Explain prepayment terms to booking customers

Online booking prepayment lets you require customers to pay by card before their appointment is confirmed. This guide explains where customers see the prepayment amount and refund rules, when they must accept your booking terms, and what appears after they book. Everything customers read is generated from your prepayment settings, so your settings decide the wording.

Set up prepayment for online bookings

Prepayment settings are available once online payments are connected, so set up Stripe in your salon settings first if you have not. The controls live in Settings, in the Booking & availability section, inside the Booking Settings panel.

1. Open Settings from the sidebar.

2. In the Booking & availability section, find Online booking prepayment.

3. Turn on Require prepayment for online bookings. Customers then pay by card before the appointment is confirmed.

4. Turn on New customers only if the prepayment requirement should apply only to new customers.

5. Enter Amount due now (%): the percentage of the price customers pay online, as a whole number from 0 to 100. Any remainder is paid at the salon. A value of 0 takes no payment and the booking is confirmed without prepayment.

6. Save your changes.

Let workers set their own prepayment rules

Workers can override the salon setting for their own bookings. The override replaces all three salon values, so a worker can require prepayment when the salon does not, or skip it when the salon does.

1. Open My preferences.

2. In the Online booking prepayment section, choose Use salon setting, Require prepayment, or Do not require prepayment.

3. When you require prepayment, set New customers only and Amount due now (%).

4. Save your changes.

How a service requirement changes the terms

A service can require full online prepayment on its own, even when your salon or worker settings would not require any payment. When every online-bookable service in your salon requires full prepayment, your terms say the full price is due at booking. When only some services require it, the terms say that some bookings must be prepaid.

What customers see on your booking terms page

Your public booking terms page at /terms/your-salon-slug shows a generated Prepayment section when prepayment may apply to a booking. It explains whether customers pay the full price or a percentage by card, whether the rule applies only to new customers, and that any remainder is paid at the salon. It also tells customers that the exact amount is shown before they pay and that their card is charged right away.

The same section lists your refund rules. Customers who cancel at least 24 hours before the appointment starts get their prepayment refunded. Customers who cancel later, or who do not show up, do not get a refund.

When customers must accept the terms

When prepayment may apply to a booking, the customer information step of online booking shows a mandatory checkbox with the text I agree to the booking terms. The link opens your public terms page so customers can review the prepayment section before paying. Customers cannot continue without checking the box; if they try, the error reads You must agree to the booking terms to continue.

After the customer accepts the terms, the booking flow can show Continue to payment instead of Confirm booking.

What customers see after booking

A booking with an active online prepayment shows a Payment section on its booking details page. It lists the amount already paid online, any remaining amount due at the salon, and the refund rules the customer accepted.

Confirmation and pending booking emails include a Prepayment section with the paid amount, any remaining amount due at the salon, and the accepted refund rules. The section is left out of emails for bookings without an active online payment.

Stripe payment descriptions read Booking prepayment followed by your salon name and the appointment date and time, so payments are easy to match to bookings in your Stripe account.

Adding your own terms text

The prepayment section is generated from your settings, so you cannot edit its wording. If you also want customers to agree to salon-specific text you write yourself, such as cancellation policies or health disclosures, see Add custom booking terms.