Card Payments Troubleshooting and FAQ

This article details the most common queries that schools have regarding card payments in Arbor. If you can't find an answer to your question in this article, check the Payments FAQ section in our Help Centre here. 

Why is a payment not appearing on the Parent Portal?

Invoices will not show for purchases made on weekends or holidays. You would need to manually download and provide the invoice to the guardian if this is the case. If a payment is missing on a standard school day, please contact Arbor Support if you are supported by Arbor, or your Support Partner.

A newly-created customer account type is not appearing as an available option

Click on the Customer Account Type in School > Payments > Setup > Customer Account Types and click Edit. Ensure that the Create Student Accounts and/ or the Create Staff Accounts box has been ticked, then click Save Changes.

I have amended the prices on a trip but they have not updated

When you amend the prices on a trip, the price will not update until the invoices are refreshed by an Arbor Admin. If you require this, please contact the Arbor Support Team if you are supported by Arbor, or your Support Partner if you are not supported by Arbor.

A guardian has made a payment into the wrong customer account type or to the wrong student

You would need to create a cash refund for the value of the incorrect payment in the account it was made into, and then add a Credit Note for the value of the payment in the account where the payment should have been made to. Our guidance here provides a step-by-step guide for moving funds between accounts using this method.

My card payments are not verified

Card payment verification is a common issue that schools experience, and as such we have included the troubleshooting for this in our Card Payments Setup article.

How do I process a card refund when the payer's card has changed?

You would not be able to process a card refund to the payer if they are no longer using the card that they paid with. You would instead need to record a cash payment in Arbor with a narrative or note explaining that it is for a refund that is going to another card, and then process a payment to the payer outside of Arbor e.g. via BACS.

Can I send reminders out reminding users to top up their accounts?

Yes, this can be done in School > Payments > Accounts > Balances. From there, you can choose an account type such as Meals or Wraparound Care Club and see a list of all users and their balances. If anyone has a negative balance, you can tick the box next to their name, click Bulk Action and then select the options to follow up via email, SMS, or in-app messages.

I have created a customer account type but it is not appearing on the Parent Portal

When you create a customer account type, you need to make sure that the tick box to create accounts for students and/or staff have been ticked. You can check this in School > Payments > Setup > Customer Account Types. Just click on an account type and click Edit to see if these have been ticked, and tick the boxes you need.

I am unsure whether to set something up as a trip, club, school shop, meal, or another payment account

The table below details what area in Arbor you should set up a specific topic such as charity donations and school uniform items: