Booking Policies - Bella Booking Documentation

Introduction

Set the policies that apply to online bookings on the Booking policies page. These settings control when clients can book (both minimum notice and maximum advance booking), how cancellations are handled, whether clients must confirm appointments, and payment requirements. Note: All booking policies are location-level settings and can be overridden per service, except Client details.

New to Bella, or unsure what to set? Read the Booking Policy Strategy guide first - it covers how to think about these settings as a whole and recommends starting setups for different kinds of businesses. This page is the reference for individual settings.

How these settings interact

Before diving into individual settings, it helps to understand the dependencies between them. A few principles run through every booking policy on this page.

Deposit and approval are complementary, not redundant

When a client pays a deposit at booking, the appointment is automatically confirmed on successful payment - the deposit IS the commitment, no further approval needed for that booking. But deposit and approval cover different bookings:

Bookings where a deposit is required → the client pays at booking → payment confirms the appointment. Approval setting doesn’t apply to these.
Bookings where a card on file must be captured (your payment policy requires a saved card and the client doesn’t have one yet) → saving the card is the commitment, so approval doesn’t apply to these either. There is nothing to approve meanwhile, whether your Card on file policy or a service or membership asks for the card: the time is held for 30 minutes and saving the card is what creates the appointment, already confirmed (see When a card on file is required). A booking carrying products you take full payment for at booking is created first instead and confirms as soon as the card is saved. If the client already has a saved card, there’s nothing to capture, so approval (if on) still applies.
Bookings where no payment step applies → nothing is taken or captured → if approval is on, the booking goes to your queue for review.

Both settings can be on at the same time and that’s often the right setup. Common reasons to have both:

You take deposits for paid services but offer free consultations - those have no deposit, so approval gates them.
You override the deposit to zero on specific services (e.g. loyalty perks, complimentary touch-ups) - approval gates those.
A gift card fully covers the deposit for a booking - approval gates it because no payment was taken.
A membership benefit waives the deposit for members on its covered services - even when the benefit is only a partial discount. See Memberships → Deposit for members.
You haven’t fully connected Stripe yet - deposits are silently waived for now, so approval is the only active gate until Stripe is connected.

In code terms: auto-confirm = (no deposit needed) AND (no card capture needed) AND (no approval required). Any gate alone holds the booking; together they cover every path.

Online payments unlocks most protections

Several settings on this page only work when you’re connected to Stripe (online payments):

Without Stripe	With Stripe
Deposit setting silently has no effect	Deposit charged at booking, auto-confirms appointment
Clients are told your late cancellation or no-show fee, but Bella can’t collect it	The fee comes out of the deposit (the rest is refunded), and any fee the deposit doesn’t cover can be charged to a card the client saved
Your team has to re-enter the card every time at checkout	Card-on-file → checkout, team rebooking, and deposits skip the card-entry step
Requiring approval is your only gate against no-shows	Deposit + approval cover both deposit and no-deposit bookings

If you’re seeing no-show or late cancellation issues, the foundation is connecting Stripe (Settings → Payments). Most other policy protections build on top of it.

Approval applies to online bookings only

Require approval only affects bookings made through your online booking page. It has no effect on appointments you create yourself in the Scheduler. For team-created appointments, you can use Confirmation Window to require the client to confirm - that’s a separate feature with the opposite scope (team-created only, not online).

Reschedule policy is time-based regardless of deposit

Unlike cancellation, the reschedule policy applies the same way whether or not a deposit was paid. If the reschedule cutoff has passed, the client must contact you directly - deposit status doesn’t change this.

What this means in practice

Your situation	Recommended setup
Stripe connected, no-shows are an issue, all services charge deposits	Require deposit (e.g. 50%); approval optional - deposit alone gates every booking.
Stripe connected, mix of paid services + free/discounted services	Require deposit on paid services AND require approval - deposit gates the paid bookings, approval gates the free ones.
No Stripe yet	Connect Stripe to unlock deposits. In the meantime, requiring approval is your gate.
Loyal clientele, low no-show history, all services paid	No deposit, no approval - 24-hour cancellation policy and SMS reminders are enough.
You want to review every online booking individually before confirming	Require approval. Combine with deposits if you also want payment-as-commitment for paid services.
You want to skip manual card entry at checkout and on team rebookings	Connect Stripe, save cards on file at first checkout - future team-side checkouts and rebookings (and any late cancellation or no-show fee) skip the card-entry step.

Accessing Booking Policies

In the main sidebar, go to Settings
Select Booking policies from the settings menu

Access: Admin and Owner only

Appointment fee

Use Appointment fee to add one fixed, named fee to every new appointment that includes at least one service - this is the setting to reach for when you want a flat service charge, booking fee or levy on appointments, or to recover your costs. It applies to appointments created by your team and to online bookings. A retail-only sale or an appointment with no services gets no fee, and by default neither does a session a client has already paid for through a package, membership or service gift card (see Waive for prepaid sessions). Bella never adds a card processing fee to a client’s payment (see Who pays processing fees), so this is the one way to add a fee to an appointment.

