Advanced Payments, also known as virtual terminal, is an add-on that can be included in your subscription, allowing you to proactively charge your clients' credit card details they've provided you. If you're on a Select plan, this add-on may be automatically included.
Advanced Payments allows you to process clients' credit cards over the phone or in person on invoices, recurring templates with recurring payments, and retainers, so you can get paid quickly. If you have repeat clients, you'll also be able to save the credit card information for use towards future invoices and recurring templates.
Details
- Purchase the Advanced Payments add-on by upgrading your subscription, and review reasons why Advanced Payments may not be available for you below
- All payments charged through manually entered and saved credit cards are an additional 0.60% on top of your usual transaction fee through Stripe
- Advanced Payments works with Stripe for international businesses
- Can be used by business owners, admins and managers only based on permissions
Charge Cards
Charge Cards allows you to proactively charge your clients with their credit card information. You can securely accept credit cards in person, over the phone, or from your computer to get paid quickly.
This can also be used on recurring templates to set up recurring payments automatically, or for when you need to charge a client immediately on an invoice.
Credit card details are securely saved in FreshBooks. You can read more about our industry-leading PCI compliance security with credit card data here.
Invoices
Charge Card can be used on any invoice, including those generated from retainers, with these steps:
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select an invoice you want to pay
- Select the Charge Card button
- Enter the credit card details
- If you'd like to save the card to the client's profile for future invoices, check off the box next to Save this card for future charges
- Under Payment Options, choose between Charge full amount or Other amount
- If Other amount is selected, specify the total you'd like to charge as a partial payment
- Select the Charge Now button to process the payment.
The invoice will now be fully or partially paid with the credit card details you’ve inputted.
Multiple Invoices
If you'd like to pay multiple outstanding invoices at once with the saved payment information, use these steps instead:
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select an invoice you want to pay to view it
- If there are any other outstanding invoices for the same client, select the x outstanding invoices link at the top of the invoice
- Then select the Pay Outstanding Invoices link above the list
- Enter the credit card details
- Then select the Charge Now button to finish and all the selected outstanding invoices will be paid simultaneously.
Recurring Templates
To use Charge Card on a recurring template, use these steps instead:
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select the Recurring Templates section, or select New Invoice and then select Make Recurring
- While on the recurring template, under Payment Options, check off the box next to Require credit card for automatic payments
- Then select Add credit card
- Enter the credit card details
- Select the Save Card button
- Finish with the rest of your recurring template. Once saved, it’ll now generate invoices that will have recurring payments activated automatically.
Saved Credit Cards
Whenever you’re adding in credit card information for an invoice, you have the option to save the credit card to either the client profile if there isn't an invoice yet, or while paying an invoice using Charge Card.
If you don't have an invoice or recurring template ready for this client, you can save the credit card to their profile with these steps:
- Select the Clients section
- Then select the client you'd like to add a saved credit card to
- Under Payment Options, select the + button
- Then select Add Credit Card
- Enter the credit card details
- Select Save to finish. There will now be a saved card for future invoices and recurring templates, when the correct payment option is chosen.
On any invoice, using the Charge Card feature, ensure Save this card for future charges is checked off when entering in credit card information to also save it to the client profile:
Once saved, they can be reused on individual invoices only. The next time you select the Charge Card button on any individual invoice, any saved credit cards will appear for re-use:
If you want to use a Saved Card on a recurring template to set up recurring payments, rather than using Charge Card for a generated invoice from the recurring template, use these steps:
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select the Recurring Templates sub-tab
- Next, select the recurring template you want to edit
- Select Edit
- Under Settings, select Recurring Schedule
- Then under Payment Options, check off the box next to Require credit card for automatic payments
- Then select the Add credit card link in the same area as the checkbox
- Add the credit card here if there is one already saved, or enter in the credit card details as needed
- Select Done to save the card
- Then select Done again to save the settings
- When you're finished, select Save... at the top right to save the recurring template.
To check if a credit card has been saved to a client's profile, you can go to the Clients section and select the client. Any saved cards will appear under the client's details:
Remove Saved Credit Cards
Any saved card can be removed in either of these two places:
Client Profile
This will remove the saved credit card on any active recurring templates, meaning any generated invoices after removal will not be auto-paid.
- Select the Client section
- Then select the client that has the saved card(s) you want to delete
- In the Saved Credit Cards area of the client's profile, hover over the right side of the card and select the trash can icon
- In the pop-up, select Remove Credit Card to confirm. The card will now be deleted from the client profile.
Recurring Template
This only removes the credit card on a particular recurring template. Any other recurring templates using the same saved credit card will still continue to generate auto-paid invoices.
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select the Recurring Templates sub-tab
- Select the recurring template that has a saved card you want to remove
- Next, select Edit
- Under Settings, select Recurring Schedule
- In the Payment Options area, hover over the right side of the card and select the trash can icon
- Select OK to confirm. The card will now be deleted from the recurring template.
Subscriptions
If you don't have the client's credit card information handy on a recurring template, you can use Subscriptions instead. This allows you to set up a recurring template to automatically opt into recurring payments as soon as the client pays on the next generated invoice. Your clients will always have the option to update their saved payment details anytime after you've set up a recurring template on a Subscription.
Use the below steps to set up a Subscription:
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select the Recurring Templates section, or select New Invoice and then select Make Recurring
- While on the recurring template, under Payment Options, check off the box next to Require credit card for automatic payments
- Finish with the rest of your recurring template. Once saved, it’ll now generate an invoice.
Once your client receives the generated invoice and opens it to pay, the Pay Now button will then prompt them to set up recurring payment by entering their credit card details for future generated invoices:
FAQs
I want to purchase and setup the Advanced Payments add-on but I don’t have it in my Billing and Upgrade page?
The option to add Advanced Payments will only be available after your Stripe account is fully connected and set up first with the steps in How do I accept online payments with Stripe? here. Once set up, return to the Billing and Upgrade page and the Advanced Payments add-on will be available to add to your subscription.
Can I charge a card that my client has entered and saved themselves?
You'll only be able to charge cards and use saved credit cards that you have been provided by the client and entered yourself. Any credit cards that have been entered in by your client on their end will not be accessible to you.