LocalRecHow to take online payments for field and court rentals
By Mahamed BashirPublished
Pick one way each booking is paid: card when the renter books, Interac e-Transfer before the booking, or at the facility. Card at booking pays for the hour before anyone else can take it, and it's the strongest fix for no-shows. Show your deposit, cancellation and refund terms before renters pay.
What are the ways to take payment for a field or court rental?
Pick one as your default. Payments get missed when the same rental can be paid three ways.
Card at booking
The renter pays when they book, so the hour is paid before anyone else can take it. Best for one-off renters and groups you don't know yet.
Interac e-Transfer
No card needed, which suits regular teams. Someone has to check each transfer arrived and match it to its booking.
Pay at the facility
Nothing to set up, but the hour stays unpaid until the group walks in.
Should you take a deposit or the full price upfront?
Take the full price for a normal one-hour rental. Use a deposit for big bookings, such as a tournament weekend or a season of league nights, and say in writing when the balance is due.
If renters pay by e-Transfer, give the payment a deadline and release the time if the money doesn't arrive.
How do refunds work for each payment method?
Card refunds go back to the card the renter paid with and take about 5 to 10 business days to show up. Tell renters that when you refund, so they don't call the desk a week later.
An e-Transfer or cash refund is money you send back yourself, so record it against the booking.
What should your cancellation terms say about money?
Match the notice to how fast you can resell the time: a day or two for a weeknight court, weeks for a Saturday tournament block. Show the terms before renters pay and apply them the same way to everyone.
Set the notice period
In hours or days before the start time.
Say what you keep after it
The full price, the deposit, or a fixed share.
Say how money comes back
To the card, by e-Transfer, or as credit for another booking.
Cover your own closures
If you close, the renter gets a refund or another time.
What happens to the payment when a renter doesn't show up?
If they paid upfront and missed the deadline, keep what your terms say. If they were going to pay at the facility, the hour is lost. That's the main reason to take payment at booking.
A card payment can still be disputed with the renter's bank, which reverses it until you send evidence. Your evidence is the terms they saw before paying and a booking marked as a no-show.
Do you charge sales tax on rentals?
Facility rentals are usually subject to GST or HST, and provincial sales tax rules vary by province. Check with your accountant or your province's tax office before you set your prices, and say whether your posted rates include tax.
Where LocalRec helps
LocalRec Facility OS lets you choose how customers pay: card at booking, Interac e-Transfer, or at the facility.
Card payments go straight into your facility's own Stripe account, with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Customers pay in full when they book, refunds go back to the card from the booking, and LocalRec takes no commission.
With e-Transfer, you set how much is due upfront and by when. Staff confirm each transfer, LocalRec reminds you about the ones still waiting, and a booking that isn't paid in time is released.
Your cancellation policy shows before customers book, checkout adds your sales tax, and staff record cash and terminal payments against each booking so the day's takings add up.