Booxi gives you three ways to collect payment or credit card details when clients book online:
At Online Booking
Capture Card Info
By Email
The one to choose depends on your business goals, your workflow, and the level of flexibility you want to offer clients.
*Note: no refunds are processed in Booxi; if you are using Square or Stripe to capture payments, the refund must be processed from your account dashboard or from the appropriate terminal.
Overview, Use cases
At Online Booking
Clients are required to pay upfront when booking (full or partial amount).
When this option is most relevant:
You want to reduce the amount of no-shows and cancellations.
Appointments constitute your main source of revenue (i.e. missed slots mean lost revenue).
You have upfront costs (staff prep, materials, rented facilities, etc.) which cannot be recuperated in case of cancellation or no-show.
You offer virtual or remote services.
Benefits
Highest deterrent against no-shows.
Immediate revenue and cash flow.
Minimal admin effort since payment is automatic.
Drawbacks
May discourage some clients who don’t want to pay upfront.
Requires you to handle refunds when cancellations happen within the allowed timeframe.
Use cases + settings
You want to charge your clients a booking fee, since the appointment requires upfront costs which cannot be recuperated in the case of no-show. Example setup:
Set required payment to {x} value (Service details > Price > Required payment)
Option 1: non-refundable in all cases
Custom Booking Policy Text/Custom Payment Policy Text: “A booking fee of $15.00 is required to secure your spot. This fee is not deducted from the total service cost and is non-refundable, even if you cancel your appointment.”
Option 2: conditional refund
Custom Booking Policy Text/Custom Payment Policy Text: “A booking fee of $15.00 is required to secure your spot. This amount will only be refunded if you cancel your appointment more than 7 days before the scheduled date. This fee is not deducted from the total service cost."
You want to charge your clients a deposit to secure their spot. In case the client cancels, the deposit may or may not be refunded based on your cancellation policy. Example setup:
Set required payment to {x} value (Service details > Price > Required payment)
Custom Booking Policy Text/Custom Payment Policy Text: “A deposit of $15.00 is required to secure your spot. This amount will be deducted from the total service cost. If you cancel your appointment more than 24 hours before the scheduled time, the deposit will be refunded to you. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the scheduled time, the deposit will not be refunded.”
Capture Card Info
Clients provide card details at booking, but you only charge if needed (e.g. a client misses their appointment or cancels outside of your cancellation window).
When this option is most relevant:
You have variable or flexible pricing (e.g., billed by time, add-ons, or consultative services).
You want protection against no-shows without creating a strong barrier to booking.
You have repeat clients, and storing card info makes future bookings faster.
Benefits
Lower barrier for clients compared to upfront payment.
Gives you flexibility to decide when to charge.
Discourages fake or spam bookings.
Drawbacks
Requires manual effort to process late cancellation or no-show fees.
Not as strong a deterrent as upfront payment.
Use cases + settings
You want to capture the client's credit card info to charge them in case they cancel their appointment outside your cancellation window or miss their appointment. Example setup:
Custom Booking Policy Text/Custom Payment Policy Text: "You will be charged 50% of the service price if you cancel less than 24 hours prior to the appointment time. ”
By Email
Clients book first and then receive a payment request by email.
When this option is most relevant:
You provide custom or high-value services that require discussion or confirmation before charging.
You place a heavy focus on the relationship you have with your clientele (i.e. you want to accommodate clients hesitant about paying upfront or who prefer to pay later).
The risk of client cancellations or no-shows is low.
Benefits
Client-friendly: no upfront barrier at booking, clients have more time to submit payment.
Security/privacy: it is safer to provide credit card information online as opposed to over the phone; clients recognize this as well.
Drawbacks
Relies on clients taking action on the email.
Requires extra admin work to send and track payments.
Weak deterrent against no-shows compared to the other options.
Use cases + settings
Example setup: Custom Booking Policy Text/Custom Payment Policy Text: "Please submit payment via the payment email that will be sent to you after booking."
*Note: you may send payment requests to clients via email by using the "Take a payment" button in the appointment screen.
Reducing No-Shows and Lost Revenue
No-shows and late cancellations can cost your business valuable time and money. Each payment option offers a different level of protection against lost revenue. Here’s how they rank in relation to one another:
At Online Booking → The strongest protection. Clients pay upfront, making them far less likely to cancel or miss an appointment.
Capture Card Info → Moderate protection. Card details are stored, and you can charge later if needed, which discourages casual cancellations.
By Email → The weakest protection. Since payment is optional until later, it relies on client follow-through and offers minimal deterrence against no-shows.
Comparison table
Feature | At Online Booking | Capture Card Info | By Email |
When client pays | Immediately at booking, full or partial amount | Only if you charge later | After booking, via payment request |
Client commitment level | Highest | Medium | Medium–Low |
Management effort | Low | Medium (manual charging) | Medium (sending and tracking emails) |
Refunds | Medium likelihood Manual refund may be required | Medium-low likelihood Manual charge may be required | Low likelihood Manual refund may be required |
Best for | Eliminating no-shows and securing revenue upfront | Flexibility, charging only when necessary | Selective enforcement, client-friendly option |
Relevant settings
Custom Booking Policy Text, Custom Payment Policy Text: in all cases, it is very important that you state your cancellation/modification, no-show and/or payment policies. These policies can be defined either from the "My Business" tab > Booking Rules or from the "Services" tab > Booking Rules.
“Cancellation and Modification Allowance Delay”: this setting defines how much time clients have to cancel or modify their booking. Depending on your business needs, this setting may be useful to you. For example, imposing a cancellation limit may force clients to contact you directly if they try to cancel outside your allowed time window, at which point you can remind them of your cancellation policy and (optionally) charge them.
"Auto-cancel unpaid booking": this setting automatically cancels unpaid bookings if not paid within 15 minutes. This can be useful to prevent incomplete appointments from cluttering your schedule.
Appointment approval mode ("Automatic (after online payment completed)"): with this setting enabled, your scheduled appointments requiring online payment will be approved ONLY AFTER the client has successfully completed payment; until payment is provided, the appointment will be listed as "Request awaiting your approval". As such, clients will receive a confirmation message only AFTER they provide payment.
Note
Before charging clients in Booxi, make sure you are aware of the consumer protection laws in your region or country. In some jurisdictions, charging a client for non-performance (such as a missed appointment) may not be legally permitted, or specific rules may apply. It is your responsibility to ensure that your cancellation and payment policies comply with local regulations.