What are convenience fees and surcharges?
Overview
In Jumbula, convenience fees and surcharges both add costs to the base program price, but they serve different purposes and apply under different conditions. Understanding the difference helps with accurate billing and clear communication with families.
Who is involved
- Administrators: Admins can enable, disable, and configure fees.
- Registrants/Families: Families see these fees as separate line items during checkout and on receipts.
Convenience fee
Applies to: Online payment methods only (credit/debit card, PayPal, ACH/eCheck)
Purpose: Covers payment processing costs
Offline payments: Not applied
How it works: Applicable fee is automatically added when an eligible payment method is selected
Calculation example:
Program Price: $100
Convenience Fee: $3
- Total if paying online: $103
- Total if paying by cash/check: $100
Surcharges
- Applies to: All registrations, regardless of payment method
- Purpose: Covers general operating expenses
- Offline payments: Applied
- How it works: Added to the cart at the start of checkout
Calculation example:
Program Price: $100
Surcharge: $5
- Total for all payment methods: $105
Managing fees
To configure fees, go to: Classic Admin Dashboard > Settings > Checkout > Additional Charges
Select the configuration settings based on your needs and click Save.
You may enable one or both fees.
How Fees Are Applied
Convenience Fee Flow
Registrant selects program > Enters checkout > Chooses online payment method > Fee is added
Surcharge Flow
Registrant selects program > Enters checkout > Surcharge is added automatically > Any payment method is used
The following table outlines how each fee behaves within the system and its impact on the final transaction total:
| Feature | Convenience Fee | Surcharge |
| Application Trigger | Triggered only by online payment methods (Credit Card, PayPal, or ACH). | Triggered by the creation of an order, regardless of payment method. |
| Business Purpose | Recovers merchant processing fees incurred from online transactions. | Offsets general operating expenses, including facilities, supplies, and staff costs. |
| Family Visibility | Displayed as a separate line item at checkout (online only). | Displayed as a separate line item at checkout (all orders). |
| Offline Payments | No. Not applied to cash or paper check payments. | Yes. Applied to all orders, including those paid offline. |
| Financial Example | $100 Base + $3 Fee = $103 Total (Applies only if paying online). | $100 Base + $5 Surcharge = $105 Total (Applies to every registrant). |
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