How to handle a deposit for online bookings

The tool doesn’t collect deposits, but a pending booking holds the time until you have your payment.

Payments and confirmed bookings

4appointments doesn’t collect a deposit at booking: online payment isn’t available in the current plans. If you want a deposit, you can still ask for one yourself, because every request stays pending until you confirm it.

A client sends a request on your booking page. No payment is asked for, and the request is saved as pending. The requested time is held, so nobody else can book it while you wait.

You contact the client by phone or text and say how much the deposit is and how to pay it, for example by a transfer to your account or another way you already use. Put the conditions in that message: the amount, the deadline and what happens if the client cancels.

When the payment has reached you, open the bookings list in the panel and confirm the booking. The tool doesn’t record the deposit, so keep your own note of what was paid. Confirming sends nothing to the client, so let them know.

Mind the deadline: a pending request that isn’t confirmed or rejected is cancelled automatically about an hour after the end of the requested time, so decide before then. If the client cancels with the management link, the time is freed, and what happens to the deposit is between you and the client, as per the conditions you stated. The tool has no refund function for this arrangement.

What to remember

  • ✓Deposits aren’t collected online by 4appointments
  • ✓A pending booking holds the time while you wait for payment
  • ✓State the amount, the deadline and the cancellation terms in your message

Common questions

Can I charge a different deposit for each service?+

Not in the tool. You can decide your own deposit per service and tell each client when you contact them.

Is it possible to exempt returning clients from the deposit?+

Yes, because you decide case by case: simply confirm their request without asking for a payment. The system makes no distinction between clients.

More guides to read

Want to protect your calendar from empty slots?

Hold each request as pending, agree the deposit with the client and confirm once it has arrived. Try 4appointments free for 12 months, no card, with plans from €1 a month.

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