Cards on file

A card on file is a card TrainOS keeps saved so a member can be charged without typing it in every time. This page covers how a card gets saved, how the default card works, and what happens the moment a failed payment gets fixed.

How a card gets on file

Most cards on file get there without anyone filling out a form. A member adds one while joining through your public signup page, or from their own app. Or TrainOS saves it automatically the moment you collect a card to charge them or start their subscription. Two more paths cover the rest.

The default card

A member can save more than one card, but only one is ever the default. Subscriptions and one-time charges always use the default card — never any other card on file. Add a new card and it becomes the default automatically, since a member adding a card almost always means they want to pay with it going forward.

To switch back to an older card, tap the star next to it — that card becomes the default. The old default steps aside automatically, no extra confirmation needed.

Fix a failed payment automatically

This is where cards on file earn their keep. The moment a member saves a new default card, TrainOS retries any payment that had failed — instantly, without waiting for Stripe's next scheduled retry. A membership that broke because of a declined card fixes itself in seconds, the moment the member acts. See Subscriptions & policies for the full story of what happens when a payment fails.

See every member's cards

Go to Payments → Cards to see saved cards across your whole academy — brand, last four digits, expiry date, and which card is the default. You never see a full card number, on this screen or anywhere else.

Click Update on a member's row to open their card list, where you can add a card on their behalf, remove one, or change the default — handy for a member standing at your front desk without their own phone.

Where card numbers actually live

TrainOS never sees or stores a full card number. When a card is entered — by a member on your signup page or in the app, or by your staff on the dashboard — it goes straight to Stripe, the same payment company behind millions of businesses. TrainOS only ever keeps the brand, last four digits, and expiry date, just enough to show a card on a list.

Members without the app

Some members don't have the TrainOS app yet — added by you, or not yet ready to claim their account. Their card works the same way: charge them once, or start their subscription, and their card is saved on file automatically. From there, everything above works exactly the same, including the default card and the Cards tab. See Adding a member for the different ways to get someone onto your roster.

Who's allowed to do what

Instructors and students manage their own cards from the mobile app — the Cards tab, like the rest of the web dashboard, is for owners and admins only.

See also

• Charging a member — how to actually charge someone, including a card entered on the spot
• Subscriptions & policies — the full story of what happens when a payment fails
• Coupons & promo codes — discounts that apply at checkout, on top of whatever card is on file
• Payments & charges — the full ledger of every charge