THE PRICE IS WHY THEY BOOK smaller.
A client wants the full sleeve, sees the number, and asks for a half instead. Pay Over Time lets them split the cost into a few payments with Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay, while you get paid in full, up front. The provider fronts the money and carries the risk. You just switch it on and let the bigger piece get booked.
The art was never the problem. The number was.
Most of the pieces that get downsized or "thought about" never had a problem with the art. The client wanted it. They just did the math on one big payment and flinched. So they book the smaller version, or they say they'll come back, and a chunk of the work walks out the door with them.
Pay Over Time takes the one big number off the table at the exact moment they're deciding. On the payment page the client can split it into a few installments with Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay, the same way they'd finance anything else they care about. You are not running a layaway book or waiting on payments. The provider fronts the full amount and you get paid up front, like any card sale.
What Pay Over Time does for you.
Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay
The three pay-over-time options your clients already know. They pick one on the secure payment page and the provider approves them in seconds. No new account for you to manage.
You get paid in full, up front
A client splitting the cost into installments makes no difference to you. The provider fronts the full amount and it lands like any other card payment. You are not waiting on anything.
The risk is the provider's, not yours
This is not a loan from your studio. The provider approves the client, carries the balance, and collects the installments. You never chase a payment.
Shows up on its own once it is on
Switch the methods on once and they appear on your online payment page and deposit links automatically. Nothing extra to do at checkout, and nothing the client has to be talked into.
Online checkout and deposit links
Pay Over Time runs on the secure online payment page Stripe hosts, including the deposit links you text clients. In-person card reader payments stay card, wallet, or cash.
On your terms
It is off until you decide to offer it. You turn the methods on in your own Stripe settings, reached straight from Settings > Payments. Turn them off any time.
"Financing sounds like something I'd have to manage."
You don't. You are not the lender, and there's no payment book to keep. You switch Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay on in your Stripe settings, the provider approves the client and fronts the money, and the full amount lands in your account like a normal card payment. The client repays the provider over time. Your studio is never in the middle of it.
And it's off until you decide to offer it. Turn it on when you want it, leave it off when you don't, all from Settings > Payments. The 30-day trial is the easy way to see the whole checkout in action first. If you want a hand setting up payments, the onboarding call is with Paul, the founder, who'll walk through your actual setup with you.
What Pay Over Time does not do.
It is not a loan from your studio. You never carry a balance or chase a payment. The provider approves the client, fronts the money, and collects the installments.
It is not on by default. You choose to offer it by switching the methods on in your Stripe dashboard from checkout settings. Until you do, nothing about your checkout changes.
It is not for the in-person card reader. Pay Over Time runs on the online payment page and on deposit links. Card-present payments stay card, wallet, or cash.
It is not available everywhere. Affirm is United States and Canada only; Klarna and Afterpay cover more countries. The Pay Over Time panel only shows the options your studio can actually offer.
Quick answers.
How do my clients pay over time?
On the secure online payment page, the client chooses Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay instead of paying the full amount at once. They apply with the provider, get approved in seconds, and pay the balance off in installments directly with that provider.
Do I get paid up front or in installments?
In full, up front. The pay-over-time provider fronts the entire amount, so the payment lands in your account like a normal card sale. The client repays the provider over time, not you.
Is this a loan from my studio?
No. You are not the lender and you carry no balance. The provider approves the client, takes on the credit risk, and handles repayment. Your studio just gets paid.
How do I turn it on?
Open Settings > Payments in the web app and find the Pay Over Time section. From there you switch Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay on in your own Stripe dashboard. Once a method is enabled it starts appearing at checkout. The Pay Over Time help article walks through it step by step.
What does it cost me?
Pay-over-time methods carry their own Stripe processing rate, which is higher than a standard card rate. You can see the current rate for each method in Stripe. Tattoo Studio Pro adds no markup on top of what Stripe charges.
Which providers and countries are supported?
Affirm is available to studios in the United States and Canada. Klarna and Afterpay cover a broader set of countries. The Pay Over Time panel in Settings only shows the options your studio is eligible to offer, so you will not see a method you cannot use.
Where does it show up for the client?
On the online payment page and on the deposit links you send. It does not apply to in-person card reader payments or cash, since the providers only work through the hosted online page.
Will every client qualify?
Approval is the provider's decision, made in seconds when the client applies. Very small sales may not qualify, since each provider sets its own minimum amount. For the big pieces this is built for, it is rarely the sticking point.