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Add a Payment Method to Your Family Portal

Learn about how families add payment methods, manage autopay, and more

Sasha Reiss avatar
Written by Sasha Reiss
Updated this week

To pay through Playground, a guardian must be added to a student's account as a Primary guardian.

💡 If the program allows it, Primary guardians can add other guardians to the account. Admins can also add additional guardians to the students account.

Any payers will need to add a payment method to their account before making a payment and will only be able to view, modify, or use the payment method added to their accounts. Payers can never see another payer's card or bank account details; this is private and restricted to the respective payer by default.

The family payment portal can be accessed via the Playground mobile app or web dashboard, and payment methods can be added on there as well.

Processing Fees

Any time an online transaction is processed - or when a card is swiped - a processing fee is applied. These fees are determined by the payment processor, not the vendor. Some vendors choose to cover the fee themselves, while others may pass it on to the customer depending on their policies and location. Child care providers using Playground can decide whether to forward these fees to payers, and the amounts will differ between ACH and card payments.

If a program has enabled fee forwarding, the applicable fees will be shown before you complete a payment and included in the emailed receipt afterward. Please note that processing fees also apply to autopay, so be sure to review any associated fees before enabling or submitting payments.

🚨 Processing fees are not refundable, even if the payment has been refunded. Any questions regarding processing fees should be directed to the program directly.

Link a bank account

If your program accepts payments through Playground, it will allow for bank transfers (checking account only). This payment method is referred to as ACH, which stands for Automated Clearing House. If applicable, processing fees for ACH transactions are $1 per transaction & typically less than those for credit cards.

There are two ways to add and save a bank account payment method in Playground.

  1. Link the account through a secure 3rd party partner directly in the Playground mobile app or web dashboard. All you need to do is follow the prompts below to link your account.
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  2. If the banking institution is not listed in the above option, please follow the steps below to manually add and verify the bank account.

Link a Bank Account (ACH) via Automatic Verification

This is the simplest & easiest way to add a bank account. This is available for most nationwide banking institutions in the United States and utilizes a secure 3rd party partner called Stripe to instantly connect and verify the information provided.

Mobile

  1. From the Home screen tap the ☰ Menu icon in the top left corner.
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  2. Tap Billing to reach the Billing Portal screen.
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  3. Tap Payment methods.
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  4. To add a new method, tap the blue + sign or the Add payment method button.
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  5. Tap Bank Account (ACH).
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  6. To instantly connect and verify your bank account, click "Agree".
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  7. Select your bank and login to your online bank account.

    1. If your bank isn't listed, link your bank manually by following the steps above

Web

  1. Log in to Playground.
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  2. Click on the Billing tab on the left hand side.
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  3. Click Add payment method in the top-right.
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  4. Select Bank account.
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  5. Click Agree and continue to instantly connect and verify your bank account through a secure 3rd party partner called Stripe.
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  6. Select your bank and login to your online bank account.

    1. If your bank isn't listed, link your bank manually by following these instructions
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  7. Click Done once account is connected.

Link a Bank Account (ACH) manually

If your bank isn't listed, you can link your bank account manually by entering routing and account numbers (only checking accounts are supported). This process involves verifying your account with two small deposits (usually less than $1 each) that will be deposited into your checking account.

These deposits will stay in your account for 3-4 days before being withdrawn. During this period, log in to Playground and confirm the exact amount of each deposit to verify your account.

🚨 The manual verification process can only be completed on the mobile app. You won't be able to complete the process on the web version of Playground.

Mobile

  1. From the Home screen tap the ☰ Menu icon in the top left corner.
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  2. Tap Billing to reach the Billing Portal screen.
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  3. Tap Payment methods.
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  4. To add a new method, tap the blue + sign or the Add payment method button.
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  5. Tap Bank Account (ACH).
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  6. Tap Manually verify instead beneath the Agree button on the first screen.
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  7. Enter your account and routing number into the fields once prompted
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    1. The account will be verified by Stripe through a single micro-deposit verification.
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      1. Stripe will send micro-deposit transfers - a small amount, no larger than $1.00 - to your bank account. These transactions can take up to 7 business days to appear in your account, depending on your bank.
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  8. When the micro-deposits have appeared in your bank account, return to the Payment Methods screen and tap your unverified bank account to reach the Verify Bank Account screens.
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    1. The option to verify will only show up after the amounts have been deposited into your bank account. This process can take up to 7 business days, depending on your bank.
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  9. The deposit will include a 6-digit code as the statement descriptor, usually in the form of with SMXXXX-PLAYGROUND. Enter that 6-digit code into the box when prompted.
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  10. Once verification is complete, Stripe will automatically refund the micro-deposits from your account.

Web

  1. Log in to Playground.
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  2. Click on the Billing tab on the left hand side.
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  3. Click Add payment method.
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  4. Select Bank Account.
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  5. Click Manually verify instead under the Agree and continue button
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    1. Your bank information will be verified via micro-deposits to your account, typically within 7 business days. Only checking accounts are supported.
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  6. Enter your routing number and account number.
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  7. When the micro-deposits have appeared in your bank account, return to the Payment Methods screen on mobile to continue the process on Step 8.

Add a credit or debit card

If enabled, families can add credit/debit cards to a student's billing profile.

Mobile

  1. From the Home screen tap the ☰ Menu icon in the top left corner.
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  2. Tap Billing to reach the Billing Portal screen.
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  3. Tap Payment methods.
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  4. To add a new method, tap the blue + sign or tap on Add payment method.
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  5. Enter the required information in the appropriate fields
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  6. Tap Submit
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    1. You'll be returned to the Payment Methods screen, with a notification confirming your new payment method has been added.

Web

  1. Log in to Playground.
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  2. Click on the Billing tab on the left hand side.
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  3. Click Add payment method.
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  4. Click Credit card.
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  5. Enter the required card information and click Add payment method.

Remove a payment method

Payment methods/existing cards can be removed by a payer at anytime, however the Playground team recommends having a payment method attached to the account.

🚨 For center's that have Mandatory Autopay enabled, payment methods cannot be removed without being replaced with another payment method.

If you are removing your payment method, you may be responsible for making arrangements to pay any outstanding balances to your program. It's recommended to contact your program to find out what alternative payment options may be available to you.

Mobile

  1. From the Home screen tap the ☰ Menu icon in the top left corner.
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  2. Tap Billing to reach the Billing Portal screen.
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  3. Tap Payment methods.
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  4. Tap on the ellipsis(. . .) to the right of the payment method
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  5. Tap on Delete.

Web

  1. Log in to Playground.
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  2. Click on the Billing tab on the left hand side.
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  3. In the Payment methods section, click on the ellipsis(. . .) next to the payment method you plan to remove.
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    1. Click the Remove option

Related Articles
Manage Autopay as a Family
Disputed Charges & Failed Payments
FSA/HSA/Dependent Care Accounts
Who Should Families Contact With Billing Questions?
Manage Guardian Payments, Autopay, & Overdue Balances
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