Turn it on

Go to Settings > Booking policies.
Open Appointment fee and switch it on.
Enter an Amount greater than zero and a client-facing Fee name. The neutral default is Appointment fee. Name it after what the fee genuinely pays for. Bella rejects names that present it as a card or processing surcharge.
If your business is registered for tax, confirm whether the fee is Taxable.
Review the change summary and select Apply.

The setting cannot be saved on without both a positive amount and a fee name. It is available in every country and applies regardless of how the client pays.

What clients see

Bella includes the fee in the first advertised price clients see for a service or bundle, including tier and variant prices, treatment plans and Reserve with Google. The booking summary then itemises the catalogue service or bundle price and one fee line underneath it. A fee is charged once per appointment, not once per service, bundle component or attendee. For example, if two services have catalogue prices of 80 and 150, and the fee is 3 in your location currency, their cards advertise 83 and 153 as one-service offers. When booked together, the appointment total is 233, not 236. If prices are hidden, catalogue prices and the total stay hidden, but the unavoidable fee name and amount remain visible before the client confirms.

The quoted fee stays with the appointment

The fee is captured when a service-bearing appointment is created. This keeps the amount the client was quoted stable:

Changing or switching off the setting affects new appointments only. Existing appointments keep their saved fee.
Switching the setting on does not add a fee to an existing appointment that was quoted without one.
If an existing service-free appointment later receives its first service, the current fee is attached then.
Removing the last service removes the fee.
At checkout, a team member with checkout access can Remove the fee. Its amount cannot be edited, and once removed it does not return on refresh or a later checkout.

Collect at booking, Non-refundable and Waive for prepaid sessions

When Appointment fee is on, three extra switches appear. Collect at booking and Non-refundable start Off; Waive for prepaid sessions starts On. Collect at booking takes the fee in the amount due today as its own line, not as part of the deposit. It only charges when this booking already has a deposit amount to collect. Card on file, pay later, a $0 deposit (a package covering the services, for example), a membership that waives the deposit, and an admin waive all leave the fee until the appointment. Non-refundable leaves this fee out of a default refund, even when the cancellation policy would return the rest of the deposit. It only keeps money that was already paid. A team member can still include the fee by raising the amount on the deposit’s row when cancelling, or in Refund deposit. Online booking has no override.

Collect	Non-refundable	What happens
Off	Off	The fee is due at the appointment. Refunds follow the sale as they do today.
On	Off	The fee is taken with the deposit. An in-policy cancel refunds the deposit and the fee.
Off	On	The fee is still due later. Default refunds keep it only after it has been paid, usually at checkout.
On	On	The fee is taken with the deposit. Default refunds keep it.

Waive for prepaid sessions charges no fee on an appointment a client has already paid for: when a package session, a membership’s included session (a plan benefit with sessions per cycle at 100%, see Memberships) or a gift card for the service that pays the service in full pays for every service on it, the fee is left off. The booking summary, the client’s confirmation, the till and the receipt all show no fee. A service the client pays for keeps the fee: one service nothing covers, a membership that discounts a service (a percentage, a fixed amount, or unlimited access with no session limit), a gift card with less left on it than the service costs, or an add-on the client pays for. A free service beside a prepaid one, such as a consultation at no charge, changes nothing. If your team takes the package off at checkout, the fee comes back. A fee already taken at booking with Collect at booking stays, even if a package is applied at checkout: the client has paid it. Switch it Off to charge the fee on every appointment, prepaid or not. The switch is saved with the fee on each new appointment, like the other two, so appointments booked before you changed it keep the fee they were quoted. A team member can still Remove the fee at checkout on any of them.

What the fee does and does not affect

Discounts, rewards, memberships and packages: these apply to service lines, not the appointment fee. A fully discounted service still leaves the fee payable. A package, membership or service gift card that pays for every service leaves no fee when Waive for prepaid sessions is On.
Gift cards and client credit: either can settle the fee as part of the remaining bill. A gift card for a service or bundle pays for its own service only, never the fee: with Waive for prepaid sessions On (the default) there is no fee when the card pays for every service, and with it Off the fee is paid separately.
Deposits: a fixed or percentage deposit is calculated from the service total, including add-ons, and excludes the appointment fee. Collect at booking takes the fee beside that deposit in the same charge.
Late cancellation or no-show fee: a percentage fee is a share of the service price, so the appointment fee is never part of it. Cancelling before the appointment fee is paid does not collect it. When Collect at booking has already taken a Non-refundable appointment fee, a default refund leaves that fee out.
Commission, tips and loyalty: the fee is a house line. It is not assigned to a team member and earns no loyalty points.
Refunds: if Non-refundable is off, a paid fee comes back with the deposit or the sale. If it is on, default refunds leave the paid fee out. A team member can still include it by raising the amount.
Voids: voiding a sale returns the whole checkout, including a checkout-paid fee, because that sale did not happen. The appointment reopens unpaid, so the next checkout can charge the fee again.
Receipts and messages: the saved fee name appears as its own line. When Non-refundable is on, the line reads with (Non-refundable) after the name. Appointment and sale totals include it.

Track the number and value collected under Appointment fees in Sales summary.

