GoCardless, the bank payment company, and Soakly, the software suite designed for swimming schools, have joined forces to offer Soakly customers a simpler way to take payments.

The partnership gives swim schools a seamless way to collect both recurring tuition fees and one-off payments through a single provider, thanks to GoCardless’ Direct Debit capabilities and Instant Bank Pay, powered by open banking.

This will allow swim school owners to cut down on time-consuming manual admin processes, reduce late payments and avoid the costly fees often associated with card payments. Additionally, swim students will be able to make payments directly within the Soakly app, creating an easier and more secure experience.

The news continues Soakly’s commitment to providing the best payment solutions for their customers and builds on GoCardless’ expertise in the space. Soakly now joins a roster of more than 75 health and wellness partners, such as SwimClub Manager, Glofox and TeamUp, who offer GoCardless as a payment option within their platform. Last year GoCardless also became the official payments partner for Swim England and headline sponsor of all Swim England national events.

Rob Pratt, Chief Product Officer at Soakly, said: “We can't wait to offer GoCardless through our platform to swim schools nationwide. The automatic Direct Debits will help our customers get paid on time, every time, while Instant Bank Pay acts as a low-cost alternative to cards when it comes to taking one-off payments. Also, GoCardless’ relationship with Swim England shows how serious it is about supporting our sector and that means a lot to us.”

Seb Hempstead, VP Partnerships at GoCardless, said: “This partnership represents a significant step in our ongoing commitment to revolutionising payments for the aquatics community. We're enthusiastic about the positive impact this integration will have on the efficiency and financial wellbeing of swim schools nationwide.”