> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sailia-mintlify-5b02008a.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Instalment plans
> Let customers split payments into scheduled instalments for higher-value bookings.
Instalment plans let you break the cost of a booking into multiple scheduled payments, making higher-value activities more accessible. Customers pay an initial amount at checkout and the remaining balance is collected automatically over time through [Stripe](/payments/stripe).
## How instalment plans work
1. You configure an instalment plan on an activity or product, defining the number of payments and the schedule.
2. At checkout, customers see the instalment option alongside the full-price payment.
3. The customer pays the first instalment to confirm their booking.
4. Sailia automatically collects subsequent payments on the scheduled dates through Stripe.
5. If all payments are collected, the plan is marked as complete.
The booking is confirmed after the first instalment is paid. The customer has full access to their reservation while the remaining instalments are outstanding.
## Setting up instalment plans
To offer instalment payments on an activity:
Navigate to the activity you want to offer instalments for and open its pricing configuration.
Toggle on the instalment option and define the payment schedule — the number of instalments, the interval between payments, and the amount for each instalment.
Save your changes. Customers booking the activity now see the instalment option at checkout.
## Managing instalment plans
From your financial dashboard, you can track all active instalment plans. Each plan shows:
| Field | Description |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Customer** | The customer's name and account |
| **Activity** | The booked activity and session date |
| **Total amount** | The full price of the booking |
| **Paid so far** | The total amount collected across completed instalments |
| **Unpaid** | The remaining balance still to be collected across future instalments |
| **Next payment** | The date and amount of the next scheduled instalment |
| **Status** | Active, completed, or abandoned |
Use the **Unpaid** column to quickly identify plans with the largest outstanding balances when reviewing collections or following up with customers.
## Payment collection
Instalment payments are processed automatically through [Stripe](/payments/stripe) on the scheduled dates. If a payment fails:
* Stripe retries the charge according to its retry schedule.
* The customer is notified about the failed payment.
* If retries are exhausted, the instalment plan may be marked as abandoned.
An abandoned instalment plan means outstanding payments were not collected. Review abandoned plans regularly and follow up with customers to resolve payment issues.
## Automating instalment communications
Use [automated workflows](/integrations/workflows) to keep customers informed throughout the instalment lifecycle. Available triggers include:
| Trigger | When it fires |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Instalment due** | An instalment payment is about to be collected |
| **Instalment paid** | An instalment payment has been successfully processed |
| **Instalment plan started** | A new instalment plan is created |
| **Instalment plan completed** | All instalments are fully paid |
| **Instalment plan abandoned** | The plan is terminated due to missed payments |
Set up an "instalment due" workflow to send a reminder a few days before each payment. This reduces failed payments and improves the customer experience.
## Terminating an instalment plan
You can manually terminate an active instalment plan in two places:
* **From the refund wizard** — when you're cancelling the booking and issuing a refund at the same time.
* **From the financial dashboard** — when the underlying booking items have already been cancelled and you just need to stop future collections.
### From the refund wizard
Use this option when a customer cancels a booking that is being paid in instalments and you want to stop future collections at the same time as issuing a refund.
1. Open the booking and select **Refund**.
2. For the item that is part of an instalment plan, enable **Terminate instalment plan for this item**.
3. Enter the refund amount and confirm.
Sailia processes the refund, marks the plan as terminated, and emails the customer to confirm that the plan has been cancelled. Outstanding scheduled payments are no longer collected. See [Cancelling instalment bookings](/activities/cancellations-and-refunds#cancelling-instalment-bookings) for the full refund workflow.
If you leave **Terminate instalment plan for this item** disabled, the plan stays active and Sailia continues to prompt the customer to pay future instalments — even after the refund is issued. Enable the checkbox whenever the refund should also stop the remaining schedule.
### From the financial dashboard
Use this option when the booking items linked to an instalment plan have already been cancelled but the plan itself is still in progress — for example, if the refund was issued without enabling **Terminate instalment plan for this item**, or if the items were cancelled separately. Terminating the plan here stops Sailia from prompting the customer for any remaining payments.
1. Go to your [financial dashboard](/payments/reporting) and open the **Instalments** tab.
2. Select the in-progress instalment plan you want to terminate.
3. If the base booking items have already been cancelled, a **Terminate Instalment Plan** button appears below the instalment timeline.
4. Click **Terminate Instalment Plan** and confirm.
The plan moves to a terminated state and no further instalment payments are collected. The button only appears when:
* The plan status is **In progress**.
* At least one of the original booking items linked to the plan has been cancelled.
* You have the **Financial Dashboard** [permission](/staff/permissions).
If the booking items are still active, terminate the plan through the refund wizard instead so the cancellation and refund happen together.
Terminating a plan is permanent. Remaining scheduled payments are stopped and cannot be restarted — the customer would need to be rebooked to resume collection.
## Troubleshooting
Stripe automatically retries failed payments on its default schedule. If retries are exhausted, the plan is marked as abandoned. Check the customer's payment method in Stripe and contact them to update their card details if needed.
Open the booking, select **Refund**, and enable **Terminate instalment plan for this item** before confirming. The plan is cancelled along with the refund and no further payments are collected. See [Terminating an instalment plan](#terminating-an-instalment-plan).
Open the **Instalments** tab in the [financial dashboard](/payments/reporting), select the plan, and click **Terminate Instalment Plan**. This button appears whenever the base booking items have been cancelled but the plan is still in progress. See [From the financial dashboard](#from-the-financial-dashboard).
Currently, instalment plans follow the configured schedule. To close a plan early, you can manually process the remaining amount through the [point of sale](/point-of-sale/overview) and update the plan status in the dashboard.
An abandoned plan means all retry attempts for a scheduled payment have failed. Review the plan in your financial dashboard, contact the customer to resolve the payment issue, and consider rebooking them if needed.
## Related guides
How Sailia processes payments and handles failed charges.
Set up email reminders for upcoming instalment payments.