Glossary
Deposit
What a booking deposit is, who sets its terms, and how one is taken online.
Updated
Deposit: A deposit is a payment a client makes when booking, before the service takes place, to hold the time. The business sets the terms: how much, whether it counts toward the final bill, and what happens to it after a late cancellation or a missed appointment. Its purpose is to make a booking a commitment, which matters most where an empty slot is costly. Online, the client reads the terms on the booking screen and pays by card, and the receipt repeats those terms.
Where it shows up
Deposits show up wherever a missed appointment is expensive: med spa consultations, long salon appointments, catering dates and event bookings. Booking products offer them with a fixed set of options.
When a deposit has to follow rules those options do not cover, it is built into the business's own booking flow, which means card payments and so app work. A project deposit is a different thing: the first payment that starts a piece of work, such as a build.
Start with a written plan
Tell us about the business and what you need. We reply with questions, then a written plan that lists the work and its price, and nothing starts until you have read it.