Some shops give members a balance that grows every month they stay, then comes off a replacement or a major repair later. If your plans include one, this is how it behaves.
If your shop doesn't offer this, nothing here applies and you won't see the field on your customers.
It accrues on its own
The moment someone becomes a member they get a sign-up amount, and then a monthly amount is added for as long as they stay on the plan. You don't do anything — it happens whether anyone remembers or not.
You'll see the running total on the customer's record as Membership Cash Balance.
🔴 Spending it is manual — this is the part people miss
When a member uses their balance on a job, the system does not know. The credit goes onto the invoice by hand, so at the same moment you must also:
- Set their balance back to 0
- Add what they spent to `Membership Cash Used`
Do the first and forget the second and you lose the history of what they've saved. Do neither and the balance keeps growing on money they already spent — and the next time they ask, you'll be quoting a number twice.
Make it one habit, not two steps. Apply the credit, clear the balance, log what was used.
It's forfeited if they cancel
When a membership is cancelled the balance is cleared automatically, and it stops growing.
That's deliberate, and it needs to be in the agreement your members sign — otherwise you're taking away something a customer believes they earned. If your terms don't say the balance is void on cancellation, fix that before you promote the balance to anybody.
What to tell customers
Say what it's for. A balance that can only be spent on big work is worth far more to you than a vague discount — it gives a member a reason to call you first when the system finally goes, which is the most valuable call they'll ever make.
Don't promise what the terms don't say. If it's only good on jobs over a certain amount, say so at signup. The worst version of this is a member who watched a number climb for three years and is then told where it doesn't apply.
Good to know
- A member's balance is theirs, not per system. Two systems on one plan still means one balance
- It keeps growing while a payment is failing — up until the membership is actually cancelled
- Nothing tells the customer their balance. If you want them to know, tell them at each visit. A balance nobody mentions changes nobody's behaviour