What direct debit is
Direct debit is a recurring payment arrangement in which a member authorises an operator to collect agreed amounts from their bank account or card on a set schedule. In leisure operations it is the usual way to bill ongoing memberships and many program fees: the member signs an authority once, and the operator collects fortnightly or monthly without re-invoicing each time.
Direct debit matters because it changes the rhythm of collections. Rather than chasing each payment, an operator sets the schedule and the system collects on it, which reduces manual invoicing and the number of missed payments. The work shifts to managing the exceptions: a failed collection, a member on hold, or a change to the amount. Handling the authority and those exceptions cleanly is part of running membership billing well.
Direct debit in the Cohiva platform
Cohiva Complex handles memberships, bookings, point of sale and recurring billing for aquatic and leisure facilities. A direct debit arrangement sits on the same record as the membership it pays for, so the schedule, the member and their access are part of one system.
Because Complex shares one data layer with the suite, each collection is a transaction that flows into Crunch for finance, without a separate export at the end of the cycle. To see how it works, explore Complex or read the health clubs solution.