Five Strategies to Eliminate Trip Payment Headaches

Payment collection can be one of the most tedious, and important, parts of the trip planning process. Here are five strategies you can use eliminate trip payment headaches:

Delegate to the booster treasurer or a trusted parent

– Instead of adding payment collection to your list of responsibilities, consider making your booster treasurer (if you have one) or a trusted parent responsible for this process. It is best to also have a system of checks and balances in place to prevent any errors.

Get up front commitment from students

– Have every student who intends to travel sign a form that states their intent to participate and pay for the trip, as well as the cancellation policy. Ask your BRT representative for a sample form.

Set firm group payment deadlines

– Give your students verbal and written payment deadline reminders so that you may remain firm with these dates, paying special attention to the deposit and final payment. Although you should reserve flexibility for rare occasions, it is a good idea build in some buffer time between when students pay and when you need to send payment. This allows for late payments, as well as gives you time to deposit these payments and request the check to BRT.

Track your payments and issue receipts

– Don’t let things get confusing when the money starts coming in! Make sure you have a method in place that will allow you to accurately track who has paid and how much they have paid. Also, be sure to issue receipts for every payment received so that there is no confusion regarding who has paid.

Have BRT take payment collection off your hands

– Our Individual Payment System allows parents to pay BRT directly with a credit or debit card though our secure website. You, as the director, can check the payment status of individuals in your group online at any time, and can apply fundraising money to a student’s account.

These are just some of the methods you can use to make this aspect of traveling a little easier. Do you have other ideas? Add them in the comments below, and contact us to learn more about your payment options, including our Individual Payment System.