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Some organizations pay CaterCow by invoice (net terms) instead of by credit card. Our team turns it on, and then you choose it at checkout and we bill your organization afterward.
Getting set up for invoicing
We turn invoicing on for each organization separately. To check whether yours has it, open your organization’s settings page and look under Invoicing. It says whether invoicing is currently enabled. To turn it on or off, email us at support@catercow.com.
Even once your organization is invoice-eligible, you need the Admin or Orderer role to pay by invoice and to see the Billing page. Staff members don’t get the invoice option at checkout. See What permissions and roles can I give teammates?
Pay for an order by invoice
1. Go to the Payment section on the checkout page. Because your organization is set up for invoicing, you have two choices: Invoice Me For This Order and Credit Card. New orders start with Invoice Me For This Order selected, so you don’t need to change anything to pay by invoice.
2. To pay by card instead, choose Credit Card, then pick a saved card or click Add A New Payment Card. To invoice the order, choose Invoice Me For This Order.
3. When everything looks right, click Place Order. Your order is placed and no card is charged. The order’s Payment section says Paid by Invoice, and you’ll be invoiced for it soon.
4. To see your organization’s invoices, click Billing in the menu on the left, then click Invoices.
5. Each invoice we’ve sent your organization is listed with its code, the date it was sent, the order dates it covers, the amount, who placed the orders, and whether it’s paid (All Set) or still Outstanding. To open an invoice as a PDF, click View.
PO numbers
Some organizations require a purchase order (PO) or requisition number on every invoiced order. If yours does, a PO / Requisition Number box appears under Invoice Me For This Order at checkout. Your organization’s POs may also come with rules:
- Some organizations also require you to attach a screenshot or file of the requisition/PO along with the number.
- POs can carry a spending limit — if an order would push the PO’s total spend over its limit, checkout will flag it.
- POs can also expire — an expired PO can’t be used on a new order.
If your organization requires PO numbers and you’re not sure what to enter, check with whoever manages purchasing for your team. For the full rundown on spending limits, expiration, and attachments, see How do purchase order (PO) numbers work on CaterCow?
Cost centers
Your organization may ask you to enter a cost center on invoiced orders, so each charge is tracked against the right budget or department. If it does, a box for it appears in the Payment section on the checkout page. Your organization can give that box its own name, like Department or Event, and the label ends with (required) or (optional). A few organizations ask for one on credit card orders too.
If you’re not sure what to enter, check with whoever manages your team’s budget.
Where to find your invoices
Your organization’s Billing page has two views. Credit Card Payments lists card charges, and Invoices lists the invoices we’ve sent you — paid and outstanding. An order you just placed shows up here once we send its invoice. If we haven’t sent your organization an invoice yet, you won’t see the Invoices button.
If an invoice was paid by card, its row also has a Credit Card Receipt link next to View.
How invoices get paid
There’s no “pay now” button in CaterCow for invoices today. Depending on how your organization is set up, an invoice is either:
- paid the traditional way — by check or ACH sent to CaterCow, or
- automatically charged to your organization’s card on file, if your organization uses automatic card billing for invoices.
If you’re not sure which applies to your organization, or you think an invoice is overdue, email us at support@catercow.com.
What if I can’t choose invoice at checkout?
- You only see credit card options. Your organization isn’t set up for invoicing, or you don’t have the proper permissions. Check the Invoicing section of your organization’s settings page, or ask an Admin about your role.
- Your organization has overdue invoices. Checkout won’t place a new invoiced order until they’re paid. Email us at support@catercow.com and we’ll help you sort out what’s outstanding.
- Checkout won’t accept your PO number. The PO may have expired or run out of funds, or your organization may need a copy of the PO attached. Enter a different PO number, or check with your purchasing team.