How the money side works

Where your money goes

When you pay by card here, the money goes straight to your organiser’s own bank account, the same person you’d have handed cash to anyway. It doesn’t sit with us, ever. We’re the noticeboard and the tally, not the bank. Card payments are handled by Stripe, the same company behind the card machines in thousands of British shops.

Cash and bank transfer are always fine

Nobody has to pay by card. Hand your organiser cash or send them a bank transfer the way you always have. They’ll tick you off the list and your page will show it. The card button is there for convenience, not obligation.

Paying by card, you can take each instalment as it comes, pay a few ahead of time, or press one button and settle everything for the trip in one go. Whatever you choose, your page always shows exactly where you stand.

Refunds

Because payments go straight to your organiser, refunds come from them too, just like they always have when plans change. If someone drops out or a trip is cancelled, sorting the money back out is between the group, and your organiser’s page keeps an honest record of exactly who has paid what, which makes that far easier than the old scraps of paper.

How to know a link is genuine

You’re right to be careful with links about money. Three things to check:

• Your link should come from your own organiser, a person you know, usually in your group WhatsApp. We never text or email you out of the blue asking for money.
• The address always starts with gadaboutclub.com. Check the bar at the top.
• Your page greets you by nameand shows your actual trip. A scam won’t know the Benidorm dates or that you’re sharing with Pat.

Unsure about anything? Don’t pay. Ask your organiser in person. The trip won’t leave without you.