How do you handle a deposit on 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, because online payment isn’t available in the current plans. If you want to ask for a deposit, you can still do it yourself, using the fact that every request stays pending until you confirm it.
A customer 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 no one else can book it while you wait.
You contact the customer by phone or message and say how much the deposit is and how to pay it, for example by a bank transfer or an e-wallet you already use. Put the conditions in that message: the amount, the deadline and what happens if the customer 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 customer, so let them know.
Set a deadline that fits the system: a pending request that isn’t confirmed or rejected is canceled automatically about an hour after the end of the requested time. If the customer cancels with the management link, the time is freed, and what happens to the deposit is between you and the customer, according to the conditions you stated. The tool has no refund function for this.
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 set a different deposit for each service?+
Not in the tool. You can decide your own deposit per service and tell each customer when you contact them.
Is it possible to waive the deposit for returning customers?+
Yes, because you decide case by case: simply confirm their request without asking for a payment. The system makes no distinction between customers.
More guides for you
Tired of empty slots?
Hold each request as pending, agree the deposit with the customer and confirm once it has arrived. Try 4appointments free for 12 months, no card, with plans from €1 per month.
Start with 4appointments