How to Request Payment Up-Front

Article Summary: How to request payment from clients before the appointment.

Benefits

• Collecting payment ahead of time minimizes the chance of non-payment for your hard work!
• Asking for payment prior to the appointment can make a big difference in terms of cash flow for your business. 
• It saves time on the day of your appointment, allowing you to focus completely on the client without having to worry about collecting payment. The possibility of not receiving expected funds is a common concern for service-based professionals. Securing money for your time is always a good choice!

Requirements

• You must be fully signed up for Payments on StyleSeat, and StyleSeat Payments must be enabled on your profile.
• For client-initiated prepayment, Allow Clients to Prepay must be enabled in your account settings.

How To Request Prepayment

1. Navigate to the client's appointment on your calendar

2. Tap Request Payment

3. Your client will receive a text message with a link that allows them to pay in advance from their mobile device. You can view prepaid transactions in the Payments tab of your profile alongside your standard transactions. 

4. After the appointment, the client will receive a text message to tip and leave a review of your services.

NOTE: Funds secured through prepayment will be paid out according to your regular deposit schedule. Need to reschedule a prepaid appointment? Simply go into your calendar, select the appointment, and edit the service date. The prepaid funds will follow to the new date and time!

Client-Initiated Prepayment

Clients also have the option to prepay from their end. After a client books an appointment, they can choose the option to prepay under the My Appointments tab.

If you prefer not to accept prepayments at this time, you can also disable this option.

Disable Client-Initiated Prepayments

1. Tap Menu

2. Tap Payments & Policies

3. Tap Checkout Settings

4. Scroll to the bottom of the window

5. Toggle the Allow Clients to Prepay switch to Off

Frequently Asked Questions | FAQ

My client wants to add more services to their appointment. How do I charge them again?

If your client has prepaid for their services, the appointment will be considered "completed" on StyleSeat. Once an appointment is marked completed, new services or charges cannot be added. Instead, you can manually create a new appointment on your calendar for the additional services, which can also be prepaid or charged on the day of the appointment.

How can my client leave a tip if they prepaid for their appointment?

Clients will be asked to leave a tip during the prepayment process after they click the link sent via text message and confirm their payment method. If a client declines to tip during prepayment, they can instead leave a tip in cash or with a different payment method.