--- title: Accepting cash? Here's when to avoid it in your service business description: Accepting cash? Here's when to avoid it in your service business image: https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3752588436-jpg/blog-files/8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o.jpg --- 2 min read # Accepting cash? Here's when to avoid it in your service business [![Picture of Nicki](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/pike13_logo-144-1aed399311d06d9456a07f2601db554b.png) Nicki ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/nicki) : Updated on July 31, 2017 [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) ![Accepting cash? Here's when to avoid it in your service business](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3752588436-jpg/blog-files/8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o.jpg) [![8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3717052734-jpg/blog-files/8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o-1024x682.jpg?width=320&name=8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o-1024x682.jpg)](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3717052734-jpg/blog-files/8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o-1024x682.jpg) In previous posts we’ve talked about [how to price your services](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/5-pricing-tips-for-service-businesses/) and how offering [too many pricing options can result in fewer signups](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/service-business-pricing-mistake/). But that’s not all — if you run a membership based business*how* you charge your customers is just as important as *what* you charge them.  It can *seem* nice when a client hands you a couple of benjamins for her monthly membership — who doesn’t like being on the receiving end of a handful of cash? But for a business that is seeking longevity and revenue predictability it’s really not that nice. Accepting cash for memberships often means several months of lost revenue and an inability to plan for future growth. But, but…”Cash is king!” Yes, it’s true, I agree with you — just not in this situation. So why am I suggesting you eschew cash as a form of payment at your business? Let me explain. Let’s say you have a new client, Bob, who signs up on the first of the month. He tells you he prefers paying cash and hands you his monthly fee in greenbacks. You accept the cash and explain that Bob’s monthly fee is due each month on the first. He nods in agreement. Bob’s happy and you’re happy. When the first week of the following month rolls around, Bob is out of town for a business trip. He returns on the 6th — “I’m sorry, I don’t have enough cash on me, I’ll bring it next time.” Bob feels a bit embarrassed, and you’re slightly annoyed. On his next visit, the 11th, he brings payment. It only takes a handful of similar instances over the course of a year for your business to lose out on one or two months of monthly membership fees — that’s several hundred dollars! And that’s just a single client paying with cash. If you have multiple clients paying with cash your revenue losses from delayed payments are likely significant. If preventing lost revenue isn’t compelling enough, requiring that all memberships be paid via autobill offers another key benefit — the ability to predict future revenue. When you have clients on autobill you know exactly how much money will be coming in and on what days. Barring payment failure you can count on this revenue for planning and budgeting purposes. More sophisticated business owners can predict future revenue by taking into account the number of new clients coming through the door each month, the average billing per client, as well as the conversion rate and attrition rate. Plugging these values and some smart formulas into Excel or Google sheets can give you a pretty good idea of what your revenue will look like in six months, twelve months, and beyond. Of course, accepting cash may be the only option in some circumstances — for example, international businesses where merchant processing is difficult to obtain. For these businesses Pike13 aims to help keep clients paying on their due date — clients with cash memberships are emailed a payment due reminder notice three days before their due date. And the due date is fixed — so even if Bob pays on the 11th this month, he’ll get his reminder email three days before the first of next month. Not as foolproof as recurring billing, but it can certainly help keep your clients on track! If you’re a U.S business with cash memberships I encourage you to make the switch to automatic billing — you’ll be able to count on each membership dollar arriving in your bank account when you need it and you’ll be in a better position to plan for the future. photo credit: [IMG_2579](http://www.flickr.com/photos/8342778@N08/8278270292) via [photopin](http://photopin.com) [(license)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### Explore More **Running a Business is Hard—We Make It Easier.** Find expert tips, advice, inspiration, and success stories below. One click and you might binge-read our best insights! ### Posts by Tag - [Business Advisor (160)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) - [Marketing Tips (125)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/marketing-tips) - [Pike13 Pro Tips (82)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-pro-tips) - [Growth (71)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) - [Product Updates (58)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/product-updates) - [Pike13 News (50)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-news) - [Client Retention (43)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-retention) - [Competitive Advantage (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) - [Inside Pike13 (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/inside-pike13) - [Productivity (31)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/productivity) - [Finance (27)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) - [Staffing (23)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/staffing) - [Customer Stories (22)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/customer-stories) - [Fitness (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/fitness) - [Press Release (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/press-release) - [Client Story (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-story) - [Music and Dance (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/music-and-dance) - [Events (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/events) - [Financial Stability (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) - [Kids' Activities (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/kids-activities) - [Podcast (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/front-desk-podast) - [Skill Tracking (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/skill-tracking) - [Webinars and Hangouts (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/webinars-and-hangouts) - [sports club management (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-management) - [sports club mobile apps (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-mobile-apps) - [sports club reporting (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-reporting) [See All](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/accepting-cash-heres-avoid-service-business/#) [![The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/giftcardblog%20banner.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) #### [The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) [The Pike13 Team](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/the-pike13-team): Apr 06, 2026 The Overlooked Opportunity Most studio owners spend their energy filling classes and booking appointments. That’s the core revenue, so it makes... [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Financial Stability](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) [![Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Unorganized%20-%20images/Blog%20-%20Other/data-security.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) #### [Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) [Kaina](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/kaina): Apr 06, 2026 Protect your business and client data from unauthorized access with multi-factor authentication—a critical security layer that goes beyond passwords... [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) [![Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Blog%20post%20header.