On Line Payments

[speckytecky]

Bearing in mind the fact that the days of bank cheques are numbered I'm wondering are any schools offering / looking at facilitating online payment systems. If so, how easy to set up is it and what are the pitfalls?

[localzuk]

We use 2 systems - ParentPay for trips, events and dinner money, and a virtuemart shop, linked to paypal for school uniform sales.

 

Easy enough to set up and maintain.

[Sylv3r]

We have just surveyed all of our parents to see if they would use a service such as parentpay - feedback up to now looks positive so we will probably look to launch it for September - this will be used for School Dinner Money and trips. From what I have heard from other schools and seen from the demos this does look good but could be a little on the expensive side as the school pays by the transaction.

[localzuk]

We have just surveyed all of our parents to see if they would use a service such as parentpay - feedback up to now looks positive so we will probably look to launch it for September - this will be used for School Dinner Money and trips. From what I have heard from other schools and seen from the demos this does look good but could be a little on the expensive side as the school pays by the transaction.

 

Schools also pay be the transaction for cashing cheques usually (well, if they have a local bank account anyway). The price per transaction isn't that bad, compared with a full merchant account setup.

[PhilNeal]

Don't forget BACS - this can save a school >£1000/year. There's also Direct Debits for fee paying schools.

[localzuk]

Don't forget BACS - this can save a school >£1000/year. There's also Direct Debits for fee paying schools.

 

With BACS - bear in mind that many LEAs don't allow BACS as a payment method due to the lack of paper trail. Our LEA doesn't, for example.

[PhilNeal]

If an LA is saying that and you are still using cheques, the school needs to push back. BACS has a complete audit trail, is safer than cheques and there is no excuse not to make use of it.

Serious savings can be made. Similarly, FMS has links to the DCSF OPEN marketplace and this can save a similar sum by bypassing paper, stamps and seeing what each supplier is charging.

[elsiegee40]

At the school where I work, we always give out the details for on-line banking and parents rarely use it

 

At my daughter's (secondary) school ParentPay has been in use for some time for all payments from dinner money to trips... and, as a parent, I love it!

[glennda]

We currently use ParentPay linked to our Cunninghams Cashless catering system - we also you for trips etc. Saves alot of time and paper!

[Sylv3r]

Schools also pay be the transaction for cashing cheques usually (well, if they have a local bank account anyway). The price per transaction isn't that bad, compared with a full merchant account setup.

 

We must be lucky in this respect as the LA absorbs any transaction for our cheque banking here. The cost per transaction is prohibitive if parents are adding small amounts each week £5 etc - theres way and means around it for schools by adding an additonal cost to school trips to cover the transaction costs - although probably not allowed to do it.

[john]

Were a ParentPay School, and to date we have taken £0 on it! and the cash and cheques continue to flow into the finance office from the kids. Fine its early days but we had hoped by now some parent may have been online and paid but alas not yet Was easy to setup though and the people at ParentPay are very helpful when you get through to them.

[Edu-IT]

Were a ParentPay School, and to date we have taken £0 on it! and the cash and cheques continue to flow into the finance office from the kids. Fine its early days but we had hoped by now some parent may have been online and paid but alas not yet Was easy to setup though and the people at ParentPay are very helpful when you get through to them.

Perhaps it needs more promotion?

[mjs_mjs]

ParentPay here - They no longer accept cheques/cash in the school unless it's the only way....

[glennda]

Were a ParentPay School, and to date we have taken £0 on it! and the cash and cheques continue to flow into the finance office from the kids. Fine its early days but we had hoped by now some parent may have been online and paid but alas not yet Was easy to setup though and the people at ParentPay are very helpful when you get through to them.

 

ParentPay here - They no longer accept cheques/cash in the school unless it's the only way....

 

I think with something like this you have to go fully into it - if you carry on accepting cash then they will still use it - it does depend of the situation of the parents.

We use ParentPay as the only way of accepting money for the Cashless Catering - therefore parents are used to using the system and tend to use it for school trips but for trips we also accept cash/cheque

 

Toby

[mjs_mjs]

I think it can become an interesting debate as to if you allow cash/cheque. I'm sure somewhere in law you HAVE TO allow cash as it is a legal form of tender. but don't quote me on it 'cos I'm not sure.

[john]

Our issue is we do have some parents that don't have Internet still and live miles away from a shop such as farmers in remote farms, they don't have time to take the letter to the shop that accepts PayPoint to scan the bar-code to be able to pay for it that way. I like the idea of saying no e-payment no go but it won't happen with us I don't think, we also don't have Cashless Catering yet so that is something else that won't attract them to the site yet.

 

More PR, hmm maybe but its in the letters that went home, on the website, newsletter.....

[elsiegee40]

Our issue is we do have some parents that don't have Internet still and live miles away from a shop such as farmers in remote farms, they don't have time to take the letter to the shop that accepts PayPoint to scan the bar-code to be able to pay for it that way. I like the idea of saying no e-payment no go but it won't happen with us I don't think, we also don't have Cashless Catering yet so that is something else that won't attract them to the site yet.

 

More PR, hmm maybe but its in the letters that went home, on the website, newsletter.....

 

PayPoint??? Not sure anyone uses paypoint for school. I thought was for electricy bills and the like?

 

ParentPay, however, does require the internet. With advances in mobile technology, I think more and more and people have access to the internet now. Having the confidence to use it, is another thing though.

[localzuk]

PayPoint??? Not sure anyone uses paypoint for school. I thought was for electricy bills and the like?

 

ParentPay, however, does require the internet. With advances in mobile technology, I think more and more and people have access to the internet now. Having the confidence to use it, is another thing though.

 

ParentPay has a PayPoint option.

[elsiegee40]

ParentPay has a PayPoint option.

 

Didn't know that; useful stuff, ta!

[john]

Didn't know that; useful stuff, ta!

 

Yup it does, BUT you have to print a special letter off for each trip with a unique barcode for them so its a very big PITA!!!

 

If you do school dinner money through it though you can get plastic cards like you have for the Electricity Bill etc

[marshharrier]

Got a letter yesterday from ParentMail. They go live with a parent payment module in September (pluspay). Should be interesting as they already have 90% of our parents registered for communications which should mean a very high take up rate. We're going to use it so I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[marshharrier]

Update on +Pay as promised.

 

We had a demo last week and it looks very interesting indeed.

 

Rates are as follows;

 

Credit card - 1.65% (with no added transaction charge!)

Debit Card - 32 pence per transaction

 

These rates are competitive with other systems we've seen.

 

Usefully for parents it also has a PAYPAL option too although it is slightly more expensive than cards at 1.9% + 20 p per transaction.

 

System itself is very intuitive and allows you to create email/text reminders as part of the payment item. This effectively means that you setup the item and the messages go out automatically ... which I like!

 

You can also chase the 'non-payers' with a single button click which again our admin team will find a doddle.

 

We've ordered, and the setup time is 4 weeks. Will report on how it goes if anyone is interested.

 

H.