Appointment fee is not a card surcharge. It applies to cash, card, manual card, Afterpay, gift card and client credit alike, which is why it is available in every country. Keep it the same for every payment method: do not remove it only for cash payments, or name it as a card or processing fee.

Client details

Choose what clients give when they create their account to book online. First name and phone number are always required, because clients sign in with their phone number. For each of these, pick Required, Optional or Not asked:

Detail	Unless you change it	What Required means
Last name	Optional	The client must type one.
Email	Optional	The client must type one. A client with no email gets no email confirmations.
Date of birth	Not asked	Day and month. The year stays the client’s choice, as everywhere else in Bella.
Address	Not asked	A street and a suburb or city, plus a postcode in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Go to Settings > Booking policies and scroll to Client details.
Click Edit on a row and choose Required, Optional or Not asked.
Click Apply in the bar at the bottom of the page.

When signing up gives the client a new client record, what they type goes straight onto it, so it shows on their Details tab. A half-typed address is refused even when the address is optional. Clients choose their address from Google search or type it in.

Clients who already have an account

A client who registered before you required a date of birth or an address, or a client you imported, is asked for it once on Review & book. Book appointment stays unavailable until they add it, and it is saved to their client record with the booking. A detail already on their record is never changed there: they update it on My profile. Last name and email are asked only when a client creates their account.

An existing client who signs in with the phone number already on their client record skips the details step, and Bella never changes their record from what is typed at sign-up. Anything you require that their record lacks is asked on Review & book instead.

Seeing the impact before you save

The Availability block above these settings is always there, whether or not you’re changing anything. It shows how many times clients can actually book under the policies you have saved, so you never have to guess what your current rules are costing you.

What it counts: the number of available times over the next 7 days and the next 14 days, worked out against your business’s real calendar - working hours, existing bookings, blocked time - for the service picked in the block’s header. Two windows because a busy business is often full for the coming week: a 7-day figure on its own would read as “we have nothing” while the fortnight is wide open. Start typing in the service picker to search your catalogue.
When you stage a change to a setting that shapes which times clients can book - Time slot interval, Schedule gaps, Minimum notice, Booking window, or Appointments per day - each window shows what its count would become, for example “127 available times → 9”. A window whose figure doesn’t move simply keeps its number, so you can see at a glance that (say) shortening your booking window leaves next week alone but costs you the week after.
It updates as you stage changes, and nothing is saved until you click Apply - the second figure is a preview only. Discard the changes and the block goes back to your saved figures.
When neither window moves, the block says why rather than leaving you to wonder:
- “Unchanged: Women’s Cut sets its own minimum notice, so the business default doesn’t reach it” - that service overrides minimum notice, so changing the business default can’t move its availability. Change it on the service itself in the Service Catalogue.
- “Unchanged in the next 14 days. Changes beyond this window won’t show here” - you changed the booking window to something longer than a fortnight, and the block only counts that far ahead.
- “Unchanged by these changes” - the staged rules genuinely don’t shape this service’s availability.
When a window has nothing in it, the block names the cause instead of leaving a bare zero - “you’re fully booked”, “no one is rostered” (with a link to set working hours), “Schedule gaps is hiding every free time”, “blocked time covers every day”, or “this service is only available at set times, and none of those times can be booked” (the service’s own Available times).

If you haven’t added any services yet, the block says “Add a service to see its availability” instead of a count. If you have services but none of them can be booked online - switched off for online booking, or with no online-bookable team member qualified for them - it reads “None of your services can be booked online yet - each needs online booking switched on, and a team member who offers it.”

Warnings you might see

While you’re configuring these settings, Bella may show a recommendation - inline on the relevant row, or in the booking-page panel further down this page. Most of these describe what’s happening and how to change it without blocking a save. Time slot interval longer than your longest service. Your interval spaces available times further apart than your longest service takes to perform, so your calendar can hold more of them than clients are shown. Fix: lower the interval to no more than your longest service’s duration. Schedule gaps set to Reduce or Eliminate with an interval of 60 minutes or more. At a coarse interval, hiding gap-creating available times removes a large share of the times clients see. A new save that turns this pair on is blocked. If you already have this combination, you can still save other settings - Bella keeps recommending you lower the interval, or switch Schedule gaps back to Show all, so clients see more times. Minimum notice of 24 hours. Clients can’t book anything starting within the next 24 hours - there are no same-day bookings. This is the usual starting policy, so Bella notes it on the Min notice row rather than treating it as something to fix. A recommendation only appears if notice is longer than a day. If you’d rather allow same-day bookings, lower the minimum notice. Unpaid-deposit auto-cancel longer than 24 hours, or not set. A booking that never completes its deposit payment holds that available time until the window ends - or forever, if no window is set. Longer than 24 hours parks it for a day or more. Fix: set unpaid deposits to auto-cancel within 24 hours; with Stripe, 30 minutes releases an abandoned checkout the moment its payment page expires, and 2 hours suits a business whose clients pay from the email. Services named with digits or one or two characters. Some imports carry over internal codes (such as “1554082”) as service names, and clients won’t book what they can’t recognise. Fix: rename each one in the Service Catalogue to the name a client would search for - or archive it if you no longer offer it.

