# Payment Plans for Online Courses: Instalments, Subscriptions and Pay Later

> How to offer payment plans on an online course: instalments, subscriptions, flexible and pay-what-you-want prices, and Klarna, with the limits of each.

By Uyi Abraham (Founder and CEO, Vonza). Published 2026-11-07, updated 2026-11-07. Category: Course creation. 4 min read.
Canonical: https://vonza.com/blog/payment-plans-for-online-courses

A **payment plan** lets a student buy your course now and pay for it over time: three monthly payments of $100 instead of $300 today, for example. The student gets access straight away, and the later payments are taken from their card on a schedule. It is one of the simplest ways to sell a higher-priced course to people who want it but cannot pay the full price at once.

This post covers the kinds of plan you can offer, how "buy now, pay later" services such as Klarna differ, and how to set each one up on Vonza.

## Six ways to charge for a course

A Vonza checkout can hold up to six prices, so you can put pay-in-full next to a plan and let the buyer choose. Each price is one of six types:

| Price type | What the buyer does | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **One-time payment** | pays once | the default; also the "pay in full" option next to a plan |
| **Instalments** | pays a first payment today, then the rest on a schedule | higher-priced courses and programmes |
| **Recurring** | pays the same amount every day, week, month or year | memberships, communities, course libraries |
| **Flexible** | pays some today and the rest at their own pace from their account | buyers who want control over when they pay |
| **Pay what you want** | types the amount, with an optional minimum and maximum | launches, workshops, sliding-scale offers |
| **Free** | just signs up | lead magnets and taster courses |

## Instalments: your own payment plan

Instalments are the classic payment plan. On a Vonza checkout you can set:

- **1 to 120 payments**, or "until cancelled",
- **every week, month or year**, or every set number of days,
- or **each payment typed by hand**, when the amounts or dates differ.

Vonza takes the later payments from the card the buyer used, so nobody has to remember to pay. Because the card has to be charged again, instalments need a card through Stripe, or Paystack if your account sells in Naira. PayPal does not carry payment plans on Vonza.

A common pattern is two prices side by side: "$297 in full" and "3 payments of $109". The plan costs a little more in total, which rewards paying in full without making the plan feel like a penalty.

## Recurring prices and memberships

If your course is a library you keep adding to, or it comes with a community, a recurring price may fit better than a plan with an end. The buyer pays the same amount every week, month or year until they cancel, or for a set number of payments. The same card rule applies: a card through Stripe, or Paystack.

## Flexible and pay what you want

Two less common types are worth knowing:

- **Flexible** fixes the total but lets the buyer pay part today and the rest when they choose, from their own account. Since the buyer makes the later payments, any payment method can take the first one.
- **Pay what you want** lets the buyer type the price. Set a minimum so nobody pays less than your floor, and a maximum if you want one. It suits launches and community-supported courses. It is not a donation product, so it does not issue donation receipts.

## Buy now, pay later with Klarna

"Buy now, pay later" (BNPL) services split the cost for the buyer instead of you. On Vonza, **Klarna** runs through your connected Stripe account on one-time prices:

- To you it is a one-time payment. The buyer agrees their own repayment plan with Klarna.
- It shows only where Stripe offers Klarna for your country, your currency and the buyer.
- It cannot carry a Vonza instalment plan or a subscription, because those need a card on file.
- Stripe's published US rate for Klarna is 5.99% + 30¢ per payment, against 2.9% + 30¢ for a domestic card (Stripe pricing page, read 7 November 2026).

So the two are not rivals. A Vonza instalment plan keeps the schedule with you; Klarna hands the schedule to Klarna and costs more per sale. Many course creators offer both: a plan on the checkout, and Klarna switched on for buyers who prefer it.

| | Vonza instalments | Klarna |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who sets the schedule | you | Klarna |
| How you are paid | each payment as it is taken | one payment |
| Payment methods | card (Stripe) or Paystack | Klarna through Stripe |
| Works with subscriptions | yes | no |
| Where it is offered | every Stripe or Paystack account | where Stripe offers Klarna |

## Coupons on a payment plan

A coupon can discount a plan in four ways, chosen when you create it: **once** (the first payment only), **forever** (every payment), for a **number of months**, or for a **set number of instalments**. That lets you run, say, "first payment half price" without giving away the whole course. See [how to create a coupon code on Vonza](https://vonza.com/blog/create-a-coupon-code).

## How to set it up on Vonza

1. **Connect a payment provider.** Stripe for cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Klarna; Paystack if you sell in Naira. The [Stripe vs PayPal vs Paystack](https://vonza.com/blog/stripe-vs-paypal-vs-paystack) guide explains the differences.
2. **Open your checkout and add prices.** Add a one-time price for pay-in-full, then an Instalments price with the number of payments and the interval.
3. **Switch the methods on or off** for that checkout. Keep Card on for the plan; Klarna and PayPal can be used on the one-time price only.
4. **Publish and share the link.**

Courses also have their own pricing options, including trials and access length, which are described on [course pricing options](https://vonza.com/course-pricing-options). For the checkout page itself, its prices, add-on offers and payment switches, see the [checkout page builder](https://vonza.com/checkout). And if you are still deciding what to charge, start with [how to price your online course](https://vonza.com/blog/how-to-price-your-course).

## Frequently asked questions

### How many instalments can a payment plan have on Vonza?

On a Vonza checkout an instalment plan can run from 1 to 120 payments, every week, month or year, every set number of days, or until the buyer cancels. You can also type each payment by hand.

### Is Klarna the same as a payment plan?

No. With Klarna the buyer pays your price once, through Stripe, and spreads the cost with Klarna on Klarna's terms. A Vonza payment plan is your own schedule: Vonza takes each payment from the buyer's card on the dates you set.

### Which payment methods work with instalments?

Instalments and subscriptions need a card that can be charged again, so they work with a card through Stripe, or with Paystack for Naira accounts. PayPal and Klarna are offered on one-time prices only.

### Can a coupon apply to every payment of a plan?

Yes. When you create a coupon you choose whether it applies once, to every payment, for a number of months, or for a set number of instalments.