How to decide on an appointment deposit

What a deposit is

A deposit is money paid at booking that counts toward the price of that appointment. It is not a tip, and it should not be a surprise fee added on top of the price you advertised.

The rest of the price is still due. Say when that remainder is collected, usually at the visit, so the client is not asked twice for the same portion.

Why businesses ask for one

The open time is the thing you are protecting. A deposit gives a new client a reason to cancel with notice, and it covers some of the cost when they do not.

It is a poor fit when the visit is short, easy to refill, or so inexpensive that the card step causes more abandoned bookings than missed ones.

Services where a deposit may make sense

Long color appointments, a full nail set, a first facial that holds a room for an hour, or a massage that is hard to rebook the same day are common candidates. A bang trim or a polish change often is not.

You can require a deposit on one service and leave the next service as pay at the visit. The menu does not have to be all or nothing.

A fixed amount and a percentage are different promises

Some businesses pick a percentage of the service price. Others pick a fixed dollar amount, such as enough to cover the product or the first half hour. A percentage moves when the price or an add-on changes. A fixed amount is easier to say out loud.

Whichever you choose, publish the number the client will actually be charged. “A deposit may apply” is not an amount.

Apply it to the service, then collect the rest in person

If the service is $160 and the deposit is $40, the client has $120 left at the visit, plus any extra they add that day. Do not collect $40 and then charge $160 again.

Write that down in the policy. The card receipt and the checkout at the chair should tell the same story.

Cancellations, rescheduling, and refunds

Decide what happens to the deposit in three cases: they cancel with the notice you asked for, they cancel after that, and they do not come. Rescheduling can keep the deposit on the new time instead of refunding and charging again.

There is no universal rule for which of those you must offer. Pick a rule you will follow, including for a regular client, and put it in the policy before they pay.

Show the amount before they confirm

The deposit belongs on the service, in the booking summary, and in the confirmation. A client who meets the number for the first time on a card screen is right to feel surprised.

Use the same words in the policy and at the desk. If the page says the deposit is part of the price, the person checking them in should not call it a separate booking fee.

How OperMae collects a deposit

On each service you choose a payment option: no charge, pay the full price online, pay a deposit online, or pay at the visit. A deposit is a dollar amount in USD. It is not a percentage. It has to be greater than zero and it cannot be more than that service’s price.

The deposit is charged when the client books, through the Stripe account the business connects. The remainder is collected in person. OperMae does not add a platform fee on that payment. Stripe’s processing fees still apply, and OperMae does not hold the funds.

OperMae does not charge a separate late-cancellation or no-show fee by itself. If you refund a deposit for a cancellation that your policy allows, that refund is sent through Stripe when you have turned refunds on for eligible cancellations. The default is not an automatic refund.