subscription Payments
Automatically assigned to members based on group or member type
Continues until the member is removed from the group or gets a new member type
Only administrators can stop the subscription
2. Registration Form with Recurring Charges (under Registration Forms)
This is a feature for courses, academies and time-limited programmes where members sign up themselves via a registration form.
Managed under Registration Forms
Members register themselves via a sharing link
Has defined start and end date
Members can cancel themselves (with notice period you set)
How Do They Differ From Each Other?
| Subscription Payments | Registration Form with Recurring Charges |
Where do you find it? | Finance → Subscription Payments | Registration Forms → New Registration Form |
Purpose | Ongoing general fees (training fees, season subscriptions, membership fees) | Courses, academies, time-limited programmes |
How is it assigned? | Automatically assigned to everyone in a group or with a member type | Members sign up themselves via registration link |
Start and end date | No fixed end date. Continues until member is removed from group/member type | Defined start and end date for the course/programme |
Can members cancel themselves? | No. Only administrators can stop by removing from group | Yes. Members can cancel in the app (with notice period you set) |
Notice period | Not applicable (administrator controls) | You can set notice period or choose "Cancellation not permitted" |
Payment cycle | Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly | Monthly (with defined number of charges) |
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Registration limit | Not applicable (everyone in group gets automatically) | Maximum number of places per participation option |
When Should You Use Which?
Use subscription payments (Finance) when:
You have ongoing fees that apply to everyone in a group or member type
The payment should continue without a defined end date
You want the payment to stop automatically when someone leaves the group
You want full administrator control over who pays
Example: Monthly training fee for everyone in "Junior group", season subscription for "Elite members"
Use registration form with recurring charges when:
You offer a course, academy or programme with fixed duration
Members should sign up themselves via a link
You want to set a maximum number of places
Members should be able to cancel themselves
You need registration information (custom fields, consent, etc.)
Example: Football school during summer holidays, 10-week training programme, annual academy
Can I Use Both Simultaneously?
Yes! Many clubs use both features in parallel for different purposes. For example:
Subscription payments for general training fee for all members
Registration form for special courses or programmes members can sign up for
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between subscription payments and instalment payments?
What is the difference between subscription payments and instalment payments?
Instalment payments are the division of a fixed, one-off amount into equal monthly instalments (for example, £12,000 divided into 12 months).
Subscription payments are ongoing payments that continue until the member is removed or cancels.
Can I change a subscription payment to a registration form (or vice versa)?
Can I change a subscription payment to a registration form (or vice versa)?
No. They are two separate features and cannot be converted. You must create a new payment in the correct format and possibly archive/end the old one.
Do both work with NIF synchronisation?
Do both work with NIF synchronisation?
Subscription payments are not synchronised with NIF. For NIF clubs, regular payment requests must be used.