Payment Methods

Payment methods in DiverDash determine how your customers can pay for dive courses, trips, equipment rentals, and other services. Setting up payment methods correctly ensures smooth payment processing and accurate financial tracking.

What You'll Learn

  • How to set up and manage payment methods for your dive center

  • How to map payment methods to the correct bank accounts

  • How to activate regional payment methods for international customers

  • How to create custom payment methods for unique business needs

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

  • Administrator permissions to manage company settings

  • Access to Settings > Company > Payments tab

  • Your Chart of Accounts properly configured (Chart of Accounts Guide)

  • Information about your bank accounts and payment processors

Understanding Payment Methods

What Payment Methods Control

Payment methods determine:

  • Customer Payment Options: What payment types appear during checkout

  • Financial Recording: How payments map to your Chart of Accounts

  • Transaction Processing: Integration with payment processors

  • Financial Reporting: How payment data appears in reports

Automatic Payment Method Setup

When you register a new company, DiverDash automatically enables 7 default payment methods:

  1. Cash - Physical cash payments

  2. Credit/Debit Card - Credit and debit card payments

  3. Bank Transfer - Direct bank transfers and wire transfers

  4. Stripe - Online payments via Stripe payment processor

  5. PayPal - PayPal payments and transfers

  6. Wise (TransferWise) - International transfers via Wise

  7. Revolut - Payments via Revolut

Each method is automatically mapped to the appropriate account in your Chart of Accounts.

Accessing Payment Methods Settings

Step 1: Navigate to Payment Settings

  1. Go to Settings in the main menu

  2. Click Company

  3. Select the Payments tab (credit card icon)

  4. The Payment Methods section will display all available methods

Step 2: Understanding the Payment Methods Display

Method Name: The payment method (e.g., "Cash", "Stripe") Status: Active (enabled) or Inactive (disabled) Account Mapping: Which bank account receives the money Description: Details about the payment method

Managing Active Payment Methods

Activating Additional Payment Methods

DiverDash includes 22+ predefined payment methods that can be activated as needed:

Traditional Methods:

  • Check - Paper check payments

Digital Payment Platforms:

  • Square - Point of sale payments via Square

Regional Payment Methods:

  • PromptPay (Thailand digital payment system)

  • Alipay (Chinese digital payments)

  • WeChat Pay (Chinese mobile payments)

  • GCash (Philippines mobile payment service)

  • GrabPay (Southeast Asian digital payment)

  • GoPay (Indonesian digital payment)

  • OVO (Indonesian digital payment)

  • DANA (Indonesian digital wallet)

  • SEPA Transfer (European bank transfers)

Buy Now Pay Later Services:

  • Klarna - Buy now, pay later service

  • Afterpay - Buy now, pay later service

Cryptocurrency Options:

  • Bitcoin - Bitcoin cryptocurrency payments

  • Ethereum - Ethereum cryptocurrency payments

To activate a payment method:

  1. Find the inactive payment method in the Payment Methods List

  2. Click Edit (pencil icon)

  3. Toggle Active to ON

  4. Click Update

  5. Set up account mapping in the Payment Method Mapping panel (see below)

Deactivating Payment Methods

To deactivate a payment method:

  1. Find the active method in Payment Methods List

  2. Click Edit

  3. Toggle Active to OFF

  4. Click Update

Note: Deactivating a payment method:

  • Removes it from customer payment options

  • Preserves historical transaction data

  • Maintains existing account mappings for future reactivation

Setting Up Payment Method Mappings

Why Account Mapping is Important

Every payment method must be "mapped" to a specific account in your Chart of Accounts. This tells DiverDash which bank account to credit when payments are received.

Viewing Current Mappings

In the Payment Method Mapping section:

  • Green badges show "Mapped" for properly mapped methods

  • Red badges show "Unmapped" for methods without account mappings

Setting Up Account Mappings

To map a payment method to an account:

  1. Scroll to the Payment Method Mapping section

  2. Find the payment method you want to map

  3. Click the dropdown under that payment method

  4. Select the appropriate account from the list:

    • Cash → Cash account

    • Card/Stripe/PayPal → Respective processor accounts

    • Bank Transfer → Bank Account

  5. The mapping saves automatically

Available Accounts for Mapping

Only Asset and Bank accounts appear in the mapping dropdown:

  • Cash accounts (for cash payments)

  • Bank accounts (for electronic transfers)

  • Payment processor accounts (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)

If you don't see the account you need:

  1. Check your Chart of Accounts

  2. Ensure the account is marked as Active

  3. Verify the account type is Asset or Bank

Creating Custom Payment Methods

When to Create Custom Methods

Create custom payment methods for:

  • Local payment systems not included in defaults

  • Company-specific arrangements (corporate accounts, partnerships)

  • Barter or trade agreements with other dive centers

  • Loyalty points or store credit systems

  • Layaway or payment plan options

Creating a Custom Payment Method

To add a custom payment method:

  1. Click Add Custom Method

  2. Method Key: Enter unique identifier (lowercase, underscores only)

    • ✅ Good: "company_account", "local_bank", "trade_credit"

    • ❌ Avoid: "Company Account", "local-bank", "Trade Credit"

