The cashflow problem in chiptuning
Work 30 rows in July for €7,500. Invoiced 30 invoices, receive payments between August and September, some in 60 days. In August you are short of cash to pay the accountant, the slave provider, the rent. Classic.
The solution: prepaid credits
Simple operation:
- The customer purchases a credit package (e.g. 500 credits for €500)
- You receive €500 today
- The customer "spends" the credits as they go: Stage 1 file = 100 credits, DPF off = 200 credits
- When the credits run out, the customer buys a new package
Because it works psychologically
The customer would rather buy 500 credits than pay 5 €100 invoices. Reasons:
- Feeling of discount/promotion (even if it isn't really there)
- Less friction: just one transaction instead of 5
- "Lock-in": he has already spent the money, he must use it from you (does not go to competitors)
- Automatic loyalty
The real numbers
A chiptuning workshop with 60 active customers without prepaid credits:
- Average turnover: €15,000/month
- Average collection time: 30-45 days
- Expired/unpaid credits: 8-12% of turnover
Same workshop with prepaid credit system:
- Average turnover: €15,000/month (equal)
- Average collection time: 0 days (advance)
- Expired/unpaid credits: almost zero (customer has already paid)
- Cashflow available at the register: +40% compared to the pay-per-file model
How to structure packages
Working example:
- 50 credits = €100 (€1/credit) — occasional customer
- 250 credits = €450 (10% discount) — regular customer
- 500 credits = €850 (15% discount) — VIP customer
- 1000 credits = €1,600 (20% discount) — power user
The volume discount encourages large packages, which give you greater cash flow.
Price list for services (example)
- Stage 1 car: 200 credits
- Stage 2 car: 400 credits
- DPF off: 200 credits
- EGR off: 150 credits
- Stage 3: 1,000+ credits
- Commercial vehicles: 500-1,500 credits
Credits make prices "more digestible": 200 credits sounds less than €200.
The 4 most common errors
- Credits that expire too soon: minimum 12 months, ideally 24.
- No refunds: a "no refunds ever" policy turns customers away. Better: partial refund (60-70%) within 90 days.
- Do not track the balance well: the customer must ALWAYS see how many credits he has. Otherwise he won't trust you.
- Bank transfer only: card/PayPal/Stripe required for instant credit purchase.
Technical setup
Integrated credit system is a must of the modern chiptuning portal. Look for these features:
- Customizable packages
- Balance visible to the customer in real time
- Automatic "low credit" notifications
- Payment integration (Stripe, PayPal)
- Exportable transaction history
Start immediately
TuningFile includes the prepaid credit system as standard on all plans. Setup in 5 minutes, first credits sold the same day.
