Online Deposits

Online Deposits let your studio collect a deposit from a client before their appointment, with zero studio intervention. The client gets a text, taps a link, pays on a hosted page, and the appointment auto-confirms. New in v4.2.

If you have ever lost a Saturday slot to a no-show, this is the feature that gets you that time back. Studios use online deposits to lock in commitments from new clients, hold high-demand slots, and turn the booking process into a clean, hands-off experience.

You can configure and use Online Deposits from both the web and mobile apps. The settings UI lives in Settings > Payments on either platform. The deposit page that the client pays on is a hosted Stripe checkout (so it works in any browser regardless of which platform the studio uses to set it up).

Requirements

Online deposits run on top of your Stripe Connect account, so you need that piece in place first.

• Your Stripe Connect account status must be “Complete” in Settings > Payments
• The “Online Deposits” section only appears on the Payments page once Stripe onboarding is finished
• If you have not connected Stripe yet, see the Payments and Checkout guide for the full Stripe Connect setup walkthrough

Turning It On

1. Go to Settings > Payments
2. Scroll to the Online Deposits section
3. Toggle on “Collect deposits online”
4. Set your flat deposit amount in dollars (for example, $50). The same amount applies to every new appointment
5. Optionally toggle on “Require deposit to confirm” (see below)
6. Save your settings

That is all the configuration there is. Every new appointment from this point forward will get a unique, one-time deposit link automatically.

Require Deposit to Confirm

This is the toggle that decides how strict your deposit policy is.

When to turn it on: high-demand slots, weekend prime time, big custom pieces, brand new clients, anywhere a no-show would cost you real money.

When to leave it off: regular returning clients, low-risk midweek bookings, or if you just want to offer the deposit option as a convenience.

How the Client Experience Works

From the client’s side, paying a deposit takes about three taps. Here is the full sequence end to end:

1. You book an appointment in the calendar (or convert one from the inbox, or mark a request as booked)
2. The app generates a unique, one-time deposit link for that appointment
3. Your booking confirmation SMS goes out to the client. If your template includes the {DEPOSIT_LINK} variable, the link is pasted in automatically
4. The client taps the link and lands on a clean public deposit page with your studio name, the deposit amount, and a “Pay Deposit” button. No login, no account creation
5. “Pay Deposit” redirects to Stripe’s hosted checkout page to take payment
6. Once payment clears, the appointment flips from Awaiting Deposit (amber badge) to Confirmed (green badge) automatically
7. The deposit is recorded against the client’s profile under Total Deposits and shows up in your Deposits report

You don’t have to do anything in between. The whole flow is hands-off.

Adding the Deposit Link to Your Booking Confirmation SMS

The deposit link is delivered through the booking confirmation SMS, so you need to make sure that variable is in your template.

1. Go to Settings > Message Editor
2. Open the Booking Confirmation tab
3. Click in the message body where you want the link to appear
4. Click the Deposit Link variable button to insert {DEPOSIT_LINK} at your cursor position
5. Save

From now on, every new appointment will text the client a link along with the rest of your confirmation message. A typical template might read:

“Hi {CLIENT_FIRST_NAME}, your appointment with {STUDIO_NAME} is booked for {APPOINTMENT_TIME}. To confirm your spot, please pay your deposit here: {DEPOSIT_LINK}”

For full details on the message editor, including the live preview and SMS segment counter, see the Messages and Reminders guide.

Calendar Badges

Once online deposits are on, your calendar gives you a quick visual cue for which appointments still need a deposit and which ones are locked in.

• Awaiting Deposit (amber): The deposit is enabled, the link has been sent, and the client has not paid yet
• Confirmed (green): The deposit has been paid (or you have manually confirmed the appointment). The slot is locked in

You can see at a glance which upcoming appointments still need attention. If a client is sitting in “Awaiting Deposit” too close to the appointment time, that is your cue to follow up.

Tracking Deposits

Every paid deposit shows up in two places:

Client profile. The deposit amount is added to the client’s Total Deposits field. You can see this on their profile and use it during checkout.

Deposits report. The Reports section has a dedicated Deposits view that lists every advance payment you have collected, filterable by date range and exportable to CSV. Use it to reconcile against Stripe payouts or to track collection trends.

When the client comes in for their appointment, their existing deposit is applied automatically at checkout, reducing the balance due. You don’t need to track or reapply anything by hand.

Error States on the Public Deposit Page

If something goes wrong when a client opens the deposit link, the page shows them a friendly message with your studio contact info, not a dead end.

• Expired link. Old or stale links are rejected. The page tells the client the link is no longer valid and asks them to contact the studio
• Already paid. If the client clicks the link a second time after paying, the page confirms the deposit is already on file. No double charge
• Invalid link. Broken or tampered links show an error with your studio’s phone and email so the client can reach out

Because every error page shows your contact info, keep your studio phone and email current in Settings > Studio Profile. That info is what clients see when something does not go to plan.

Troubleshooting

“Online Deposits” section doesn’t appear in Settings > Payments

• Your Stripe Connect account status must be “Complete”. Finish onboarding first
• Wait a moment for the status badge to update, or refresh the page.
• If onboarding is not finished, click “Complete Stripe Setup” and follow Stripe’s prompts

Client didn’t get the deposit link in their text

• Make sure the Booking Confirmation SMS is enabled in Settings > Message Editor
• Confirm your template contains the {DEPOSIT_LINK} variable (exact spelling, curly braces, all caps)
• Check that the client has a phone number on file
• Verify you didn’t uncheck “Send SMS” on the booking modal for that specific appointment

Appointment didn’t auto-confirm after payment

• Refresh the calendar. Status updates arrive in near real time but can take a moment
• Check the Deposits report to confirm the payment landed
• If the payment shows in Stripe but the appointment is still “Awaiting Deposit”, contact support

Client says the link is broken

• Ask them to retry. Some mobile carriers truncate long SMS links the first time
• Check the appointment in the calendar to confirm it has a deposit link generated
• If the deposit was already paid, the page will say “already paid”, which is expected behavior

Deposit was paid but doesn’t show on the client profile

• Refresh the client profile page
• Check the Deposits report for the same date range to confirm the payment is recorded
• Verify you are looking at the right client (deposits are tied to the appointment, which is tied to the client)

Best Practices

1. Pick a deposit amount that hurts to lose. $25 won’t stop a no-show. $50 to $100 will. Set it high enough that the client thinks twice before flaking
2. Use “Require deposit to confirm” for high-stakes slots. Saturdays, holidays, big custom pieces, anything where a no-show would wreck your day
3. Leave it off for trusted returning clients. Make the deposit a convenience, not a barrier, for people who already have a track record with you
4. Lead with the deposit in your confirmation SMS. Put the link near the top of the message so it does not get buried under appointment details
5. Reconcile in the Deposits report weekly. Pull the report once a week and compare against your Stripe payouts to catch anything that slipped through
6. Keep your studio phone and email current. Error pages on the public deposit link surface your contact info. Clients reach out from those pages, so keep them up to date in Settings > Studio Profile

Related Docs

• Payments and Checkout: Stripe Connect setup, in-person checkout, and how deposits apply to a transaction
• Messages and Reminders: Booking confirmation SMS template and the {DEPOSIT_LINK} variable
• Appointments: Calendar status badges and the Awaiting Deposit / Confirmed flow
• Reports: The Deposits report and CSV export
• Clients: Total Deposits on the client profile