Industry edition · Camps

Camp software that collects the balance before opening day

Registration by week, a deposit at signup, installments through spring, the forms packet, bunks and staff schedules. One platform, one family record, one ledger per camper.

Get a free quote See flat-fee ACH

Deposit + installmentsWeek and session capacityForms packet with e-signParent texts

Merch FinTech · Camps editionRegistration open

$612K

Registered for summer

87%

Balances on installment plans

Forms packets still open

RegistrationWeek 3 full, 9 on the wait list; weeks 5 and 6 at 74%

Live

Installments212 charged today; 4 failed, 3 recovered by text

Auto

Forms packetMedical, allergy and pickup forms: 41 reminders sent

Auto

BunksBunk 7 assigned; 2 friend requests to review

Review

Illustrative.

Built for camps

Registration season without the spreadsheets

A camp compresses a year of revenue into a few months. Registration, deposits, plans, medical forms, bunking and staff all collide, usually across three payment tools and a spreadsheet. This edition registers the camper, bills the family and runs the summer.

Week-by-week registrationSessions and weeks with capacity, wait lists, early-bird dates and sibling discounts. Parents pick weeks on a phone; the roster updates itself.

Deposits & installment plansA deposit at signup, then installments on your schedule by card or flat-fee ACH, with retries and reminders before the pre-season spending starts.

Camper forms packetMedical, allergy, pickup authorization and waivers in one packet with e-sign. The office sees who is missing what, by bunk.

Bunk & group assignmentsRosters by week, bunk or group, with ages, friend requests and notes. The counselor's list exports the night before.

Canteen accountsParents load a stored-value balance remotely; campers spend at the canteen and camp store with a card or wristband, and unspent balances are refunded at season end. Provided through our card program partner.

Staff schedulingCounselor and specialist schedules, time off and swaps, with seasonal onboarding forms on the same platform. Payroll runs through a referral partner.

AI, in camp terms

What the AI does for a camp

Describe the rule once in plain English. The workflow builder assembles it and asks before switching it on.

Fills the week that just openedA family cancels week 4. The first three families on the wait list get a text with a link to claim it, in order, with a two-hour window each.

Chases the forms, not the parentsTwo weeks before opening day, every family missing a form gets a text with a link to only that form. The office gets one list of who is still missing.

Recovers failed installmentsA card declines in April. The parent gets a text the same morning, the plan retries on schedule, and the balance is clear before the bus leaves.

Answers "what time is pickup" at 9pmSession dates, packing lists, balance due, pickup times. The receptionist answers texts and chats around the clock and sends anything about a camper's health to a person.

Payments built in

Big-ticket registrations without the card fee

A season's tuition is a large, scheduled payment, so it belongs on a bank payment. Deposits go on a card at signup; installments pull from the family's bank at a flat per-item fee instead of a percentage, and the camp decides whether the family covers it or the camp absorbs it. The camp store and visiting day run on dual pricing.

Flat per-item ACH fee for installments instead of a percentage; the camp decides whether the family covers it
Returned payments: the processor's return fee passes through at cost, with two automatic retries
Card on file for the deposit and any plan a family wants on card, with smart retries
Interchange plus one small, disclosed margin on card payments; we show you the math on your statement
Compliant dual pricing at the camp store and visiting day: both prices posted up front, within card-brand and state rules
Mobile reader for visiting day, countertop at the office, pay links for everything else
Each camp holds its own merchant account, in its own name, with our processing partner

Everything we accept, A to Z →

Payroll for your staff runs on the same login — see payroll.

Your stored cards and family records move with you as tokens and exports if you ever leave. Dual-pricing and cash-discount programs are subject to card-brand rules and state law and are not available everywhere.

Camper ledger · one camper, one balance

SessionWeeks 2 to 5Season tuition$5,200Deposit at registration, card$500, paidInstallments5 bank payments, 3 paidSibling discountAppliedForms packet4 of 5 signedDue before opening day$1,880

Illustrative. The family sees the same ledger in the portal.

What you can cancel

One login instead of ten

Typical for a camp of 200 to 500 campers. Send your list and we'll map it.

CampMinderRegistration

JotformForms

DocuSignWaivers

MailchimpParent email

RemindParent texting

When I WorkStaff scheduling

QuickBooks invoicingBalance invoices

SquareCamp store reader

SpreadsheetsBunk lists

WixWebsite

ZapierGlue between them

Plans for camps

Which plan a camp picks

Most camps run on Pro at $299/mo ($249/mo billed annually): registration with capacity and wait lists, installment plans, the forms packet, workflow automation, the AI receptionist and unlimited users for seasonal staff. Pro is credited back at higher processing volumes. Basic is $99/mo, and while you process with Merch FinTech we credit it back on your monthly processing statement, so the software is on us; it fits a small day camp that needs registration, invoicing and texting. Compare plans. Need it built around how you run? Custom builds from $1,999.

Jewish day and sleepaway camps: see 613OS, our dedicated edition for Jewish institutions, which covers camps alongside schools and shuls. Other camps use this edition.

Banking and cards. Canteen cards and business banking are provided through our partner bank and card program partners, subject to approval. See banking · See cards.

FAQ

Questions from camp directors

Can two parents split a camper's balance?

Yes. A family account can carry two payers with separate payment methods and separate shares of the plan. Each gets their own receipts and reminders; the camp sees one balance per camper.

Can a family pay the deposit by card and the installments by ACH?

Yes, and most do. The deposit goes on a card at registration; the installment plan runs on ACH at a flat per-item fee instead of a percentage, and the camp decides whether the family covers it or the camp absorbs it. Families can switch methods from the portal.

How does the canteen account work?

Each camper gets a stored-value balance that parents load online and spend at the canteen and camp store with a card or wristband, with configurable daily caps and unspent balances refunded or donated at season end. Canteen cards run through our card program partner, and every load and spend shows in the camper ledger.

We're a Jewish day camp. This edition or 613OS?

613OS, our dedicated edition for Jewish institutions, covers day and sleepaway camps alongside schools and shuls, with the calendar and community features already in place. Other camps use this edition. Same platform, same rails.

What happens to the deposit if a family cancels?

Your policy, enforced by the platform. Set the deposit as non-refundable, refundable until a date, or transferable to another week, and the cancellation flow applies it. The opened spot goes to the wait list automatically.

Open registration on one login

Send us last summer's numbers and a processing statement. We'll show you the bank-payment math on installments and the plan that fits.

Get a free quote Send a statement for a free comparison

305-954-7362 · hello@merchfintech.com