# Payers, promotions and settings

> Let one person pay for several memberships, create promotion codes for new members, and set connected benefits, plan defaults and member messages.

Canonical: https://help.spacebrain.ai/memberships/payers-promotions-and-settings/
Last modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z

This guide covers the setup that sits around your plans. You will let one person pay for other members (such as a parent or employer), create promotion codes for new sign-ups, and choose the defaults and messages Memberships uses. It is for owners and managers.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* Changing payer groups needs Memberships manage and Payments edit permission.
* Promotions live in Payments. You need permission to manage Payments, and at least one eligible membership plan.
* Changing settings needs Memberships manage permission. Turning connected modules on or off also needs permission to manage workspace add-ons.

## Where to find it [#where-to-find-it]

* Payer groups: **Memberships → Members → More actions → Payer groups**
* Promotions: **Payments → Settings → Membership promotions**
* Settings: **Memberships → Settings**

## Shared payers [#shared-payers]

A payer group lets one person pay for several separate memberships. Each member keeps their own terms, benefits and required agreements. Common uses are a parent paying for children, or a company paying for staff.

### Create a payer group [#create-a-payer-group]

1. Open **Memberships → Members**, choose **More actions**, then **Payer groups**.
2. Choose **Create payer group**.
3. Enter a **Group name**, such as "Nguyen family".
4. Choose the **Payer from CRM**.
5. Enter a **Reason** and choose **Create group**.

Creating a group does not send an invitation or give payment consent.

### Add a member to the group [#add-a-member-to-the-group]

* For a new member, choose the **Payer group** when you enroll them.
* For an existing member, open their record and choose **Change payer**. Choose **Review payer change**, check the effect, then **Apply payer change**.

Changing the payer affects new invoices only. Existing terms and invoices stay the same.

### The payer's approval [#the-payers-approval]

The payer must accept the financial terms from their own account's **Billing** page. There they see **Memberships you fund** and **Your invoices**. The member record shows the payer's consent as accepted, revoked or awaiting review.

To stop sharing, choose **Archive payer group**. This ends the payer's billing access and stops future automatic collection for the group.

## Promotions [#promotions]

Promotion codes give new members a discount for a set number of paid periods. Existing members keep their accepted prices.

### Create a promotion [#create-a-promotion]

1. Open **Payments → Settings** and find **Membership promotions**.
2. Choose **Create promotion**.
3. Enter a **Promotion name** (for your team) and a **Code** (what members type). Codes are 3–64 characters and cannot be changed later.
4. Choose the **Discount type**: **Percentage** or **Fixed amount**. Enter the amount and **Currency** as needed.
5. Set **Discounted paid periods** (1–24). Trial days do not count as a period.
6. Tick the **Eligible membership plans**.
7. Optional: set **Starts at (optional)**, **Ends at (optional)**, a **Total redemption limit (optional)** and a **Per-payer limit (optional)**.
8. Choose **Create promotion**.

### How members use a code [#how-members-use-a-code]

* Buyers enter it in **Promotion code (optional)** on the signup page.
* Staff enter it in **Promotion code (optional)** when enrolling a member.

To stop a code, open it with **View details** and tick **Archive this promotion for future enrollments**. Archiving cannot be undone. Members who already used the code keep their discount.

## Memberships settings [#memberships-settings]

**Memberships → Settings** has four sections:

### Setup checklist [#setup-checklist]

Shows each requirement as **Ready**, **Needs attention**, **Not required** or **Unavailable**. Choose **Refresh readiness** after fixing something.

### Connected benefits [#connected-benefits]

Lists the modules that can give membership benefits, such as Gym admission or calendar bookings. Choose **Review and enable** to turn one on. Before turning one off, choose **Review impact**. Removing a module does not reprice or cancel memberships, but members can no longer use that benefit.

### Plan defaults [#plan-defaults]

Sets the starting values for new plans: **Trial days**, **Invoice grace days**, **Access grace days** and **Benefit timezone**. Add a **Reason for changing defaults** and choose **Save defaults**. Existing drafts and members are not changed.

### Messages [#messages]

Prepares emails for membership events, such as **Enrollment created**, **Membership activated**, **Renewal due**, **Payment action required**, **Approaching expiry**, **Access expired** and **Benefit nearly exhausted**. Choose **Prepare draft** to create a message, or **Open Automations** to manage it. See [Automations](/automations/).

## Worked example: a family plan [#worked-example-a-family-plan]

1. A parent wants to pay for two children's swim memberships.
2. You create a payer group "Lee family" with the parent as **Payer from CRM**.
3. You enroll each child in their own plan and choose the "Lee family" **Payer group**.
4. The parent accepts the terms on their **Billing** page and receives one invoice per membership.
5. Each child's attendance and benefits are tracked separately.

## If something goes wrong [#if-something-goes-wrong]

* **"Create an eligible membership plan before creating a promotion."** Publish a membership plan first.
* **A code is rejected at signup.** Check the code's dates, limits and eligible plans.
* **The payer hasn't accepted.** Ask them to open their account's **Billing** page. Spacebrain does not send an invitation automatically.
* **I can't enable a connected benefit.** You need permission to manage workspace add-ons, or the add-on is not installed.

## FAQ [#faq]

### Can a promotion apply to existing members? [#can-a-promotion-apply-to-existing-members]

No. Promotions apply to new enrollments only.

### Does the payer get access to the member's benefits? [#does-the-payer-get-access-to-the-members-benefits]

No. The payer handles billing only. Attendance and benefits stay with each member.

## Next step [#next-step]

Return to [Memberships](/memberships/) or set up [Gym operations](/gym/) for class and front-desk benefits.