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) #### [Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) ![Picture of Monica B.](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) [Monica B.](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/monica-b): Jul 20, 2023 Whether you run a fitness studio, yoga center, or any other membership-based business, managing registrations, payments, and customer data can be... [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) [![5 Stats to Help Increase Gym Member Retention](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Images/Industry%20Images/Fitness%20Images/gym-exercise-group.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-stats-to-help-increase-gym-member-retention) #### [5 Stats to Help Increase Gym Member Retention](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-stats-to-help-increase-gym-member-retention) ![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Sep 19, 2019 Member retention is an important goal for any gym owner, so how you get gym members to stay? Sometimes it’s all in the numbers. Years of market... [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Productivity](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/productivity) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-stats-to-help-increase-gym-member-retention) [![The Most Important Financial Reports for a Gym Owner](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Images/Blog%20-%20Other/financial-money-metrics.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-most-important-financial-reports-for-a-gym-owner) #### [The Most Important Financial Reports for a Gym Owner](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-most-important-financial-reports-for-a-gym-owner) ![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Oct 17, 2019 There are hundreds of reports you could run to analyze various parts of your business, but some reports are more helpful than others. What are the... [Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-most-important-financial-reports-for-a-gym-owner) [![5 Recommended Podcasts for Entrepreneurs](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/entrepreneur.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-recommended-podcasts-for-entrepreneurs) #### [5 Recommended Podcasts for Entrepreneurs](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-recommended-podcasts-for-entrepreneurs) ![Picture of Nolie MacDonald](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/09f46196681bc2c3444fb671603ffc2c) [Nolie MacDonald](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/nolie-macdonald) : Jul 24, 2018 Entrepreneurs that are successful in the long-term are guilty of a thirst for knowledge. One way that these business owners are acquiring that... [Podcast](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/front-desk-podast) [Marketing Tips](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/marketing-tips) [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Productivity](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/productivity) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-recommended-podcasts-for-entrepreneurs) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=7046634&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Nicki", "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/nicki" }, "datePublished" : "2015-03-24T08:17:36.000Z", "headline" : "Accepting cash? Here's when to avoid it in your service business", "image" : [ "https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3752588436-jpg/blog-files/8278270292_05ee24c5a6_o.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/accepting-cash-heres-avoid-service-business/", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/p13-logo-600px.png" }, "name" : "Pike, Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Seattle", "addressRegion" : "WA", "postalCode" : "98122", "streetAddress" : "1221 East Pike Suite 200" }, "email" : "sales@pike13.com", "foundingDate" : "2011", "logo" : "https://www.pike13.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Organizing%20-%20In%20Use/Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png?width=3000&height=790&name=Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png", "name" : "Pike13", "parentOrganization" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Jonas Software" }, "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/gopike13", "https://twitter.com/gopike13", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gopike13", "https://www.instagram.com/gopike13/" ], "telephone" : "(855) 417-7120", "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#software", "@type" : "SoftwareApplication", "applicationCategory" : "BusinessApplication", "applicationSubCategory" : "Scheduling Software, Franchise Management Software, Skill Tracking Software", "areaServed" : [ { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United States" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Canada" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United Kingdom" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Australia" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Germany" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Spain" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Portugal" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Brazil" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Mexico" }, { "@type" : "Place", "name" : "European Economic Area" }, { "@type" : "Place", "name" : "South America" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "South Africa" } ], "audience" : { "@type" : "Audience", "audienceType" : "Fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, strength training gyms, franchise networks, multi-location activity-based businesses" }, "description" : "Pike13 is scheduling, enrollment, payment, and skill tracking software for activity-based businesses — from single-location studios to multi-location franchise networks. Serving fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, and strength training gyms.", "featureList" : [ "Scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments", "Pre-paid and recurring plans", "Passes and punch cards", "Attendance tracking", "Automated reminder notifications", "Automated waitlist management", "Coupons", "Merchant processing", "Gift cards", "Automated billing and collections", "Child and dependent account linking", "Client communication", "Client app (iOS and Android)", "Staff app (iOS and Android)", "Client kiosk app", "Branded client website", "Basic reporting on clients, staff, and financials", "Insights Dashboard", "Payroll management and staff time tracking (Advanced+)", "Retail (Advanced+)", "Email marketing (Advanced+)", "SMS reminders and messaging (Advanced+)", "Facebook Pixel (Advanced+)", "Zapier integration (Advanced+)", "Digital waivers and custom terms and conditions (Advanced+)", "Embeddable website widgets (Advanced+)", "Room bookings (Advanced+)", "Google Analytics integration (Advanced+)", "Custom reporting powered by Looker (Advanced+)", "Multi-location oversight with reporting (Advanced+)", "Contactless check-in: kiosk, app, and QR codes (Advanced+)", "API access and custom integrations (Premium only)", "Member progress tracking and skill assessments (Premium only)", "Branded client app for iOS and Android (Premium option)", "Custom reports (Premium only)" ], "name" : "Pike13", "offers" : [ { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For solo operators and small studios. Includes scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments; pre-paid and recurring plans; passes and punch cards; attendance tracking; automated reminders and waitlist management; coupons; merchant processing; gift cards; automated billing; family and dependent accounts; client communication; client app, staff app, kiosk app; branded client website; basic reporting; Insights Dashboard. Unlimited staff seats and client profiles. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Essential", "price" : "139.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } }, { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For growing and multi-location businesses. Everything in Essential plus: multi-location oversight with reporting; payroll management and staff time tracking; digital waivers; custom reporting powered by Looker; email marketing; Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics; room bookings; contactless check-in (kiosk, app, QR codes); SMS reminders and messaging; Zapier integration; embeddable website widgets; retail. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Advanced", "price" : "195.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } }, { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For franchises and enterprise-level customization. Everything in Advanced plus: API access and custom integrations for enterprise workflows; member progress tracking and skill assessments; branded client app for iOS and Android (available option); custom reports. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Premium", "price" : "249.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } } ], "operatingSystem" : "Web, iOS, Android", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/" } ```