Per-service minimum notice

A service can set its own minimum notice, which takes precedence over the business default on this page - even when the stored value happens to match it. When any of your services do, the Min notice row shows a quiet note such as “3 services set their own minimum notice - this default doesn’t apply to them.” It’s information, not a warning: per-service notice is a deliberate choice for treatments that need more preparation. To have a service follow the business default again, open it in the Service Catalogue and set its minimum notice back to the default.

Minimum Notice Period

Set the minimum advance notice required for online bookings. This prevents clients from booking appointments too close to the appointment time.

Setting Minimum Notice

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
Find the Minimum Notice Period section
Select from the dropdown:
- No minimum notice (allow immediate bookings)
- 0 minutes (allow immediate bookings)
- 15 minutes through 72 hours (3 days)
Changes save automatically

How It Works

Clients cannot book appointments within the minimum notice period
Time slots within the notice period are hidden from clients
Applies to online bookings only; your team can book anytime

Service-Level Overrides

Each service can have its own minimum notice period:

Override the location default when editing a service
Select “Use default” to keep the standard setting
When booking multiple services, the maximum (most restrictive) notice period applies

Example: Service A requires 12 hours, Service B requires 24 hours → Appointment requires 24 hours notice.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Same-Day Bookings Allowed

Setting: 0 minutes (no minimum notice)
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Result: Client can book appointments starting from 2:00 PM today
Use Case: Walk-in friendly businesses, urgent services

Scenario 2: 24-Hour Notice Required

Setting: 24 hours (1 day)
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Result: Client can book appointments starting from Tuesday, 2:00 PM
Use Case: Most common setting, allows preparation time

Scenario 3: Multiple Services with Different Requirements

Service A: 12 hours notice required
Service B: 24 hours notice required
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Result: Appointment requires 24 hours notice (most restrictive)
Client can book: Starting Tuesday, 2:00 PM

Scenario 4: Service-Level Override

Location Default: 24 hours
Service Override: 48 hours (wedding package)
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Result: Wedding package requires 48 hours notice
Client can book: Starting Wednesday, 2:00 PM

Maximum Booking Window

Set how far in advance clients can book online. This prevents bookings too far into the future, helping you manage your schedule and availability.

Setting Maximum Booking Window

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
Find the Maximum Booking Window section
Select from the dropdown:
- No maximum (allow booking any time in the future)
- 7 days through 365 days (1 year)
Changes save automatically

Available Options

Option	Description
No maximum	Clients can book any time in the future
7 days (1 week)	Clients can book up to 1 week ahead
14 days (2 weeks)	Clients can book up to 2 weeks ahead
30 days (1 month)	Clients can book up to 1 month ahead
60 days (2 months)	Clients can book up to 2 months ahead
90 days (3 months)	Clients can book up to 3 months ahead
120 days (4 months)	Clients can book up to 4 months ahead
150 days (5 months)	Clients can book up to 5 months ahead
180 days (6 months)	Clients can book up to 6 months ahead
365 days (1 year)	Clients can book up to 1 year ahead

How It Works

Dates beyond the maximum are disabled in the date picker
Time slots are not shown for dates beyond the limit
Your team can still book appointments at any time through the Scheduler

When to Use

Shorter Windows (7-30 days):

When your schedule changes frequently
When you prefer more flexibility to adjust availability
For services where demand is unpredictable

Medium Windows (60-180 days):

Standard setting for most businesses
Allows clients to plan ahead without over-committing your schedule
Good balance between flexibility and forward booking

Longer Windows (up to 1 year):

For seasonal services with predictable demand
When clients need to book well in advance
For appointments further than a year out (e.g. some weddings), create them yourself from the Scheduler - the booking window applies to online bookings only

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Standard Business Setting

Setting: 90 days (3 months)
Current Date: 1 January
Result: Clients can book appointments up to 1 April
Use Case: Hair salons, beauty services, general appointments

Scenario 2: Event Services Booking Ahead

Setting: 365 days (1 year)
Current Date: 1 January 2025
Result: Clients can book appointments up to 1 January 2026
Use Case: Wedding hair and makeup, event services. For dates beyond a year out, create the appointment yourself from the Scheduler.

Scenario 3: Flexible Schedule

Setting: 14 days (2 weeks)
Current Date: Monday, 1 January
Result: Clients can book appointments up to Monday, 15 January
Use Case: Businesses with frequently changing availability

Appointments Per Day

Cap how much work online booking can pile onto a single day. Once a day reaches the number you set, that day stops offering times on your booking page. Your team is never restricted: you can still book any day from the Scheduler. This is the answer to “I can comfortably do eight a day, and online booking keeps giving away a ninth.”

Setting a daily limit

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
In the Booking access group, select the Appointments per day row
Pick a number, or select Custom and type one (1 to 500)
Watch the availability figures above update to show what the limit would cost you, then select Apply

Set it back to No limit to turn it off. Availability returns straight away.

