Q: How do refunds work for driving lesson payments?

A pupil can refund an unused payment themselves, instantly, any time before that lesson has paid out to the instructor — no message needed. Once the money has paid out, a contested payment goes through a proper dispute flow instead, with evidence from both sides and a fair resolution, so nobody is left in an awkward standoff over a single lesson.

Question 1

How do driving instructors take card payments?

Accepted Answer

With Driive, pupils pay by card inside the app — one lesson or several in a single payment — or through a payment link the instructor sends. Cash and bank-transfer lessons are marked paid in a tap, so the accounts stay complete whichever way the money arrives.

Question 2

What is a prepaid block of driving lessons?

Accepted Answer

A block is a bundle of lesson hours bought up front, usually at a small discount — ten hours is the classic. Driive tracks every block to the penny and burns hours only when a lesson is completed, never when it is booked, so the balance can never drift.

Question 3

When do instructors receive their money?

Accepted Answer

Card payments land in the instructor's bank account the day after they settle — next-day payouts rather than weekly batches. Every payment is recorded in Accounts & Tax automatically, so income never needs reconstructing later.

Question 4

How do I turn on online card payments?

Accepted Answer

Turning on online payments is a quick, Stripe-hosted setup pre-filled from your Driive details — you confirm your bank account and a few business details, and you're ready to take cards. Driive uses Stripe to process payments and pay out to your bank, so card details are never stored by the instructor.

Question 5

What are the fees for taking card payments?

Accepted Answer

Card payments carry a small per-transaction fee that covers card processing and next-day payouts — 3.5% on the Free plan and 1.5% on Driive Pro. Recording a cash or bank-transfer payment is always free, and there are no per-pupil or per-booking fees on top.

Question 6

How do refunds work for driving lesson payments?

Accepted Answer

A pupil can refund an unused payment themselves, any time before it has paid out — clean and instant, no message needed. Once the money has moved, anything contested goes through a proper dispute flow with evidence on both sides and a fair resolution.

No chasing refunds over text, no awkward standoff over £35 — the rules are the same for everyone, and the record speaks for itself.

Question 7

What happens if a prepaid lesson is cancelled?

Accepted Answer

If a prepaid block lesson is cancelled, its hours flow straight back to the pupil's credit balance on their own — because block hours only ever burn when a lesson is completed. The slot reopens in the diary and the credit is ready to rebook, with no manual adjustment.

Question 8

Do pupils need to pay through the app?

Accepted Answer

No. The app makes it easiest — pupils pay by card or Apple Pay in a tap — but it is never the only way. Instructors can send a payment link to anyone, or simply mark a cash or bank-transfer lesson as paid. Whichever route the money takes, the pupil's balance and the accounts stay right.

Less payment admin. Faster cash in the bank.

Know exactly where your money is.

Blocks that
cannot go wrong.

Pupils pay by
card, in a tap.

However they want to pay.

In your bank
the next day.

Fair both ways, no awkward standoffs.

You teach. The money sorts itself.

Asked by
instructors,
answered straight.

Payments is stronger with the rest of Driive.

Put your diary
on autopilot.

Less payment admin. Faster cash in the bank.

Know exactly where your money is.

Blocks thatcannot go wrong.

Pupils pay bycard, in a tap.