Doesn’t remember credit cards
Every time we top up our daughter’s lunchtime money, we have to re-enter the credit card. Other apps remember the credit card or are well integrated with Apple Pay. This one doesn’t. Surely that must be possible.
Awful app
Cannot even sign up as it says the details are incorrect however they are the details the school has!!!!!
Awful system
In 2025 there are way better systems than this one, most of my child’s class has been unable to get into this app. A basic CRM system causing this much issues cannot be worth it!
Update the app
I see people are leaning similar reviews, why aren’t you listening. Spending cap on dinner money is needed, and why can’t you save card details or accept Apple Pay
Non functional
App opens and closes doesn’t boot up. I’m on an iPhone 15 this really shouldn’t be an issue. My child’s lunch money has to be paid through this app or he can’t have his lunch. Tried app support and it says it no longer exists. That’s appalling.
Outdated card payment
Why can’t this app use Apple Pay. Or remember card details, or even use the camera to read card details.
Paying is a pain
Please add the ability to use Apple Pay or at least remember payment details. It’s a pain having to type it in every time.
Card details
This app needs a way to save cars details to make adding money easier!
How secure really is this site
Given most apps and logins today have to have a login of 15 characters or 2FA or require you to change a password/pin once you have been sent one for the first time, which this has none of these… how secure is this site actually when it only uses a 4 digit pin. Seriously nervous about having to use this app when security seems non existent in how it has been developed
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Reminders stopped working
Reminders for payments stopped working, very bad if you were relying on them
Terrible
Had to use this app throughout my child’s high school as some communications and payments for activities through this app. Communication with the company if there is a problem is nonexistent. Mistakes made for dinner payments were rife and very difficult to rectify via school. Now he’s left due a refund of account and this is not happening. School says it’s the company but there doesn’t appear to be ANY method of contacting them. Awful app, designed to make money in my opinion.
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0 effort app
Stuck with this app cause my kids school uses it but if you’re picking a system for your school, don’t pick this one, your admin team will be constantly messaging parents reminding them to pay cause you have to manually select and pay for each individual after school club session, there’s no automated billing or patterns you can set, nor can you automate payment reminders. The UI is so confusing and this thing genuinely takes so much time out of my week, I hate hate hate it.
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Not great
Could be a lot better, biggest gripe is no autofill support for card payments and no way to store payment details
Just generally a very basic app, appreciate the school probably isn’t using all the features and seems to only be using it for paying for trips but just that alone is frustrating.
Just generally a very basic app, appreciate the school probably isn’t using all the features and seems to only be using it for paying for trips but just that alone is frustrating.
Fix bugs
Please fix the slow/ delayed typing issue on iPhone when you send a message to the school. It is very frustrating. The type function does not keep up with the speed at which you use the keys. Snail pace. This never used to happen until recently
Unable to access
I have had this app for the last 10 years or so. I have both my children added. The last two days I am unable to open it. It is saying waiting to link to schools. This is obviously concerning as I am unable to pay clubs , school dinners etc. can you let me know how to fix this please?
Worst
Genuinely the worst app I have ever had the misfortune to use.
Not sure if the app is poorly made or how the school has applied its services. But it’s just shockingly misjointed.
No clear work flow.
Able to add balance to account but not transfer full or parts of balance to a service.
Payment history only work for the person who made the payment
Very glitchy and not practicality in the workflow.
Not sure if the app is poorly made or how the school has applied its services. But it’s just shockingly misjointed.
No clear work flow.
Able to add balance to account but not transfer full or parts of balance to a service.
Payment history only work for the person who made the payment
Very glitchy and not practicality in the workflow.
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Basic and obvious flaws ignored
A good idea in principle? …yes.
Well executed? …not one bit.
Glitchy, buggy, slow to update payments, and absolutely zero help for any issues that arise other than a small linear FAQ section.
The makers have no idea at all what ‘user friendly’ means.
The final straw for me is that my younger child goes to a different school to her sister as they provide better care for her autism. That school has now decided to use gateway as well…. and guess what?!
There seems no way at all to add a second child, never mind a second school. If there is, you’ve done a great job of hiding it and are fighting hard not to share this info.
Really basic points that you thought would have come up during development for such an app.
So now it looks like I have to set up a second email address jto have two separate accounts, where I can only log in one at a time, to monitor the activities and payments for each child! 😡
I really don’t like being so Dawn and grumpy about anything.. but it’s causing me many more issues that it has ever solved.
How you keep conning schools into believing this app makes things easier and smoother is beyond me.
Easier for who?? It certainly isn’t the parents.
Well executed? …not one bit.
Glitchy, buggy, slow to update payments, and absolutely zero help for any issues that arise other than a small linear FAQ section.
The makers have no idea at all what ‘user friendly’ means.
The final straw for me is that my younger child goes to a different school to her sister as they provide better care for her autism. That school has now decided to use gateway as well…. and guess what?!
There seems no way at all to add a second child, never mind a second school. If there is, you’ve done a great job of hiding it and are fighting hard not to share this info.
Really basic points that you thought would have come up during development for such an app.
So now it looks like I have to set up a second email address jto have two separate accounts, where I can only log in one at a time, to monitor the activities and payments for each child! 😡
I really don’t like being so Dawn and grumpy about anything.. but it’s causing me many more issues that it has ever solved.
How you keep conning schools into believing this app makes things easier and smoother is beyond me.
Easier for who?? It certainly isn’t the parents.
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Response from developer
I'm sorry you're having problems with viewing both of your children on the app. Both schools will need exactly the same contact details for you to enable you to see both children. In order to look into the matter for you, please forward the email and mobile used to register for School Gateway, along with the name and postcode of the connected schools to parentsupport@schoolgateway.com. Thank you
Keep crashing
I dont see any new vesrion update aswell
Poor for payments
This is the app my son’s school uses for payments, such as lunch money, so I am forced to use it. I cannot understand why in this day and age an app cannot retain payment details so you don’t have to input them EVERY SINGLE TIME you need to make a payment (at least twice a week in my case). Why no Apple Pay integration either?
Useless.
Useless.
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Apple Pay
Please add Apple Pay as it’s so annoying having to find my purse every time I want to pay for something or top up lunch money
