bsport partners with Alma: your members pay in 3, you get paid upfront

The context: CCD2 is changing the rules on instalment payments

On 20 November 2026, the revised European Consumer Credit Directive, known as CCD2, comes into effect to protect European consumers against over-indebtedness.

Interest-free instalment payments, which used to fall outside consumer credit rules, now come under the consumer credit framework. This makes it much harder to offer split payments on one-off purchases outside subscription models: offering instalments yourself means assessing creditworthiness, providing pre-contractual information and meeting strict compliance requirements.

For a boutique studio, building that setup in-house is challenging. Yet instalments are often what turns "maybe later" into "yes" for annual memberships or teacher trainings. This is where Alma comes in.

What is Alma?

Alma is a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment method that takes care of the regulatory requirements for you. As an authorised finance company that is already CCD2 compliant, Alma lets businesses offer instalments without building their own credit-compliance infrastructure.

Most importantly, Alma takes on the credit risk, not you. With a traditional instalment plan, whether you run it in-house or through your booking software, the studio collects each payment itself and carries all the risk. If a member stops paying halfway through their membership, the money is lost, and you often only find out weeks later. With Alma, you’re paid the full amount upfront. Alma collects the instalments, and if a member defaults, Alma absorbs the loss, not your studio.

Alma has more than 9 million users and 25,000 businesses across Europe, including more than 900 studios such as The Sanctuary Group, Yoga Room. It is now natively integrated into bsport: no extra contract, no separate tool.

How it works for your members

1. For any online purchase of €300 or more, Alma appears at checkout next to card, SEPA and wallets.
2. The member chooses to pay in 3 and gets an instant decision on Alma's secure page, with no account to create and no app to download.
3. The first instalment is paid at checkout, the next two over the following two months.

For the member, there are no fees, no interest and no late fees. They can pay with a European Visa, Mastercard or Amex card, Apple Pay, or local methods such as Bancontact, iDEAL or Postepay. Any questions about their installments go to Alma's customer support, not your front desk.

What it changes for your studio

Sell more annual memberships and big packs

A member who hesitates on a €600 annual membership finds it much easier to say yes to 3 x €200. In fitness, Alma reports a 95% acceptance rate and an average order value of €484. For bsport studios, Alma's conservative estimate is a 6% increase in revenue.

Get paid upfront, with zero collection risk

You receive the full amount within 1 to 3 business days. Alma collects the instalments and carries the risk of non-payment: if a member defaults, Alma absorbs the loss. Its collection approach is respectful (no penalties, no reselling of debts), so your relationship with your members stays protected.

Nothing extra to manage

No reminders to send, no failed instalments to chase. Alma payments appear in bsport like any other payment, with invoices, payment reports and refunds directly from the back office.

Stay compliant with CCD2

Because Alma is already compliant, you can keep offering pay-in-3 after 20 November 2026 with no regulatory burden.

Pay in 3, the simple way

With bsport and Alma, your members pay in 3 and you get paid upfront with zero collection risk, while staying compliant with CCD2. Book a demo to see it in action.