What counts towards the limit

A booking counts as one appointment however much it contains. A three-service bundle is one appointment. So is a couples or family booking. If your day is limited by chairs or rooms rather than by arrivals, set capacity on your resources instead.

Counts	Doesn’t count
Appointments your clients booked online	Cancelled appointments
Appointments your team booked on the Scheduler	No-shows
Appointments imported or migrated in	Blocked time
Bookings waiting for your approval	Appointments on any other day

Cancel an appointment on a day that has hit the limit and that day opens back up immediately. Decline a booking waiting for approval and the same thing happens.

How it works

A day at the limit shows no available times on your booking page, the same as any other day with nothing free
Your team can keep booking that day from the Scheduler, so a day can end up above the limit. That is intended, not an error: the limit governs online booking, not your own diary
In Find a time, a day closed by the limit says so, rather than reporting your roster as fully booked
The limit uses your business’s own calendar date and time zone

Pair it with your waitlist

If your waitlist is on, a day closed by the limit still offers clients the waitlist, so a busy day captures demand instead of turning people away. Without the waitlist, a client on a capped day sees no times and has to pick another day. Turning the waitlist on under Booking options is worth doing before you set a tight limit.

Choosing a number

Start from the number of appointments you finish a day feeling good about, not the maximum you have ever squeezed in. The limit is meant to protect the day, so a number you only hit on your best week will never bite.

Setting 1 is allowed - a single high-value appointment a day is a real way to work
0 is not. “Never take online bookings” is what the online booking switch is for
Setting a limit below what a day already holds changes nothing about those appointments. That day simply stops taking online bookings until its count drops below your limit

Cancellation Policy

Set how much notice clients must give to cancel, and what a late cancellation or a no-show costs them.

Cancellation Period

Definition: The minimum notice required to cancel without a fee.

Cancelling with at least the required notice → no fee, and any deposit is refunded
Cancelling with less than the required notice, or not showing up → the late cancellation or no-show fee applies

Important: When a cancellation policy is set, clients can only cancel appointments online with less than the required notice if a deposit payment was made. Appointments without deposits that are cancelled with less than the required notice must be cancelled by contacting you directly. Appointments cancelled with at least the required notice can be cancelled online regardless of deposit status. Available Options:

No cancellation policy
Presets from 0 minutes to 72 hours (3 days)
If none of the presets suits you, choose Custom and enter any window up to 72 hours (0 means no restriction). Type it in minutes, hours or days, whichever you think in, so a 36-hour policy is just 36 hours.

With No restriction (0), clients can cancel free of charge until the appointment starts, so only a no-show takes the fee.

Late cancellation or no-show fee

One fee covers a late cancellation and a no-show alike. Set it on the Late cancellation or no-show fee row:

Choice	The fee is
None	Nothing
25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, or Custom (any percentage from 0 to 100)	That share of the service price, shown as “50% of the service price”
Fixed amount	A set amount in your currency, chosen from the presets or typed in

The row needs a cancellation window. Until one is set it reads Set a cancellation window first.
Whenever a window is set, choose a fee. Pick None if you don’t charge one.

What a percentage is worked out on. Each service’s price after the discounts on that service, add-ons included, however the client pays. A package session, a membership that covers the service in full, a gift card or client credit doesn’t lower it, and nor does a discount on the whole bill. A bundle counts as its services, each with its own fee. Products, custom items and the appointment fee are never part of it. A $150 facial with a 50% fee carries a $75 fee, or $60 with 20% off that service. Several services in one appointment. Each service’s own fee is added up. A fixed fee set for your location counts once per appointment, while a service’s own fixed fee counts each time that service is in the appointment. The total is never more than the price of the services. When you change the fee. A change applies to appointments booked from then on. An appointment already booked keeps the fee rule (the share or the amount), the notice and whether the deposit is kept, as its client was told, unless your team adds, removes, swaps or splits off a service on it. What clients read. Your booking page, the client’s messages and their appointment page state the fee in one sentence that covers a late cancellation and a no-show:

Cancel with less than 1 day’s notice, or miss your appointment, and a fee of 50% of the service price applies.

A window of whole days is stated in days, so 24 hours reads as 1 day’s notice. For a booking or an appointment, the fee is shown as an amount. When your deposit rule keeps the whole deposit, the sentence adds “Your deposit is not refunded and goes towards the fee.”, or reads ”… and your deposit is not refunded.” when you charge no fee. With no fee and no deposit kept, messages and the appointment page read “1 day’s notice required.”, and the review step reads “Free cancellation up to 1 day before your appointment.”

How the fee is collected

Clients are always told the fee. Bella collects it only from what it holds for the appointment:

The deposit first. Your deposit rule, If a client cancels late or doesn’t show under Payment Policy, decides how much of the deposit stays with you:
- Refund the deposit, less the fee: the fee comes out of the deposit and the rest goes back to the client.
- Keep the whole deposit: the client gets none of the deposit back, even when the fee is smaller. The deposit goes towards the fee.
Then a saved card. Any fee the deposit doesn’t cover, or the whole fee when there’s no deposit, can be charged to a card the client saved at your business. Leave Charge cancellation fee on when you cancel or mark the no-show, or press Charge fee on the cancelled appointment later. Bella never charges the card on its own.
Nothing held, nothing collected. Without a deposit or a saved card, the fee can’t be collected. When you take nothing upfront, the fee row says so: “Clients see this fee, but Bella can’t collect it without a deposit or a card on file.”

