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Set your payment policy — deposits and no-show fees

How to configure deposits, card-on-file, late-cancellation windows, and no-show fees in Owneli, with per-location overrides.

Updated Aug 14, 2026

Your payment policy decides what clients commit to when they book: nothing, a deposit, or a card on file — plus what a late cancellation or no-show costs them. Admins configure it in Settings → Payments → Payment policy; a live preview shows exactly what clients will read.

Before you start: connect card payments — deposits and fees need a way to charge.

What are the payment policy options?

ModeMoney at bookingFees chargeable later?
No payment requiredNoneNo — without a captured card, fees can't be collected
DepositPart of the price, fixed $ or %Yes
Card on fileNone — a card is securely savedYes

Cancellation and no-show fees

When a card is captured (deposit or card-on-file mode), you can turn on:

  • Late-cancellation fee — choose the free-cancellation window (1 to 72 hours before the appointment) and a fixed or percentage fee. Cancelling inside the window is free.
  • No-show fee — its own fixed or percentage amount for clients who don't arrive.

Fine-tuning

  • Minimum booking value — apply the policy only above a threshold, so a quick low-price service doesn't demand a card.
  • Escalation threshold — in "no payment" or "card on file" mode, additionally require payment above a certain booking value, so big bookings carry commitment even when small ones don't.

Pick a mode

Choose one of the three radio cards.

Set the amounts

Deposit amount, fee amounts, and the cancellation window — toggling $ / % where offered.

Read the client preview

The preview panel shows the exact bullets a client sees when booking. If it reads wrong to you, it will read wrong to them.

Save

The policy applies to new bookings from now on.

Per-location overrides

The policy here is the business default. A location can carry its own override — the same editor appears in the location's settings — for markets that genuinely differ.

Automatic enforcement applies to client-facing booking (your online booking page and links). When staff book from the calendar, the panel shows what the policy asks for, but staff can override it for that one booking — and overriding down to "no card" waives the ability to charge that client a fee later.

Common questions

Can I have different deposits for different services?

The policy is value-based, not per-service: use the minimum value and escalation threshold to make expensive bookings carry more commitment.

When is the no-show fee actually charged?

By your team, from the appointment, when they mark a no-show — the policy makes it chargeable, it doesn't fire automatically. See Deposits, cancellation and no-show fees.

Does changing the policy affect existing bookings?

Each booking carries the payment terms it was made under — the new policy applies to bookings made after the change.

Keep reading

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Connect card payments with StripeHow to connect Stripe to Owneli so you can take card payments, deposits, and no-show fees — onboarding steps, statuses, and payouts.Deposits, cancellation and no-show feesThe three payment-policy modes, how a deposit is sized across a multi-service visit, and exactly when a fee can be charged.Reschedule, cancel, and mark a no-showMove a booking, cancel it cleanly, handle the deposit, and decide whether a fee is charged.