Of all the expenses included in opening and running a climbing gym, credit card processing fees may be the most frustrating.
While integrated credit card processors are vital, they also can be complicated to integrate. For example, for many years, Rock Gym Pro (RGP) users had only one integrated option for their POS transactions, creating a pain point for gym owners, since it constrained their ability to negotiate for lower rates.
As many climbing gyms shifted to online bookings and reservations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gym owners experienced similar frustrations, as the processor used for integrated online payments, again, had higher fees than in-person transactions.
To alleviate these added expenses, we at Rock Gym Pro worked to develop an alternative processor designed to put money back in the pockets of gyms around the world—finally landing on an integration with the payment processor Stripe, known simply as RGP Stripe Custom.
Meet Stripe Custom
Why Stripe?
As an industry-leading payment processor, Stripe offers a simple way to accept payments online with no setup fees, no monthly fees, and no hidden costs. Hundreds of thousands of businesses—ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies—rely on Stripe’s software tools to securely accept payments and expand globally.
Our partnership with Stripe allows us to negotiate rates for our customers based on the total volume of payments processed through the RGP software. Perhaps more importantly, this is a truly integrated payment process—something our customers have asked for repeatedly.
This newly integrated payment system not only helps facilities reduce their processors to one account while saving money, but it can also be used across all RGP payments, including:
- Online
- POS
- Monthly Billing
- ACH Monthly Billing (for U.S. facilities)
Facilities with multiple locations can easily navigate from one account to another in the new payments dashboard at payments.rockgympro.com.
To ensure the product lived up to user expectations, we relied on gym owners who used RGP to serve as beta testers. After a year and a half of extensive testing, over 450 facilities worldwide now rely on this integration for payments processed through Rock Gym Pro.
How does it work?
- The RGP Payments team performs a free rate analysis/rate projection with Stripe Custom.
- If your current rates are lower than the default rate in your region, we will negotiate on your behalf to try to match and/or beat your existing rate.
- Facilities have the option to only move over parts of their processing. For example, if you’d like to just switch your online sales from a standard Stripe account to the new Stripe Custom account, that would be an immediate saving at the custom default rate.
- Many facilities save significant amounts in processing fees that other processors charge and Stripe does not, including PCI compliance fees, interchange fees, etc.
- If a facility switches to the new integration, a new Stripe Custom account will be created and onboarded at payments.rockgympro.com.
- When the account(s) are onboarded (typically takes less than 20 minutes), we will arrange a time to connect your RGP Database to your new account. Online sales will immediately begin flowing at a lower rate.
- Stored cards for monthly billing can be migrated to the new account.
- New Stripe Terminals can be ordered for use at the front desk.
Using Stripe Terminals with RGP Stripe Custom
Using RGP Stripe Custom with Stripe Terminals supplies a host of benefits, including streamlining the front desk workflow, reducing staff errors, and automatically populating the ZOut report in the card totals collected. With an integrated Stripe Terminal, RGP sends the total from the RGP POS to the terminal where customers can tap/swipe/insert their card or use contactless options, such as paying from their phone. Terminals can also be used to swipe/tap cards and quickly save them on a customer record for automated monthly billing—a new feature for gyms located outside of the US.
Stripe Terminals are available for use in the US, CA, the UK, IE, FR, DE, AU, NZ and SG, offering a fully integrated POS solution for regions that have never had an integrated terminal option with RGP POS.
Testimonials
We’re proud of RGP Stripe Custom because we see the benefit it brings to our clients. But don’t take our word for it. Read a few testimonials from real gym owners who have made the switch:
“The RGP Stripe transition was an incredibly smooth transition for our management and staff. Our staff have commented on how much easier the new Stripe terminals are to work with vs our previous provider. The functionality is stronger and the amount of paperwork at the end of the night has been reduced. We have also noticed monthly cost savings since we are no longer paying a monthly fee. We have also found the customer service from RGP to be outstanding with any inquiries or questions answered almost immediately and the check in’s we received after we were up and running were greatly appreciated. The RGP team is amazing and we so appreciate their attentiveness and overall desire to want to help us in any way they can. Overall, we are very happy with the integration and would highly recommend it to any facility interested in a more efficient process that helps the bottom line.” – Sarah Kostadinov, Aspire Climbing Whitby, Whitby, Ontario, CA
“All in all, the staff love it, and the face-to-face customers comment on how slick and quick it is, compared to our old terminals.” – High Sports Group, UK
“I’m really happy with the switch. There have been benefits we expected, like simplified bookkeeping and reduced payment processing fees (we’re now paying about 30% less than we were before overall). There are also benefits we didn’t expect, like much simpler refund processing, fewer human errors, and better detail on transactions when we do find an error. The terminals have worked well, and the setup process has been relatively painless.” – Oliver Millington, Three Wise Monkeys, Fort William, UK
“RGP made switching to RGP Stripe Custom an easy process, saving Black Rock Bouldering Gym time and money. The RGP Payments Support Team guided us through every step of the switch-over. It’s improved our Stripe reconciliation process and our front desk workflow. Most importantly, it cut our processing fees which has been a huge help as we continue to make a recovery from lockdown and move forward.” – Chris Dodge, Black Rock Bouldering, Phoenix, Arizona, US
Expedited Onboarding
While RGP Stripe Custom provides countless benefits to our customers, the integration also allows us to improve the onboarding experience for new facilities. Instead of a lengthy application process that can sometimes take months to complete, RGP Stripe Custom makes it possible to set up and onboard merchant accounts in a single business day.
Simplified Reconciliations
Many of you reading this are probably thinking, “I hate reconciling my Stripe deposits!” And we get it. In the past, this was a tedious process that often resulted in split days between your RGP reports and your payouts. Our developers have eliminated this pain point with RGP Stripe Custom by creating new reports that pull in your actual Stripe fees and reports, including gross/fees/net amounts, and match your RGP recorded payments with Stripe Custom payouts.
We’ve even included tools to adjust your Journal Entry Reports to match with Stripe Payout batches, allowing you to seamlessly match Stripe Custom Deposits when transferring to QuickBooks.
Final Thoughts
If you’re an RGP user, you’ve likely heard us talk about RGP Stripe Custom before. That’s because we want all facility owners and managers to know they have options that weren’t available in the past. We’ve witnessed RGP Stripe Custom help gyms and facilities across the world save thousands of dollars each year without the need for a third-party negotiator. Furthermore, ACH integrated with Stripe Custom provides an even lower rate than Visa, Mastercard and American Express fees.
As a team of former gym managers and climbers ourselves, we want our peers in the climbing industry to continue to thrive. At RGP, our goal is to continue adding value to our services, including helping in the day-to-day operations of climbing facilities worldwide.
Want to Learn More?
Interested in a free rate analysis? Have questions? The team at Rock Gym Pro would love to help. Schedule a call at RGP Stripe Custom Meeting or reach out to support@rockgympro.com. We’re here to help evaluate your options with no obligations or commitments.
Rock Gym Pro has been serving the climbing gym industry since 2008 and is the most popular climbing gym management software in North America. Hundreds of high-volume climbing facilities around the world rely on RGP, with 25+ million unique users, 30+ million documents stored, 100+ million check-ins, and $2+ billion in transactions processed over the years. RGP has continued to elevate its offerings since joining Togetherwork in 2018, developing the RGP API, RGP Stripe Custom, and more tools built to keep your gym ahead of the curve. Get started today.