Who does what.

When the client cancels online late: Bella keeps what your deposit rule takes and refunds the rest of a card deposit automatically. Any fee left over can be charged to their saved card from the appointment.
When you cancel or mark a no-show yourself: the cancel dialog shows the Fee, what comes From the deposit, what is Refunded to the card and what is Not collected. To record a no-show, choose Mark as no-show in the appointment’s Actions menu once its start time has passed, or cancel the appointment with the No-show reason (see Marking a no-show).
The client is told. Charging the fee sends them the Cancellation fee charged message (email and/or SMS, per your automated messages settings). When the deposit paid part of the fee, the message names the whole fee and the deposit’s part. Turning off Notify the client on the cancel dialog suppresses it along with the cancellation message.
Overrides: when a team member cancels, they can change what each deposit refunds, up to the full amount charged. If Collect at booking took a Non-refundable appointment fee, the default refund leaves that appointment fee out. Full refund still includes it.

Charging a card on file requires the client to have a saved card and online payments to be connected (see Payments).

Allow Self-Service Cancellation

Control whether clients can cancel appointments online:

Enabled: Clients see a “Cancel appointment” option in their booking confirmation (only if deposit was paid when cancellation policy exists)
Disabled: Clients must contact you directly to cancel

Important: When a cancellation policy is configured, online cancellation with less than the required notice is only available for appointments with deposit payments. Appointments without deposits that are cancelled with less than the required notice require contacting you directly to cancel. Appointments cancelled with at least the required notice can be cancelled online regardless of deposit status. Your team can always cancel appointments regardless of this setting.

Preview cancellation scenarios

Under the cancellation rows, Preview cancellation scenarios works your policy through on an example service price:

It lists your Cancel window, your Late cancellation or no-show fee and, when you take a deposit, your deposit rule
Enter an Example service price
See two scenarios:
- Green box: cancelled with at least the required notice (no fee)
- Amber box: cancelled with less notice, or a no-show: the Fee, what comes From the deposit (Deposit kept when you keep the whole deposit), what is Refunded to the card and what is Not collected

Service-Level Overrides

Each service can override the cancellation policy:

Custom cancellation period
Its own late cancellation or no-show fee, a percentage or a fixed amount
Its own deposit rule (Keep the whole deposit or Refund the deposit, less the fee)
Custom self-service cancellation setting

When an appointment includes several services, the longest cancellation period decides whether a cancellation is late, and the fee is each service’s own fee added up. If any of them keeps the whole deposit, the whole deposit is kept. Clients can cancel online only when every service allows it.

Example Scenarios

Each scenario uses a 24-hour cancellation period. Scenario 1: Enough notice

Policy: fee of 50% of the service price
Service: $200, with a $100 deposit paid by card
Cancellation Time: 25 hours before the appointment
Result: No fee. The $100 deposit is refunded in full.

Scenario 2: Late, with the deposit covering the fee

Policy: fee of 25% of the service price, Refund the deposit, less the fee
Service: $200, with a $100 deposit paid by card
Cancellation Time: 12 hours before the appointment
Result: Fee $50, all of it from the deposit. $50 is refunded to the card.
Client Experience: “Refund: $50.00, back to the way you paid." and "Cancellation fee: $50.00, per our cancellation policy.”

Scenario 3: Late, with a fee larger than the deposit

Policy: fee of 50% of the service price, a 30% deposit
Service: $200, with a $60 deposit paid by card
Cancellation Time: 2 hours before the appointment
Result: Fee $100, $60 from the deposit, $40 not collected. If the client saved a card, **Charge fee** charges the $40.

Scenario 4: Late, keeping the whole deposit

Policy: fee None, Keep the whole deposit
Service: $200, with a $100 deposit paid by card
Cancellation Time: 12 hours before the appointment
Result: The $100 deposit is kept. Nothing is refunded.
Client Experience: the policy reads “Cancel with less than 1 day’s notice, or miss your appointment, and your deposit is not refunded.”

Scenario 5: No-show on Card on file

Policy: fee of 50% of the service price, payment policy Card on file
Service: $120, no deposit
Result: Fee $60. Mark the no-show and leave Charge cancellation fee on to charge it to the saved card.

Scenario 6: Cannot Cancel Online - No Deposit, Insufficient Notice

Policy: fee of 50% of the service price
Deposit Paid: none
Cancellation Time: 12 hours before the appointment
Result: Online cancellation blocked. The client must contact you to cancel.
Client Experience: “Within the cancellation window: contact us to cancel.”

Scenario 7: Multiple Services with Different Policies

Service A: $100, 12-hour notice, fee of 20% of the service price
Service B: $200, 24-hour notice, fee of 50% of the service price
Cancellation Time: 10 hours before the appointment
Result: 24 hours is the longest period, so the cancellation is late. Fee $120: $20 for Service A and $100 for Service B.

