ClubExpress has a merchant account built-in. Charges appear on user statements using a shortened version of your club or association name. We offer two types of proccessing, "Premium" and "Basic". In "premium" the the funds flow into our bank account. Then 3x per month (on the 10th, 20th, and last day of the month), we use an ACH to securely transfer the funds directly into your bank account and to collect the merchant processing fees at the same time. 

In "Premium" processing, ClubExpress also has the ability to split collected funds into different bank accounts for you. For example, if your club has chapters or districts that charge their own fees, these funds can be deposited directly into each bank account. The fees can also be charged to the same bank account.

In "Basic" processing, the funds from your website flow directly into your own managed Stripe account where you control payouts. This option is more suitable for simple organizations who do not need to move funds into separate bank accounts.

ClubExpress does not charge a separate "per transaction" fee, as do many of our competitors. (Their pricing suddenly gets a lot more expensive when you add in the per-transaction fees charged for each member signup, renewal, event registration, donation, etc.) But we do pass through the merchant processing fees at our actual cost, without markup, as if you had established your own credit card merchant account. Here are the fees:

Note that if non-members register for an event or make a donation, and pay by credit card, and you are using the built-in merchant account, we will add a small per-transaction fee to the charge (the "Non-Member Technology Convenience Fee".) This fee is never charged to members, nor is it charged to non-members who pay by another means. And it is never charged if you have your own merchant account. Here is the schedule:
 

Some associations want their own merchant account and ClubExpress fully supports this option: The primary reason for doing this is so the funds flow directly into your bank account, without first spending a few days in our bank account. A secondary reason is that it allows you to process larger transactions such as donations (see below for more information.)

One disadvantage is that it may be a little more expensive because of additional fees that some merchant processors charge. The other disadvantage is that we cannot distribute the funds into different bank accounts for you.



ClubExpress has partnered with Stripe.com for organizations that want to set up their own merchant account. If you're interested in this option, please contact our Customer Success team. They can enable the Stripe integration for you, to allow you to set up your Stripe account. Stripe charges a flat fee of 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction, with no additional fees.

Stripe also works in multiple countries. For more information, see the "Outside the US" section below. 

We require you to have your own merchant account if ANY of the following are true:

• If you are a membership-based business rather than a non-profit club or association.
• If your club has a restaurant or bar facility and you need to process member "tabs" (food or drink charges).
• If you need to regularly process large transactions (for example, over $3000).
• If state law prohibits your organization (such as a large public university) from giving us access to a bank account to deposit collected funds and collect the merchant processing fees.

Using Stripe, ClubExpress fully supports clubs and associations based in the following countries:


For an updated list see this page on the Stripe.com website.

Membership signups and renewals, event registrations, donations, storefront purchases, and other charges will be done in your local currency, with the funds flowing directly into your bank account.

If you enable PayPal, it can also be configured to work in your local currency, with the funds flowing into your organization’s PayPal account. From there, it’s easy to move them into a bank account. PayPal can be used in almost any country, not just the ones listed above.

ClubExpress does not charge separate transaction fees for clubs and associations that have their own merchant account. You are directly responsible for any fees charged by your merchant processor or PayPal.

ClubExpress fees (setup, monthly hosting, and other approved charges) will be handled using a saved credit card.