Is this how most centers handle leagues

[Mike White]

Raise the fees a dollar!!! Good God man what are you trying to do to me!!!! Sincerely most bowlers.

Ha Ha Ha, but it's only a buck.... until

2 leagues with the wife 15 x 2 = 30 x2 = 60
2 daughters in league. 13x2. = 26
Family twosome league 13 x3. = 39

60 + 26 + 39 = 125 a week
I don't even want to get into my youngest daughters tournament fees

Ok so it's "only" 9 bucks... per week. times ? weeks...

Just buy a couple less balls each year.

[bowl1820]

In John's comment "2% is not too bad for a league to accept" that implies that league would be acting as the merchant, which as I said, was a bad idea.


In regards to the league not using in house banking. (reference post #17)

The house is prepared with cash on hand incase bowlers want to get cash to pay their league fees.

So instead of giving the bowlers cash, give them the receipt to pass on to the league.

When the secretary settles up the lineage, those receipts are good as cash to the house.

If the league has more CC receipts than lineage costs, the difference would be given to the league secretary in cash to be deposited in the league bank account.

Everything would need to be documented, but that is the same for any other banking method as well.

The house can either chooses to eat the ~2% charge, or charge something like $20.50 for the $20 receipt.

As for giving the bowler a receipt, thats what they do here.
If you pay by debit or credit, they give you a receipt to place in the pay enevlope.
They don't give the secretary the cash difference, to be deposited in the league bank account. Because the house is the bank.

The league and/or the bowler doesnt get charged any fee for using a card, now maybe they are eating the fee. More likely its figured into the lineage the house charges.

Now for a house that doesnt provide in house banking (at least not like we have it), a league setting up a system to take cards would be silly. Because of the fees mentioned and the extra work it would involve.

[Tony]

Most league council members don't have the slightest clue as to how banking, accounting, and money management can be done. They usually just do it exactly how the last person in charge did it. Accepting credit cards now is incredibly easy and doesn't cost very much in fees if you have enough volume. 2% is not too bad for a league to accept. Just raise the price by a dollar a week and you can get an extra $30 per person into the league fund even after taking out card fees.

Keep in mind that while some leagues may operate with the bowling center as the bank ( I assume that's what you are saying) many do not.

That's why some places only accept a single payment for the year by CC because it is easier to break down that one transaction or they run it simply as a cash transaction and exchange cash or a receipt to sent into the league but it still requires a little more bookkeeping. The question is to the house is ....is it worth the value it adds?

As far as the league setting up their own merchant account ..... seems very unlikely ..

[Mike White]

As for giving the bowler a receipt, thats what they do here.
If you pay by debit or credit, they give you a receipt to place in the pay enevlope.
They don't give the secretary the cash difference, to be deposited in the league bank account. Because the house is the bank.

The league and/or the bowler doesnt get charged any fee for using a card, now maybe they are eating the fee. More likely its figured into the lineage the house charges.

Now for a house that doesnt provide in house banking (at least not like we have it), a league setting up a system to take cards would be silly. Because of the fees mentioned and the extra work it would involve.

My Tuesday night league here accepts CC/Debt payments for league dues. The league uses a "in house banking" system (one of the services the house offers leagues) instead of getting a "Outside" bank.

To pay you just tell them at the desk, they ring it up, swipe your card. They give you a receipt slip to put in the league envelope and one for your records and that's it.

Now if a league uses its own bank, you can't do it.

This is the post # 17 I was referring to when I typed.. "In regards to the league not using in house banking. (reference post #17)"

I was just showing, that the same method currently in use for in house banking, would work for non-in house banking by make only one small modification to the process.

Clearly you must not have read that line because this response doesn't address the issue.

"They don't give the secretary the cash difference, to be deposited in the league bank account. Because the house is the bank."

[Mike White]

Keep in mind that while some leagues may operate with the bowling center as the bank ( I assume that's what you are saying) many do not.
For leagues where the bowling center is the bank and accepts credit cards for the leagues they need to have an accounting system and controls to ensure that those funds are classified and recorded correctly. While this is certainly possible it adds some complication to the process. The bowling center does not want those funds to look like revenue and potentially have audit or tax difficulty because the state or federal tax collectors will want their share of the transaction. Oh but wait some of the transaction is money that goes to the house and some to the league and each league could have different fee structures ....see how this could become an issue depending on how the individual center is set up ?
That's why some places only accept a single payment for the year by CC because it is easier to break down that one transaction or they run it simply as a cash transaction and exchange cash or a receipt to sent into the league but it still requires a little more bookkeeping. The question is to the house is ....is it worth the value it adds?

As far as the league setting up their own merchant account ..... seems very unlikely ..

This is a problem the center has to deal with all the time, not just league specific.

A family comes in to bowl. At the front desk, the pay for the lineage, and shoes with a CC.

Oh but they are going to want something from the snack bar, which doesn't accept credit cards.

So in the charge for lineage / shoes, they also include some cash back.

Now how much of that cash is spent at the snack bar is not directly known.

I doubt the cash portion of the CC would be considered income at the front desk, but what cash is spent at the snack bar would be.

So for the league, the CC transaction wouldn't be considered income, but when the league secretary turns the receipt in for credit against the lineage bill, those would be.

[Tony]

This is the post # 17 I was referring to when I typed.. "In regards to the league not using in house banking. (reference post #17)"

I was just showing, that the same method currently in use for in house banking, would work for non-in house banking by make only one small modification to the process.

Clearly you must not have read that line because this response doesn't address the issue.

"They don't give the secretary the cash difference, to be deposited in the league bank account. Because the house is the bank."

We also have to keep in mind the house can act as a transaction provider exchanging CC payments for receipts and still allow the league to maintain their own prize fund account , that might be what was being done in the example.

[Mike White]

We also have to keep in mind the house can act as a transaction provider exchanging CC payments for receipts and still allow the league to maintain their own prize fund account , that might be what was being done in the example.

That is exactly what I was showing, which is counter to Bowl1820's claim of "Now if a league uses its own bank, you can't do it."

[Tony]

This is a problem the center has to deal with all the time, not just league specific.

A family comes in to bowl. At the front desk, the pay for the lineage, and shoes with a CC.

Oh but they are going to want something from the snack bar, which doesn't accept credit cards.

So in the charge for lineage / shoes, they also include some cash back.

Now how much of that cash is spent at the snack bar is not directly known.

I doubt the cash portion of the CC would be considered income at the front desk, but what cash is spent at the snack bar would be.

So for the league, the CC transaction wouldn't be considered income, but when the league secretary turns the receipt in for credit against the lineage bill, those would be.

Cash returned would of course not be included as revenue, but the system could be setup as payment to a non sale account rather than cash back so essentially the league portion of the money is accepted and credited to the league account, but is not a revenue transaction.

[Tony]

That is exactly what I was showing, which is counter to Bowl1820's claim of "Now if a league uses its own bank, you can't do it."

I agree, but had not gotten that that was your meaning.

[bowl1820]

Mike I wasn't addressing a issue and I dont care about that old post.

I was Just saying again that there was a way for a league to take cc payment and not act as the merchant paying all the fees for the card service you were going on about your post.

And that way was by using a in house banking service, I never said all houses have that service either.

I just gave as a example what they did here thats all. The house here (which is part of a chain) has been doing it for years, the leagues that use the service has had no problems.