Overview
Agent Billing lets you charge fees to your agents’ credit cards for things like monthly or annual membership fees, consortia fees, or one-off costs like postage.
Note: Agent Billing is in closed beta. If you do not see the Billing tab in your Back Office, contact Tern support to request access.
Before We Jump In
A few terms this article uses:
Fee type: A reusable template for a fee. It has a name, a default amount, and a cadence (one-off or recurring). You set these up once and apply them to agents.
Fee: A fee type applied to a specific agent, with an amount and a start date. Recurring fees charge again on the cadence you set.
Card on file: The credit card an agent saves to your agency so you can charge fees to it. Agents add this themselves.
Wallet: Where funds from charged fees land before you withdraw them to your bank account.
Billing fees charge the agent’s card directly. If you want to deduct money from an agent’s commission instead, use a payout adjustment, not a billing fee.
Who Can Use It
Agency admins set up fee types, apply fees, track charges, and manage the wallet from Back Office > Billing.
Agents see their own upcoming fees and billing history under their agency affiliation. See https://help.tern.travel/en/articles/17769975-agent-billing-managing-your-card-on-file-and-fees-in-closed-beta
Step 1: Onboard with Airwallex
Airwallex is Tern’s payment processor. You must complete Airwallex onboarding before you can use Agent Billing.
Go to Back Office > Billing.
Follow the onboarding prompts. If you have not onboarded yet, Billing shows the Airwallex onboarding flow as the first step. It walks you through a series of screens to collect your business information.
Wait for approval. Onboarding can take several days. You cannot set up or charge fees until Airwallex approves your account.
For a full walkthrough, see https://help.tern.travel/en/articles/17262237-a-guide-to-onboarding-with-airwallex-in-closed-beta
For a full list of Airwallex payment process fees, see this article: https://help.tern.travel/en/articles/17666374-airwallex-fees
Step 2: Create Fee Types
Fee types make it faster to apply the same fee to many agents and easier to report on later.
Go to Back Office > Billing.
Click Actions > Manage Fee Types.
Click to add a new fee type.
Enter a name, default amount, and cadence. Choose one-off for a single charge, or a recurring cadence (for example, weekly, monthly, or annual).
Save the fee type.
You can change the amount each time you apply a fee type to an agent, so set the default to your most common amount.
Tip: You can also create a new fee type from the dropdown when you apply a fee to an agent.
Step 3: Apply a Fee to an Agent
Go to Back Office > Team & Billing.
Open the agent’s profile and go to their Billing tab. You can also apply a fee from the agent’s row on the Team & Billing page.
Click to add a fee and select a fee type.
Set the amount. This defaults to the fee type’s amount. Change it if needed.
Set the start date.
If you leave the start date as today, Tern charges the fee immediately.
If you set a future date, Tern charges the fee on that date. Recurring fees charge again from that date on the cadence you set. For contract-based fees, enter the next date the fee is due.
Apply the fee.
What the Agent Sees
If the agent has no card on file, Tern emails them and prompts them to add a card the next time they log in. They enter card details and check a box to authorize charges. Tern reminds the agent until they add a card. See https://help.tern.travel/en/articles/17769975-agent-billing-managing-your-card-on-file-and-fees-in-closed-beta
Each time Tern charges a fee, the agent receives a receipt by email.
Expiring cards: Tern emails the agent (or subagency owner) 30 days before their card on file expires and asks them to update their payment method. A card expires on the last day of the month shown on it. For example, a card marked 05/27 expires May 31, 2027, so the agent is emailed on May 1, 2027. If a card is added within 30 days of expiring, the agent is emailed the next day.
Change or Remove a Fee
Go to Back Office > Team & Billing.
Open the agent’s profile and go to their Billing tab.
Remove the fee.
Apply a new fee with a different fee type or a different amount.
Step 4: Track Charges
Back Office > Billing shows the status of every fee:
Processing: The charge is in progress.
Succeeded: The charge was successful, and is in transit to your wallet
Paid: The charge cleared into your Tern wallet
No card on file: The agent has not added a card yet. Tern charges the fee once they do.
Failed: The charge did not go through. Tern retries failed charges automatically.
Each agent’s profile Billing tab also shows their upcoming fees and full billing history.
Step 5: Withdraw Funds from Your Wallet
Funds from charged fees land in your wallet along with funds from other Tern payment features, like invoicing and service fees.
Go to Back Office > Billing.
Click Actions > Wallet.
Review your balance. The wallet shows your available balance, cleared transactions, and pending transactions. Pending funds are not available to withdraw. Funds clear within 2 business days of a successful charge.
Click to withdraw and select your bank account.
Airwallex charges processing and withdrawal fees. See https://help.tern.travel/en/articles/17666374-airwallex-fees
FAQs
Do agents see all the fee types I’ve set up?
No. Agents only see the fees you’ve applied to them. Your fee types and the fees you charge other agents stay hidden.
Common Issues
The Billing tab shows the Airwallex onboarding flow instead of billing.
Your agency has not completed Airwallex onboarding. Finish the onboarding steps and return once approved.
An agent’s fee shows “No card on file.”
The agent has not added a card yet. Tern reminds them to add one at each login. The fee charges once a card is saved. You do not need to re-apply the fee.
A charge shows “Failed.”
Tern retries the charge automatically. If it keeps failing, ask the agent to check their card or add a different one.
Funds show as pending in the wallet.
Charges clear within 2 business days. Pending funds become available to withdraw once cleared.
If you have completed Airwallex onboarding and the Billing tab still does not work, contact Tern support.