How to create a Membership with a scheduled payment option

Overview

Scheduled payment options are a third payment type alongside Fixed and Recurring. Use them when you need every member on a given option to start and end on the same calendar dates.

Unlike standard Fixed Payment memberships, where the membership duration remains the same regardless of the purchase date (for example, a 12-month membership always lasts 12 months from the date of purchase), Scheduled Payment run within a fixed time period.

Example

A summer membership may run from 1 June to 31 August. Whether a customer purchases the membership on 1 June or 15 July:

• The membership will still expire on 31 August
• The customer will pay the full fixed fee
• No pro-rata pricing will apply

Note: A feature flag must be enabled by OpenPlay before this option appears on your site. Contact your OpenPlay Account Manager to request access via Zendesk

Before You Start

The following will need to be completed before adding a Scheduled payment option:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create or edit a Membership Type

1. Go to Memberships > Membership Types > Create Membership Type
   or
   Memberships > Membership Types > Edit an existing Membership Type
   
   
    
2. Navigate to the Payment Options
   
   
    

2. Create a new Scheduled payment option

1. Click Create New Payment Option
    
2. From the Payment Type dropdown, select Scheduled
   
   
    
3. Click Create Payment Option.

3. Configure the pricing option:

1. Enter a name for the payment option (optional)
   We recommend adding this as it will show to end users and staff during the membership process adding clarity.
    
2. Select the Start Date and End Date
   The dates are Inclusive which means the membership will be active from 00:00 on the start date until 23:59 on the end date.
    
3. Select a Fixed Price
    
4. Select the Joining Fee

4. Add Further Scheduled Options (Optional)

You can add multiple Scheduled payment options to the same membership type — for example, one per term across an academic year.

1. Click Create New Payment Option
2. Repeat step 3 for each additional term

Important: Date ranges must not overlap. The system will block you from saving a Scheduled option where dates overlap another Scheduled option on the same membership type.

5. Publish the pricing options

1. Review all the settings and confirm they are correct
2. Set the payment option to Published
3. Click Save

Publish the Membership

1. Return to Membership Types
2. Locate the membership you created
3. Click Publish

Your Membership with a Scheduled payment option is now live and available for purchase.

Result

When published, customers and Front of House staff (depending on the configuration of the membership type configuration for "Allow membership purchase") will see the option in the membership sign-up flow, with the date range and (if set) the name displayed in place of the usual duration label. 

Online	Offline

Troubleshooting

Can't see the Scheduled Payment Options section? 
The feature flag has not been enabled for your site. Contact OpenPlay via Zendesk to request access.

Getting a date overlap error? 
Another Scheduled payment option on the same membership type covers part of the same date range. Edit the dates so the periods do not overlap, or delete the conflicting option.

Scheduled option not appearing for purchase? 
Check the Published toggle is set to Yes and that the end date is in the future. Options with a past end date are automatically hidden.

Can a customer renew or change to a Scheduled membership? 
Not at launch. Scheduled memberships are excluded from the Renew and Change membership flows in Phase 1. Customers purchase a new term as a fresh sign-up.

Does this work with CoursePro or MCRActive membership types? 
No. Scheduled payment options are not currently supported for third-party integrations such as CoursePro or MCRActive.

What's Next?

• How to purchase a membership online
• How to purchase a Fixed Membership at the Front of House (FOH)
• Why is a membership not available for purchase?
• How to create a standard membership type