Scenario 8: Business Override

Policy: fee of 50% of the service price
Service: $200, with a $100 deposit paid by card
Cancellation Time: 12 hours before (insufficient notice)
Business Override: full refund for special circumstances
Result: $100 refunded (override applied)

Reschedule Policy

Configure how far in advance clients can reschedule their appointments. This helps protect your schedule while providing flexibility to clients.

Reschedule Period

Definition: The minimum notice required to reschedule online. Clients need to contact you directly with less notice.

Clients can reschedule if they provide at least the required notice
Clients cannot reschedule online with less than the required notice

Important: When a reschedule policy is set, online rescheduling with less than the required notice is blocked for all appointments, regardless of deposit status. Appointments rescheduled with at least the required notice can be rescheduled online. The reschedule policy is time-based only and is not related to deposit payments. Available Options:

No reschedule policy (allow rescheduling anytime)
0 minutes (allow immediate rescheduling)
Presets from 15 minutes through 72 hours (3 days)
If none of the presets suits you, choose Custom and enter any window up to 72 hours (0 means no restriction). Type it in minutes, hours or days, whichever you think in, so a 36-hour policy is just 36 hours.

Allow Self-Service Rescheduling

Control whether clients can reschedule appointments online:

Enabled: Clients see a “Reschedule” button in their appointment details
Disabled: Clients must contact you directly to reschedule

Important: When a reschedule policy is configured, online rescheduling with less than the required notice is blocked for all appointments, regardless of deposit status. Appointments rescheduled with at least the required notice can be rescheduled online. The reschedule policy is time-based only and is not related to deposit payments. Your team can always reschedule appointments regardless of this setting.

How It Works

Client views their appointment details
System evaluates if rescheduling is allowed:
- Appointment must be in “Booked” or “Confirmed” status
- Appointment must be in the future
- If reschedule policy exists, appointment must be rescheduled with at least the required notice
- Self-service rescheduling must be enabled
- Online booking must be enabled, because clients reschedule through your booking page
If all conditions met → “Reschedule” button appears
Client selects new date/time → Appointment is updated

Example: With a 24-hour notice requirement:

Appointment is in 25 hours (at least 24 hours’ notice) → Client can reschedule online
Appointment is in 12 hours (less than 24 hours’ notice) → “Reschedule” button is hidden; client must contact you directly

Important Notes

No additional payment required: If deposit was already paid, no new payment is needed
Reminders are updated: Scheduled reminders automatically adjust to the new time
Services and team member locked: Clients can only change the date/time, not the services or team member

Service-Level Overrides

Each service can override the reschedule policy:

Custom reschedule period per service
Custom self-service rescheduling setting per service
When an appointment includes multiple services, the most restrictive policy applies (longest period)

Example: Service A allows rescheduling up to 12 hours before, Service B requires 24 hours → Appointment requires 24 hours notice to reschedule.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Can Reschedule Online - Sufficient Notice

Policy: 24-hour notice required
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM (25 hours away)
Result: “Reschedule” button visible - client can reschedule online
Client Experience: Can select new date/time from available slots

Scenario 2: Cannot Reschedule Online - Insufficient Notice (With Deposit)

Policy: 24-hour notice required
Deposit Paid: $100
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Monday, 6:00 PM (4 hours away)
Result: “Reschedule” button hidden - client must contact business directly
Client Experience: “Rescheduling requires at least 24 hours’ notice. Please contact us directly to reschedule.”
Note: Deposit status is irrelevant - reschedule policy is time-based only

Scenario 3: Cannot Reschedule Online - Insufficient Notice (No Deposit)

Policy: 24-hour notice required
Deposit Paid: $0 (no deposit)
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Monday, 6:00 PM (4 hours away)
Result: “Reschedule” button hidden - client must contact business directly
Client Experience: “Rescheduling requires at least 24 hours’ notice. Please contact us directly to reschedule.”
Note: Same result as Scenario 2 - deposit doesn’t affect reschedule policy

Scenario 4: No Reschedule Policy

Policy: No reschedule policy (disabled)
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Monday, 6:00 PM (4 hours away)
Result: “Reschedule” button visible - client can reschedule anytime
Client Experience: Full flexibility to reschedule

Scenario 5: Multiple Services with Different Policies

Service A: 12-hour notice required
Service B: 24-hour notice required
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Monday, 6:00 PM (4 hours away)
Applied Policy: 24-hour notice (most restrictive)
Result: Cannot reschedule online - must contact business directly

Scenario 6: Rescheduling Preserves Payment

Policy: 24-hour notice required
Deposit Paid: $100
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM (25 hours away - sufficient notice)
Client Reschedules: To Wednesday, 3:00 PM
Result: Appointment rescheduled, $100 deposit remains applied
Note: No additional payment required

Require approval for online bookings

Control whether online bookings require your approval before being confirmed. This gives you the opportunity to review each online booking before accepting it.

