Payment at booking
When a patient books online you can ask for payment up front, which dramatically reduces no-shows.
Booking reservation fee, full or patient choice
For each treatment you decide how payment works:
- Booking reservation fee. The patient pays a set booking reservation fee to secure the slot, with the balance taken in clinic.
- Full payment. The patient pays the whole amount at the time of booking.
- Patient choice. The patient decides whether to pay a booking reservation fee or the full amount.
You can set a default booking reservation fee so most treatments behave consistently, then adjust individual treatments where it makes sense.
Some treatments should not ask for anything at all, a free consultation being the obvious one. See Free consultations: booking without a fee for how to set that up.
Why "booking reservation fee" and not "deposit"
We use the term booking reservation fee rather than "deposit" deliberately. It is not a refundable part-payment on account. It reserves the appointment, covers the pre-ordered patient-specific medicines and the admin prepared for that slot, and it always comes off the treatment price with the balance settled in clinic.
It is transferable: if a patient reschedules, the fee moves with the appointment automatically and there is nothing for you to do.
When it comes back
By default the fee is returned when a patient cancels with at least as much notice as your cancellation window (three days unless you have changed it). The reasoning is simple: the fee is easy to justify when the slot is genuinely lost, and harder when the patient gave you three weeks and we handed the time straight to your waitlist. You can change the notice period, or switch returning off entirely, under Settings → Clinic → Booking policy.
We do not move the money. Refunds are always issued by you, from your own Stripe dashboard. When a return is due we email you at the point of cancellation and list it on your Finance page, and it clears from that list by itself once you have refunded it.
The platform booking fee
When a patient pays online, a small platform booking fee may apply. It is a minor amount per paid booking and is shown transparently as part of the checkout.
Requires Stripe
Taking payment at booking needs Stripe connected. If Stripe is not connected, patients can still book, but they will pay in clinic rather than online. See the article on connecting Stripe to set this up.