Set up upfront payments
In this guide, you’ll learn how to secure bookings and reduce no-shows with upfront payments.
When you set up an upfront payment policy in Fresha, it becomes the default for clients to confirm their appointment with you. This gives you flexibility to decide when upfront payments are required and how they’re applied.
You can apply custom rules for specific services, client groups, or appointment value.
Set up upfront deposits
- From the main menu on the left of your screen, go to Settings.
- Click on the Payments category to manage your upfront payment policy.
- Next to Policy on all bookings, select the Edit button.
- In the Payment policy view, select Require a deposit upfront.
- Under Deposit amount, choose to collect a percentage or fixed amount of the total appointment value, then enter the amount.
- To protect against no-shows, tick the checkbox next to Apply no-show fee, then enter the percentage of the total appointment value you want to charge the client. This allows you to keep the money if the client doesn't show.
- Under Limits and overrides, tick the checkboxes to set the limits of your policy:
- Apply the policy to selected services: Click Edit to apply a custom deposit or no-show fee to specific services, then select Apply to save your changes. You can also manage this from the settings of an individual service.
- Apply the policy to specific client groups, such as new clients or those with previous no-shows or cancellations. To control whether an individual client is required to pay a deposit, update their profile settings.
- Apply the policy to appointments over a set value by entering the minimum amount.
- Apply the policy to selected services: Click Edit to apply a custom deposit or no-show fee to specific services, then select Apply to save your changes. You can also manage this from the settings of an individual service.
- Click on the Save button in the top right to update your payment policy.
Once deposits are enabled, clients will need to pay a deposit to confirm their booking, securely saving their card to their wallet. At checkout, they can easily pay the remaining balance using their saved card.
Set up Capture card details
- From the main menu on the left of your screen, go to Settings.
- Next to Policy on all bookings, select the Edit button.
- In the Payment policy view, select Capture card details.
- Under Charge when cancelling less than, set the timeframe clients can cancel without being charged a cancellation fee.
- To protect against late cancellations, tick the check box next to Apply late cancellation fee. Choose to collect a percentage or fixed amount of the total appointment value, then enter the amount.
- To protect against no-shows, tick the checkbox next to Apply no-show fee, then enter the percentage of the total appointment value you want to charge the client, if they don't show.
- Under Limits and overrides, tick the checkboxes to set the limits of your policy:
- Apply the policy to selected services: Click Edit to apply a custom cancellation or no-show fee to specific services, then select Apply to save your changes. You can also manage this from the settings of an individual service.
- Apply the policy to specific client groups, such as new clients or those with previous no-shows or cancellations. To control whether an individual client is required to confirm their appointment with a card update their profile settings.
- Apply the policy to appointments over a set value by entering the minimum amount.
- Click on the Save button in the top right to update your payment policy.
Once card capture is enabled, clients will need to add their card details to confirm their booking, securely saving their card to their wallet. At checkout, they can easily pay their balance using their saved card.
FAQs
Standard payment add-on fees apply when you process upfront payments. You can see the full fee structure on our pricing page.
The Marketplace New Client Fee is calculated on the full appointment value, regardless of how the client pays. This means the fee is the same whether the client pays in full upfront, pays a deposit, or settles the balance at checkout.
Clients may be asked to complete two-step verification (3D Secure) when booking online, as some banks require this extra step to keep payments secure. Clients may need to approve the payment in their banking app, by text message, or by phone call. Once verification is completed, the booking is confirmed.
For existing appointments booked before the policy was updated, the upfront payment policy does not apply automatically. You can manually add an upfront payment to these bookings.
If a client’s card is declined when using Capture card details to charge a no-show fee or cancellation fee, the payment cannot be processed until sufficient funds are available. You can try charging the card again later, or set up deposits to collect a payment upfront and reduce the risk of declined payments.
Standard Fresha payment fees apply when you confirm an appointment by capturing card details. A fixed‑rate fee is charged for each appointment confirmed with a card, even if the appointment is not completed. If the appointment is checked out using Fresha payments, the percentage‑based fee also applies. You can view all fees on our pricing page.
Clients can pay an upfront deposit using iDeal, with the payment taken securely at the time of booking. As iDeal card details are not stored, the card cannot be charged again for no-show or cancellation fees. Deposits can also be paid with supported cards such as Visa or Mastercard, which can be stored and later used to collect these fees.