Help · Taking money
Deposits, and charging the balance before the course
A deposit holds the place now and takes the rest automatically before the course, from the same card, after emailing the customer first. Nobody has to chase anyone, and nobody's card number lives in a spreadsheet.
1. Put a deposit on a course
Open the course, then Booking rules, and set Deposit to one of:
- Pay in full at booking — no deposit.
- A percentage now, the rest later — for example 25.
- A fixed amount now, the rest later — for example $100.
The deposit is worked out on the total, tax included. A booking simply pays in full when a deposit would not make sense: when the course starts sooner than your collection date, when the deposit would be the whole price, or when card payments are not set up yet.
2. Choose when the rest is taken
On Outstanding, the owner sets When the rest is taken once for the whole business:
- Take the rest automatically — on unless you turn it off.
- Collect the rest this many days before — 7 unless you change it.
- Email the customer this many days before that — 3 unless you change it. The email always comes before the charge.
Days are counted in your own timezone. Changing them only affects new bookings: a balance already scheduled keeps the date the customer was told.
What the customer sees
- Checkout shows Due today and Then … on <date>, so the second payment is never a surprise.
- Before paying, they are told the balance goes on the same card nearer the date, and that they will hear before it does.
- Their receipt repeats the amount and the date.
- A few days before, they get a short note: nothing is needed from them, and to reply if their card has changed.
The deposit or pay-in-full choice is yours, set on the course; the customer does not choose at checkout.
When a card is refused
Outstanding sorts every balance so you can see what needs you:
- The card is being refused — with the bank's reason and how many times it has been tried. Side Quest Booking keeps trying until the course starts.
- No card kept — for example a booking you took over the phone. Send them a payment link before they travel.
- Due, not taken yet and Scheduled — nothing to do.
- Already sailed, still owing — the course has happened and money is still due.
From any booking, How are they paying? gives you: a code for them to pay on their phone, type in their card, record cash (or a transfer, or your own card machine), send them a link by email or text, or charge the card on file. A payment link always asks for whatever is owed at the time, so it never goes out of date. Paying any of these ways stops the automatic charge.
Cancellations
A cancelled booking is never charged its balance. Refunds are worked out from what was actually paid and your cancellation policy. There is no separate "non-refundable deposit" setting yet.