Why Puddle Ducks chose Ryft to manage payments across their franchise network
Puddle Ducks is one of the UK's largest children's swim school franchise networks, with a large franchise network and over 26,000 swimmers on active payment plans.
Puddle Ducks had processed payments through legacy providers for nearly a decade. The platform changed over the years, but the underlying problem never went away: the standard gateway model was not built for how a franchise network actually moves money.
payment flows, without relying on head office as an intermediary. Off-the-shelf processors are built for single-entity transactions; they do not naturally separate funds across dozens of legally distinct franchise businesses operating under a shared brand.
Recurring payments added a second layer of risk. With over 26,000 swimmers on active plans, any migration required every customer to re-register their payment method. That step carried real commercial exposure. If timed badly, it would coincide with the natural churn points in the business: end of term, Christmas, the moments when families already consider cancelling swim lessons.
This was a significant undertaking. We needed the right support, the right team, and genuine confidence in our payment partner to pull it off. Getting it wrong would have impacted our business, our customers, and the trust we had built with them.
Puddle Ducks found Ryft through a recommendation from Worldpay's franchising team, a contact built over several years. The sub-account model was what made Ryft the right fit.
Ryft's structure allowed Puddle Ducks to run a central account at HQ whilst giving each franchise its own separate account, its own payment flow, and control over customer prepayments held in escrow. Franchisees could see funds arriving directly, without passing through head office. The escrow capability gave them the option to hold customer prepayments for a defined period, a feature no previous provider had offered.
The unique bit that worked for us with Ryft was the sub-account setup. It was very important for us that franchisees could see a flow of funds that didn't come via us. The escrow account, it allows them to hold customer prepayments for a defined period of time. That was the unique element.
Puddle Ducks went live on Ryft in February 2026. The migration window was timed deliberately to avoid the periods when families typically cancel, keeping churn risk as low as possible.
The first weeks brought the usual integration activity, with items picked up quickly and worked through jointly. The process throughout reflected how the partnership was set up to operate: the right people available, clear communication, and a shared focus on getting things right for the long term.
The difference from the legacy experience was clear. Rather than being passed between account managers or waiting on a support queue, Puddle Ducks had dedicated support at Ryft throughout the project and the same direct access once live.
There were things that came up that we needed, and the attitude from Ryft was always: we'll make that happen. That can-do approach, rather than being told no by a legacy system, was a big part of why this worked.
Key Benefits
Sub-account structure for franchisees: Each of Puddle Ducks' franchises operates its own Ryft account, with direct payment flows and clear financial separation from HQ.
Escrow for customer prepayments: Franchisees can hold customer prepayments for a defined period within a regulated structure, a capability not available through the previous provider.
Recurring payment infrastructure at scale: Ryft's recurring payment processing supports over 26,000 active swimmer plans across the full franchise network.
Responsive technical implementation: When new requirements emerged during the integration, Ryft moved quickly to deliver them.
Direct, named support: Throughout implementation and since going live, Puddle Ducks has had consistent access to named contacts at Ryft rather than an anonymous support function.
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