Offline Payments (Pay at Event / Manual Payments)

Let attendees register now and pay later, online or in person.

The Offline payment option is perfect when you want to collect registrations through Event Genius, but handle payments manually (cash at the door, checks, or staff-collected payments).

Why use Offline payments?

• Accept registrations without requiring immediate payment
• Offer “Pay at Event” or “Invoice Later” options
• Track who still owes payment
• Send clear instructions automatically
• Reduce friction for attendees
• Send a custom invoice for organizations that require this before payment

What your attendees experience

Here’s exactly what happens from their perspective:

1. They register for your event

They fill out your registration form like normal.

2. They choose “Offline” at checkout

Instead of paying with a card, they select your Offline option (for example, “Pay at Event”). You can also have just a single payment option and not offer PayPal or credit card payment.

3. They see instructions immediately

Before submitting, they’ll see your custom payment instructions (where to pay, what to bring, etc.).

4. They complete registration (no payment taken)

Once they click the button:

• No charge is made
• Their registration is saved
• A payment record is created for tracking

5. They get a confirmation message + email

A success message appears on screen, and they receive an email with full payment instructions.

6. They can resend instructions anytime

If your site has WordPress users who are logged-in, from Manage Registration, they can click Resend Payment Instructions.

How it works behind the scenes

• A payment record is created for tracking
• The registration is marked as Confirmed or Pending
• Emails are sent based on your settings
• Your team can be notified of pending payments

Key decision: Confirmed vs Pending

You can configure what “status” a registration has after “offline” is used for the payment type. Which you choose will depend on your use case.

Pending

Use this when payment hasn’t been collected yet.

• Registration = Pending
• You confirm after receiving payment
• Your team can be notified

Best for: Venmo, checks, other manual payments

Confirmed

Use this when you trust attendees to pay later.

• Registration = Confirmed immediately
• No follow-up required

Best for: Internal or trusted groups, pay at the door

How to mark a payment as received

When an attendee pays you (cash, check, or other manual method), you can update their payment status directly from the Manage Registration modal.

Step 1: Open the registration

In your WordPress dashboard, go to the Registrations page and locate the attendee. Click to open the Manage Registration modal.

Step 2: Update payment details

Inside the modal, you can update the payment information to reflect that payment has been received.

• Mark the payment as completed
• Update the amount if needed
• Adjust any relevant payment details

Step 3: Update the registration status

If the registration was previously Pending, update it to Confirmed once payment has been received.

This ensures your attendee list is accurate and reflects who has fully completed payment.

Step 4: Send a confirmation email (optional)

You can send a follow-up email directly from the modal to confirm that payment has been received.

This is useful for providing receipts, reminders, or final event details.

For convenience, common actions are immediately presented after a payment is changed from “pending” to “complete”.

Tip: Keep your attendee list accurate

If you are using Pending registrations, it’s a good practice to regularly review and update them as payments are collected. This keeps your reports, attendee counts, and check-in process accurate.

How to set up Offline payments

For a complete step-by-step setup guide, see:

Offline Payments Setup Guide

Quick overview:

• Enable Accept payments & sell tickets on your event
• Enable the Offline gateway
• Customize instructions and messaging

Email behavior

Attendees receive:

• Payment instruction email
• Includes event details and next steps

Your team can receive:

• Pending payment notifications (if enabled)

Bulk registrations

• Same Offline setting applies to all registrations
• One combined instruction email is sent
• Your team receives one notification

Common use cases

Pay at the event

Set status to Pending and include clear payment instructions on how to pay when the guest arrives.

Manual but trusted payments

Registrants send in checks or use bank transfers.

Venmo payment

Once you receive payment through Venmo or other similar apps, track this in the registration system and send confirmation emails.

Best practices

• Be specific in your instructions
• Use clear, action-based button text
• Use Pending unless you don’t need verification
• Test the full flow once before going live

Summary

Offline payments let you collect registrations while handling payments your way, all while keeping everything organized inside WordPress.