đ Tap to Pay is rolling out gradually and may not be visible in your account yet. To make sure you're ready when it arrives, confirm you're using a supported device.
Tap to Pay lets providers collect in-person card payments right from the brightwheel app. Below are answers to the most common questions.
Setup and eligibility
Who can use Tap to Pay?
Tap to Pay is available to Admins only. It is not available to Staff and will not appear in Kiosk Mode or Room Device Mode.
What do I need to do before using Tap to Pay?
Providers must have brightwheel billing enabled and card payments turned on in their billing settings. If either is missing, you'll see a message in the app explaining what needs to be resolved.
What devices support Tap to Pay?
Visit our list of supported Tap to Pay devices here. Devices must use the latest version of the brightwheel app and meet our minimum software requirements.
What is the Apple ID requirement for iOS?
Apple requires providers to accept the terms and conditions via an Apple ID the first time, then you can begin to use Tap to Pay on any iOS device. This is a one-time, school-level step, not per Admin. Any Apple ID works, including a personal one. This is an Apple requirement that brightwheel cannot bypass.
Is Tap to Pay available in Canada?
No, Tap to Pay is only available in the U.S.
Collecting payments
Does the payer need to have a saved payment method in brightwheel?
No. The payer doesn't need a saved payment method in brightwheel to use Tap to Pay. They just need to be listed as a payer on the child's account. To make payments online in their brightwheel account, they must have a payment method listed.
Can I add a new payer during a Tap to Pay transaction?
Not currently. If the payer isn't already on the account, you'll need to add them from the student's profile first, then return to Tap to Pay to collect the payment. Visit Add a payer to learn more.
Can I collect payment for multiple children at once?
Yes. If a payer is linked to multiple children, you can collect a payment that covers all of them in a single transaction, or choose to apply it to just one.
How do I choose how the payment is applied to invoices?
During the payment flow, you can choose to apply the payment to the oldest invoice first, the newest first, or not apply it to an invoice at all. If you choose no invoice application, the payment will appear as an available credit on the account that you can manually allocate later.
What payment methods can payers use?
Payers can tap a credit card, debit card, FSA card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
How does the service fee work?
If your school passes a service fee to payers, it's automatically added to the total amount due when payers tap. For example, if you enter $500 and there's a service fee, the payer will see the full total including the fee before tapping their card.
Payments and receipts
What happens after a payment is collected?
The payer receives an emailed receipt immediately. The payment appears in both the provider and payer view right away. The payment will be deposited on our typical deposit schedule.
What happens if the payment fails?
There are two types of failures to be aware of:
Tap error | If the card doesn't read correctly, the app will show an error and prompt you to try again. |
Payment declined | If the payment is declined after the tap (for example, due to insufficient funds or a bank rejection), it's treated like any other failed card payment. Both you and the payer will receive a notification, and the failed payment will appear on the child's account.
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The payer can always log in to their brightwheel account to make the payment there, or contact brightwheel Support for assistance.
Can I make a manual payment adjustment after collecting a Tap to Pay payment?
Yes. You can adjust how the payment is applied to invoices from the student's billing account on the web after the fact. For more on this, see Apply payments and credits to an invoice.