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Help students with payment-required or locked access

Overview​

If a student reports Payment required or Access locked, the fastest path is usually to confirm (1) they’re in the right course and account, and (2) payment has completed (if your course requires it).

Students who launch from Canvas may already be linked to the course but still blocked until they pay or until you add a membership slot. Do not describe these states as a failed enrollment—their account is connected; access is waiting on payment or capacity.

Payment success and Payment History (receipt-style)​

After checkout, students should see receipt-style confirmation: amount paid, what was purchased (for example a course membership slot), and a clear path back to the course. Payment History (when available in the product) should show the same detail for past course payments and slot purchases.

If checkout fails or the success screen looks incomplete, ask the student to:

  1. Note the approximate checkout time and any confirmation or receipt ID.
  2. Retry checkout from the course (or payment) entry point.
  3. Confirm they are signed into the same TeachFront account they used to pay.
  4. Contact support with course name, account email, and what they were trying to purchase if the issue continues.

Before you start​

  • Confirm the student is enrolled in the correct course and section.
  • Ask which email/account they used to sign in to TeachFront.

When a student sees “Payment required”​

This usually means the student’s Canvas or TeachFront account is linked to the course, but payment is still needed to proceed. It is not the same as a failed course link.

Ask the student to:

  1. Use the in-course button/link to Pay, Checkout, or Complete payment (wording may vary).
  2. Finish checkout until they see a completion or confirmation screen.
  3. Return to the course and refresh the page (or reopen the course from their TeachFront course list).

If they say they already paid, ask for:

  • the time they completed checkout
  • the email/account they used
  • any receipt ID or confirmation message

When a student sees “Access locked” or has no available slot​

If your course uses membership slots, a student may be linked to the course but blocked because no slot is available. Docs describe this as linked but needs a slot — not as enrollment failed.

Ask the student to try:

  1. Refreshing the page.
  2. Signing out and signing back in.
  3. Opening the course from their TeachFront course list (instead of a saved link).

If the issue persists, collect the details below and contact support.

If the course should be free​

If a student sees Payment required but your course should not require payment, collect the escalation details below and contact support. Include whether the student is using the correct course and section (students are sometimes enrolled in more than one).

Troubleshooting (instructor)​

Student launched from Canvas and reports Payment required​

The student is usually linked, payment needed to proceed — not unenrolled. Ask them to:

  1. Open the course from their TeachFront Current Courses list (not only from Canvas).
  2. Finish Pay, Checkout, or Complete payment inside TeachFront.
  3. Refresh or reopen the course after a success or receipt-style confirmation.

If they used embedded checkout inside Canvas, have them return to TeachFront in the same browser and open the course from the dashboard.

Student sees a locked course card on the dashboard​

Locked cards block entry to the course shell until payment or a slot is resolved. Confirm:

  • the student is in the correct course and section
  • Course Access Types in Billing settings matches what you expect (free vs course payments)
  • the student is signed in with the email they used to join

If payment should already be complete, ask for checkout time, receipt ID, and whether Payment History shows the purchase on their account.

Student paid but still cannot access assignments​

Collect:

  • checkout completion time and any confirmation or receipt ID
  • whether they see the purchase in Payment History
  • whether they used multiple browsers or accounts

Ask them to refresh, sign out/in, and reopen the course from Current Courses. Deep links to assignments or calendar may redirect to the dashboard while access is locked — that is expected until payment clears.

If access does not update, escalate with the checklist below.

No membership slots available​

When the course uses membership slots, a student can be linked but needs a slot. Purchase additional slots via Proceed to Checkout on Billing settings if your course uses course payments, then have the student retry access.

Do not describe this state as failed enrollment — the account is connected; capacity or payment is pending.

Checkout fails or never returns to TeachFront​

Ask the student to:

  • allow pop-ups for TeachFront and retry checkout
  • avoid closing the payment window before a success or clear error screen
  • try another browser if the payment page does not load

Note any error text or screenshots. Retry once from the course entry point before escalating.

Course should be free but student sees Payment required​

Verify Course Access Types and section enrollment. Students enrolled in the wrong section or a paid sibling course often report payment prompts incorrectly.

If settings are correct and the prompt persists, escalate with the checklist below.

Escalation checklist (what to include)​

When contacting support, include:

  • course name
  • student’s TeachFront account email
  • what page or assignment they were trying to access
  • the exact message shown (Payment required / Access locked / no slots available)
  • when the issue started
  • whether the student launched from Canvas or TeachFront directly
  • if payment is involved: the checkout time and any receipt/confirmation info
  • for slot issues: current pool/slot counts from Billing settings and whether you recently purchased slots