Playto01
Project advance
Collect an agreed amount before strategy, discovery, production or kickoff begins.
Start the engagementFor agencies
From kickoff deposit to monthly retainer, keep every client payment tied to the work.
Run project advances, milestones and recurring retainers through Playto while giving clients a clearer checkout and keeping the commercial record connected after payment.
Project advancesMilestonesRetainersGlobal clientsPayment-backed trust
Client accountExample Brand Co.
Illustrative
Launch project$18,000 projectService Order SO-2081
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Strategy + kickoffProject advance
$4,5002
Creative productionMilestone
$7,5003
Launch implementationFinal milestone
$6,000Ongoing growth retainerAuthorized recurring service period
$6,000/moExample only. Project billing, recurring authorization, review conditions and supplier payout treatment follow the accepted transaction and account terms.
Project + retainerRun more than one billing model for the same clientStructure project stages and ongoing account work separately instead of forcing everything into one invoice pattern.
Client confidenceMake the payment feel like part of the engagementConnect the Service Order, agency identity and buyer-facing trust context to the checkout.
Transaction historyKeep payment, delivery and payout connectedGive finance and support a cleaner transaction record after the client pays.
Agency billing models
One client can have several ways of paying you.
Agencies often mix project work and ongoing services. Playto can support the common payment structures where they are enabled for the account and described in the accepted Service Order.
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Milestone payments
Split a larger engagement into separately funded stages with their own deliverable, amount and review period.
Creative + implementation stages03
Recurring retainer
Define the recurring amount, frequency, service period and cancellation terms before the client authorizes ongoing payment.
Monthly account work04
One-time campaign or project
Use a single amount for a contained engagement with straightforward delivery and acceptance terms.
Simple fixed-fee workNorthstar AgencyIllustrative Buyer view
Creative production milestone
$7,500 USD
What this payment coversCampaign concepts, production and approved asset package
Playto Trust Score
842
BusinessVerified
ReviewsPayment-backed
HistoryFresh signals
A stronger client payment experience
Your client should know what the payment is for before they click Pay.
Your client workflow can stay in the tools you already use. Playto's focus is narrower: make the actual payment transaction carry the Service context and verified trust information that matters at payment time.
1Connect the payment to the relevant Service Order and project stage.
2Show the verified identity of the approved agency performing the Service.
3Show buyer-facing Trust Score and payment-backed review context where available.
4Keep a direct Playto transaction-support route attached after payment.
Client account view
See the project payment and the retainer as different commercial obligations.
A client can owe a project milestone while also having an authorized monthly retainer. Those should not be blurred together.
The cleaner the payment history, the easier it is for finance, account management and the client to understand what has been paid and what comes next.
Example Brand Co. · PaymentsIllustrative
ItemAmountStatusType
Strategy + kickoff$4,500PaidProject
Creative production$7,500DueMilestone
Launch implementation$6,000UpcomingMilestone
Growth retainer$6,000/moAuthorizedRecurring
Agency change control
Scope changes should not turn into payment ambiguity.
The most common agency billing problems happen when the commercial agreement changes but the payment record does not.
Update the accepted transaction when the commercial deal materially changes.
Do not rely on an informal message alone when the deliverables, amount or payment schedule changes materially.
Keep add-on work separate from the recurring mandate.
A monthly retainer does not automatically authorize unrelated extra project charges.
Let each funded stage have its own delivery context.
Separately funded stages can have distinct deliverables, review periods and payout status.
Start with the actual transaction history.
Billing, delivery and refund questions are easier to review when scope and payment records are connected.
Agency transaction layer
Service OrderScope, deliverables, amount, project stages and retainer terms
Buyer acceptanceAccepted order and applicable client transaction terms
PaymentAmount, currency, method, status and transaction reference
Delivery contextRelevant milestone, asset, revision or acceptance evidence
SupportIssue, refund or dispute events linked to the same transaction
PayoutSupplier amount, eligibility, adjustments, destination and payout status
ReviewEligible payment-backed feedback tied to the genuine transaction
Not another agency CRM
Keep your project tools. Strengthen the transaction layer.
Lead management, scheduling, project collaboration and client portals can stay in your existing stack. Generic billing and financial infrastructure can stay separate too.
Playto should stay focused on the transaction itself: what the client bought, how they paid, what was delivered, how issues were handled and how the agency was paid.
Product boundary: Playto does not need to replace your CRM, project-management tool, file-review workflow or client communication stack to make the payment transaction substantially better.
Who does what
Keep the agency transaction simple for the client.
The client purchases the Service from Playto.
The client reviews the Service Order, pays through the approved transaction flow and uses the applicable Playto support route if something needs attention.
Playto is the Merchant of Record and authorized reseller.
Playto administers the Buyer-side commercial and payment relationship under the applicable Buyer Terms and separately compensates the approved agency.
The approved Service Partner performs the work.
The agency delivers the agreed professional Service for Playto under its separate Service Partner arrangement and receives eligible supplier payout.
Agency service fees are different from client pass-through money. Payment for the agency's own approved professional Service can fit this workflow. Collecting or holding client advertising budgets, media spend or other third-party pass-through funds can be a different product and compliance use case and should not be assumed to be supported unless Playto specifically approves it.
International clients
Make a global client payment feel like a normal agency transaction.
For international agency collections, Playto's angle is to keep the Buyer payment tied to the specific Service Order and client transaction rather than treating it as an isolated transfer.
Give the client an available way to pay.
Supported cards, wallets, bank and wire transfers, and local methods can be surfaced where they are enabled for the transaction.
Make the amount and currency explicit before payment.
The accepted transaction should clearly identify the Buyer-facing amount and currency.
Track agency settlement separately from client checkout.
The client payment and the agency payout are separate events, each with its own status and applicable route.
Built for different agency models
The work changes. The transaction principles stay the same.
Marketing and growth agencies
Retainers, campaign projects, creative production and client account work.
Brand, design and content agencies
Project advances, staged creative delivery, revisions and final handoff.
Web and development agencies
Discovery, implementation milestones, launch stages and ongoing maintenance.
Video and production studios
Pre-production deposits, production stages, post-production and final delivery.
Common questions
The agency payment questions that come up first.
Can an agency collect a project deposit?
A Service Order can include an advance or deposit where the approved account setup supports it. The transaction should state what the advance covers and the applicable release conditions.
Can we bill by milestone?
Yes. Separately priced and funded stages can be described in the Service Order and tracked against their own delivery event and review period.
Can we run monthly retainers?
Recurring payments can support ongoing services where the account and payment method are enabled and the Buyer authorizes the recurring amount, frequency and cancellation terms.
Can we charge extra project work to the retainer automatically?
Not merely because a recurring authorization exists. Additional services should follow the agreed scope and applicable authorization instead of being silently added to the retainer.
Can we collect client advertising spend through the same flow?
Do not assume so. Advertising budgets, media spend and other pass-through client funds can be materially different from payment for the agency's own professional Service and may require separate review and approval.
Who does the client actually pay?
Under the current Buyer Terms, the Buyer purchases the applicable professional Service from Playto as Merchant of Record and authorized reseller.
Have an agency client engagement you want to run through Playto?
Start with the Service, client, amount, project stages, recurring component and delivery structure. We can map the engagement into the Playto transaction flow and confirm the account setup that applies.