  3. Display Name: Enter customer-facing name (e.g., "Corporate Account")

  4. Description: Add details about the payment method

  5. Click Create (dialog shows Creating... while saving)

  6. Set up account mapping for the new method

Custom Method Examples

Corporate Account:

  • Method Key: corporate_account

  • Display Name: "Corporate Account"

  • Description: "Direct billing to corporate customers"

Equipment Trade:

  • Method Key: equipment_trade

  • Display Name: "Equipment Trade"

  • Description: "Trade-in equipment as payment"

Partner Arrangement:

  • Method Key: partner_credit

  • Display Name: "Partner Credit"

  • Description: "Credit from partner dive centers"

Payment Method Integration

How Payment Methods Work with Other Features

Course Enrollment:

  • Active payment methods appear in course checkout

  • Payments automatically post to mapped accounts

  • Course revenue records in Chart of Accounts

Equipment Rental:

  • Payment methods available for rental checkout

  • Rental income posts to equipment rental revenue accounts

Trip Bookings:

  • Customers can pay for dive trips using active methods

  • Trip revenue records in dive trip revenue accounts

Client Billing:

  • All active payment methods available for processing bill payments

  • Supports partial payments and multiple payment methods per bill

Payment Processing Workflow

  1. Customer selects payment method during checkout

  2. DiverDash processes payment through appropriate channel

  3. Money deposits to mapped bank account

  4. Transaction records in Chart of Accounts automatically

  5. Payment confirmation sent to customer and dive center

Troubleshooting Payment Method Issues

Payment Method Not Appearing for Customers

Possible Causes:

  • Payment method is marked as Inactive

  • No account mapping configured

  • Account mapping points to inactive account

Solutions:

  1. Check payment method is Active in Settings > Company > Payments

  2. Verify account mapping exists and points to active account

  3. Refresh the customer checkout page

"No Account Mapped" Error

Problem: Cannot process payments with specific method

Solution:

  1. Go to Settings > Company > Payments

  2. Scroll to Payment Method Mapping section

  3. Select appropriate account for the unmapped payment method

  4. Test payment processing

Payments Not Appearing in Correct Account

Problem: Payments post to wrong bank account

Solution:

  1. Check payment method mapping configuration

  2. Verify mapping points to intended account

  3. Update mapping if incorrect

  4. Review Chart of Accounts for account accuracy

Custom Payment Method Issues

Problem: Cannot create custom payment method

Possible Causes:

  • Method key already exists

  • Method key contains invalid characters

  • Missing required permissions

Solutions:

  1. Use unique method key (check existing methods)

  2. Use only lowercase letters and underscores in method key

  3. Verify you have administrator permissions

Regional Considerations

International Payment Methods

For International Customers:

  • Activate regional payment methods relevant to your customer base

  • Consider currency conversion implications

  • Check local regulations for payment processing

Popular Regional Methods:

  • Asia-Pacific: PromptPay (Thailand), Alipay (China), WeChat Pay (China), GCash (Philippines), GrabPay (Southeast Asia), GoPay/OVO/DANA (Indonesia)

  • Europe: SEPA transfers, local bank transfer systems

  • North America: Interac (Canada), ACH transfers (USA)

Multi-Currency Considerations

If serving international customers:

  • Ensure payment processors support multiple currencies

  • Map foreign currency payments to appropriate accounts

  • Consider separate accounts for different currencies

Security and Compliance

Payment Security Best Practices

Access Control:

  • Only grant payment method management access to trusted administrators

  • Regularly review who has access to payment settings

  • Use strong passwords for payment processor accounts

Data Protection:

  • Payment method settings affect customer payment security

  • Follow local regulations for payment data handling

  • Keep payment processor credentials secure

Compliance Considerations

Financial Compliance:

  • Ensure payment methods comply with local banking regulations

  • Maintain proper documentation for payment processors

  • Follow anti-money laundering requirements if applicable

Tax Compliance:

  • Different payment methods may have different tax implications

  • Ensure proper tax calculation for all payment types

  • Maintain records for tax reporting requirements

Best Practices

Payment Method Selection

Start Simple:

  • Enable only payment methods you actually use

  • Gradually add more options based on customer demand

  • Focus on methods your customers prefer

Consider Your Market:

  • Local dive centers may need local payment methods

  • Tourist-focused centers may need international options

  • Corporate centers may need invoice/credit arrangements

Account Mapping Strategy

Organize by Payment Type:

  • Group similar payment methods to same accounts when appropriate

  • Use separate accounts for different processors for clear tracking

  • Consider separate accounts for cash vs. electronic payments

Regular Maintenance

Monthly Review:

  • Check that all active payment methods have proper account mappings

  • Verify payment processing is working correctly

  • Review customer feedback about payment options

Update as Needed:

  • Add new payment methods when expanding to new markets

  • Remove unused methods to simplify customer choices

  • Update account mappings if chart of accounts changes

Next Steps

After configuring your payment methods:

Need Help?

  • Payment not working? Check account mappings and method activation status

  • Missing payment options? Review available predefined methods before creating custom ones

  • Account mapping issues? Verify your Chart of Accounts setup

  • Customer payment problems? See Payment Processing Guide

PreviousJournal EntriesNextPayment Processing

Last updated