Without a purchase flow, Flex invoices a booking that a member makes on the Member Portal only at the next bill run. Until that bill run, you have no invoice and no payment for the booking. A purchase flow handles the purchase at the moment the member buys. Flex can generate the invoice, charge the member, and email the invoice, with no work from an admin.

Purchase flows are part of your billing settings. Each purchase flow applies to the members that match its conditions, such as member status or a custom property. The bill run invoices the charges that no purchase flow handles.

Set up these items before you create a purchase flow:

A purchase flow acts only on some of the charges in Flex. Where a charge comes from decides whether a purchase flow applies to the charge:

When "Automatically" is selected under We’ll generate invoices on the Settings > Billing > Invoicing page, Flex starts the automatic bill run on a schedule. The automatic bill run generates invoices for the fees that you add on the Admin Portal. The automatic bill run does not use the Ask the user to provide payment details option. Therefore, the automatic bill run can generate an invoice for a member who has no payment details.

Example: For example, your purchase flow does not ask members for payment details. A member buys a day pass on the Member Portal and adds no payment details. Later, you add a one-off fee for the same member on the Admin Portal. The automatic bill run generates an invoice for the one-off fee, even though the member has no payment details.

If Automatically is not selected under We’ll generate invoices, no bill run starts on a schedule. A fee that you add on the Admin Portal then stays without an invoice until you start a manual bill run or generate the invoice manually. Perform a manual bill run →

A bill run invoices a one-off fee only when the fee date falls inside the bill run window. Find out which fees a bill run skips and how to invoice them →

Flex runs a purchase flow only for the members that match the conditions of that purchase flow. Create only 1 purchase flow for each group of members. If 2 purchase flows apply to the same plan, the result can be unexpected.

To create a purchase flow:

The conditions decide which members a purchase flow applies to. The purchase flow options decide what Flex does when one of those members buys.

You select the options under Purchase Flow Options when you create a purchase flow. To change the options of an existing purchase flow, go to Settings > Billing > Purchase Flows. Then click the cogwheel icon next to the purchase flow.

Each option gives this result:

If Charge invoice immediately is not selected, Flex does not charge the invoice at the time of purchase. Flex charges the invoice on its due date instead. This charge happens only when automated invoice charging is turned on, and the member has saved payment details. Set up automated invoice charging →

An invoice that a purchase flow generates at the time of booking also locks the booking. A member is unable to cancel an invoiced booking on the Member Portal.

To let members cancel their own bookings, clear Generate an invoice for the purchase immediately. The booking fee then stays without an invoice until the next bill run. Until that bill run, the member can cancel the booking on the Member Portal. The change also applies to the plan purchases that the purchase flow handles. Charge invoice immediately and Send invoice automatically, then have no invoice to act on.

To let members cancel their own bookings:

The next bill run invoices the booking fees from this purchase flow. Learn when a bill run invoices booking fees →

Use these practices when you set up the purchase flow options:

Why is an invoice generated for a fee that I added, when the member has no payment details?
The automatic bill run generates invoices for fees that you add on the Admin Portal, whether or not the member has payment details. No purchase flow applies to a fee that you add on the Admin Portal. Therefore, the Ask the user to provide payment details option has no effect on that fee.

Why is a member unable to cancel a booking on the Member Portal?
A member is unable to cancel a booking on the Member Portal after Flex invoices the booking. A purchase flow with Generate an invoice for the purchase immediately selected invoices the booking at the time of booking. To let members cancel bookings, clear Generate an invoice for the purchase immediately in the purchase flow.

Does a booking request run my purchase flow?
A booking request runs the purchase flow only when an admin approves the booking request. Until approval, Flex generates no invoice and charges nothing. Approve or decline a booking request →

What happens if I select Generate an invoice for the purchase immediately but not Charge invoice immediately?
Flex generates the invoice at the time of purchase but does not charge the invoice then. Flex charges the invoice on its due date if automated invoice charging is turned on and the member has saved payment details.

Can I create separate purchase flows for bookings and for plan purchases?
You cannot create separate purchase flows for bookings and for plan purchases. Each purchase flow applies to both the bookings and the plan purchases of the members that it matches.

Can I apply a purchase flow to specific members only?
You can apply a purchase flow to specific members with the Custom property field. Set a custom property value on the member profiles, and then select that value in the purchase flow. The purchase flow then applies only to members with that value.