Payments & Payment Plans
Frequently Asked Questions
My credit card is being declined
If you are unable to purchase a course because your credit card is being declined it is usually for one of two reasons: there are insufficient funds in your account, or your bank is declining your card because Childbirth International is registered in New Zealand and they have blocked overseas purchases. You can contact your credit card provider and ask them to accept the transaction – it will be from Childbirth International which is a New Zealand registered company and will be a charge in US dollars. This usually resolves the problem. Alternatively, you can try a different payment method.
Why is amount on my Childbirth International invoice and my credit card statement different?
Some banks or credit card providers charge an additional fee for overseas transactions. The amount on your Childbirth International invoice is what we charge – if this is different from your credit card statement it is a fee imposed by your credit card provider and not something we have control over. We do not add any foreign transaction fees. If you contact your bank or credit card provider you can request them to deduct the charge – many students have successfully had this removed by their provider.
How do I find out the course cost in my own currency?
All our courses are charged in US dollars. The currency exchange rate used is determined by your credit card provider or Paypal if you are using that option and your local currency is not USD. We are unable to determine the exchange rate they will use as it differs between providers and countries. To get a rough estimate of the amount in your local currency you can use Google by typing in USD $amount local currency (e.g., USD 900 AUD to convert from US dollars to Australian dollars). This is not going to be 100% accurate since the exchange rate used will be determined by your credit card provider but it does give an estimate.
What payment options are available?
We accept all major credit/debit cards through Paypal or Stripe. With Paypal, you will need to have a Paypal account either with Paypal balance or linked to a credit card. With Stripe you do not need to create an account – you can just enter your credit card details and your payment will be processed.
I would like to pay with a bank transfer
We do not accept direct bank transfers. If you would like to be able to pay from your bank, you can link your bank account to your Paypal account, transfer the funds from your bank into your Paypal account, and then pay using your Paypal balance.
How can I calculate the shipping cost if I order printed manuals?
In order to calculate the shipping cost we need your delivery address. You will put your shipping address in at the checkout and once this is done the shipping cost will be calculated. Shipping cost depends on your location and the course/s you are purchasing. You will not be charged anything until after you have gone to the checkout and entered your credit card details.
If I purchase the payment plan do I have to wait five months before I can start?
Not at all! Your online course materials will be available as soon as you have processed your first installment and activated your course. If you are having any problems logging in to the student website or cannot see your course, contact our student support team at students@childbirthinternational.com.
I need to put a temporary hold on my payment plan installments
This is not a problem. Just contact our student support team at students@childbirthinternational.com and we can stop the next installment from being deducted and reinstate your account when you are ready. When a student’s account has been temporarily held you will not have access to your course materials through the student website. This will be automatically reinstated once your payment plan is re-established.
I am a current student or graduate but the student discount is not appearing
If you have previously registered for a CBI course you are entitled to a 15% discount on future certification courses. The discount will only appear if you log in to the shopping cart (click on Shop in the top menu, then choose Log In and use the email and password you previously used when purchasing) AND will not appear until you add the item to your cart. If you have done this and the discount is still not appearing, contact our student support team for guidance at students@childbirthinternational.com.
I would like to pay for my course over more/less months than offered in the payment plan
Currently, we offer the option for courses to be paid in one payment or in five monthly installments. If paying in installments, you will have immediate access to the course materials online through the student website. At the end of your payment plan you can order printed manuals separately if you would like them.
I would like to pay my balance off
No problem! If you contact our student support team at students@childbirthinternational.com they can prepare a statement of the balance for you. An early payment discount may be applicable.
A previous payment failed and I would like to reinstate my payment plan
Great! Just contact our student support team at students@childbirthinternational.com and they can provide you with a statement and instructions on reinstating your payment plan. An administration fee may be applicable.
Why is the payment plan more expensive than paying with a single payment?
We offer a discount of US$50 for each course to students who choose to pay in full in a single payment. Students who choose the payment plan option will be charged US$10 per month (total US$50) for administration fees.
I would like a refund
Not a problem! Our refund policy allows you to cancel your course within 48 hours of purchase. Contact our student support team at students@childbirthinternational.com and let them know. They will issue a full refund, less a US$50 cancellation fee. If you purchased your course more than 48 hours previously we do not offer refunds but if you are experiencing financial problems we can put your payments on hold until you are able to reinstate the payments.
I would like to transfer my course to someone else or change to a different course
We do not allow courses to be transferred. You can only change to a different course if you contact us within the 48-hour refund period.
I purchased the payment plan but it shows that it ends in six months rather than five
You will only be charged five installments. The end date is the month after the final payment is made. This is just the way Paypal and Stripe display the plan end dates.
I am on an installment plan. Will my payments be charged automatically?
Your installments are charged once a month for five months. They will automatically be deducted on the same day that you started. For example, if you started on January 12th, the payments will be deducted on February 12th, March 12th, April 12th and May 12th.
I cannot log in to the student website anymore.
If you are on an installment plan, it is possible that your monthly payment has failed. This will automatically prevent you from being able to log in. Contact us at students@childbirthinternational.com to see if this is the problem and we can help you reestablish your payment plan and access your course materials again.
What happens if I cannot make my monthly payment?
If your monthly payment fails you will be automatically suspended from the student website and an administration fee of $50 will be added to your account. You can contact us at students@childbirthinternational.com to arrange for the payment to be reestablished and gain access to the student website again. If you anticipate you will have a problem with making a payment and contact us, and this is the first time this has happened, the $50 fee will be waived.
Can I change the date of my payment plan?
Sometimes you know that you are going to be short of funds on the day that your next payment is due. If this is the case, contact us at students@childbirthinternational.com and ask us to change the payment due date. This MUST be done at least 72 hours (3 days) BEFORE your payment is due. Once we change the date it will change the date for all subsequent payments as well.
How can I pay the balance and get my manuals?
Contact us to find out the balance of your account. You can go to the shopping cart and choose Administration Fees – Pay Your Balance. Once we receive the balance we can order and send your printed manuals. You can go to the Administration Fees page here.
My credit card has expired/been stolen or lost. How can I change my account to my new credit card number?
You can do this on our website.
- Go to your account page here and log in.
- Click on Subscriptions in the left-hand menu.
- Click View beside the subscription that relates to your payment plan.
- Click on Change Payment.
Your new card details can then be entered and saved and will be used for your next payment.
How do I check if a payment went through?
You can do this on our website.
- Go to your account page here and log in.
- Click on Subscriptions in the left-hand menu.
- Click View beside the subscription that relates to your payment plan.
You will see the details of your payment plan. This shows you the last payment that went through, and the next payment due date.
Please note: The end date will always be one month after your plan has been completed. We do not charge an installment that last month (we only charge 5 installments in total) but this is the date that Stripe or Paypal will close your installment plan).
My payment defaulted but I have money in my account.
If your payment was declined this is something that was done by your bank or credit card provider. We are unable to see why it was declined as this is an automatic system that we do not have any control over. Please contact your bank or credit card provider to discuss with them.
My payment was deducted for more than what I had agreed to.
We only ever charge the agreed amount when you set up your plan. Some banks and credit card companies charge a fee that we have no control over. If you have been charged more, please contact them directly to discuss. It is possible that they have charged an “overseas transaction fee” as our registered address is in New Zealand. However, your payment plan is charged in US dollars and they should not be charging you fees since both Paypal and Stripe are US-based companies. In previous instances of this happening, the credit card companies have refunded the fees so it is worth contacting them to ask for this to be done.