Scope: the setting on this page is your location default for approval. You can also override approval per service - like every other booking policy - from the service’s Booking policies tab in the Service Catalogue: set its Approval field to Use default, Auto-confirm, or Require approval for that service. So you can require approval for one service (e.g. a complex colour correction) while others auto-confirm, resolved service-first and falling back to the location default. There is no per-team-member approval toggle.Approval is separate from payment. A required deposit or card capture confirms a booking on payment - that’s payment behaviour, not the approval lever - see Deposit and approval are complementary above.

Approval vs confirmation: Approval and client confirmation are separate. You can use approval only (business approves or declines each online booking), confirmation only (client must confirm attendance, e.g. for appointments you create), or both. Client confirmation applies when you want the client to confirm they are coming (see Client Confirmation). Approval and payment steps: Approval applies only to online bookings where no payment step applies - no deposit to pay and no card to capture. For those bookings: the client submits a request (nothing is taken), you approve or decline; if you decline, there is nothing to refund. When a booking does have a payment step, completing it confirms the appointment - a deposit confirms on successful payment, and a required card capture confirms once the card is saved - so approval does not apply to those bookings (you can still cancel and refund manually from the Scheduler if you need to reject a booking after payment). A booking whose client hasn’t finished the payment step yet shows as Awaiting deposit or Awaiting card, never “Pending approval” - those wait on the client, while approval waits on you. So you can have approval switched off and still see bookings awaiting a deposit or card on your calendar if a payment policy is on, and you can approve one of those to confirm it without the deposit or card. Two policies create no appointment while they wait: under Pay to book and under Card on file the time is held on the client’s incomplete booking instead (the Scheduler shows it as a read-only Held online block), and the appointment arrives confirmed or not at all. See What happens when a client doesn’t finish paying.

Approval flow at a glance (no payment step)

Client books online → Appointment status is “Booked” (pending approval); no payment taken
Client receives “Pending approval” notification
You review in the Scheduler and approve (confirm) or decline (cancel)
If you decline → Client receives cancellation notification (no refund, as no deposit was paid)
If you approve → Client receives confirmation notification

Turning it on

When require approval is enabled, online bookings are not automatically confirmed. Instead:

Client books online → Appointment status is “Booked” (pending approval)
Client receives a “Pending approval” notification explaining their request is being reviewed
You review the booking in your Scheduler
You approve (confirm) or decline (cancel) the appointment
Client receives confirmation or cancellation notification

Setting:

Disabled (default): Online bookings are confirmed automatically (or after deposit payment if required)
Enabled: Online bookings require your approval before being confirmed

When to Enable:

You want to screen bookings before accepting them
You need to verify client information or service requirements
You want to control appointment flow and prevent overbooking
You need time to prepare for specific services or clients

When to Disable:

You want a seamless, instant booking experience for clients
You trust the online booking process and availability settings
You don’t have time to manually review each booking

How It Works with Other Settings

With Deposit Required:

When you require a deposit for online bookings, the client pays at booking. On successful payment, the appointment is confirmed automatically. Approval does not apply to those bookings-the system does not hold them for your approval after payment. If you need to reject a booking after the client has paid, cancel the appointment from the Scheduler and process a refund if appropriate.

With Client Confirmation:

Approval and confirmation are independent. You can require approval for online bookings and/or require client confirmation for appointments (e.g. those you create). If both apply to a given appointment, you approve first; the client may then need to confirm if confirmation is enabled.

Automated Messages

When approval is required, clients receive:

Pending approval notification when they book (explains request is being reviewed)
Confirmed appointment notification when you approve
Cancelled appointment notification if you decline

Enable these messages in Settings → Automated messages → Business notifications.

Client Confirmation

Require clients to confirm appointments you create for them (phone bookings, rebooking a client at the desk) to reduce no-shows. When enabled, those appointments stay in “Booked” status until the client explicitly confirms. A walk-in appointment is never held for confirmation: there’s nobody to ask.

Scope: the confirmation window applies to appointments you create in the Scheduler, and to appointments created through an API key, which follow the same path. Online bookings confirm on booking (or on deposit payment, or once you approve them when Require approval is on) - someone who booked online has already confirmed by booking, so the confirmation window does not hold them.

How It Works

You create an appointment for a client → Status is “Booked”
The client sees a “Please confirm your appointment” message on their appointment details page (and via the confirmation link in reminders)
The client clicks the confirmation link or button → Status changes to “Confirmed”
Unconfirmed appointments help you identify clients who may not show up

Confirmation Window Options

Disabled (default): Auto-confirm appointments immediately
Enabled - Confirm any time before: Clients can confirm at any point before their appointment
Enabled - Confirm at least X before: Clients must confirm at least X hours/days before their appointment time

Available Timeframes:

1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 12 hours
24 hours (1 day), 48 hours (2 days)

How It Works:

Clients see a “Please confirm your appointment” message on their appointment details page
They must confirm at least the required time before their appointment to secure their booking
Unconfirmed appointments help you identify clients who may not show up

Choosing the Initial Status

When creating an appointment from the scheduler, the Status selector appears once you’ve chosen a client and no deposit is required. You can choose the initial status:

Confirmed - The appointment is confirmed immediately, with no pending step.
Pending confirmation - Client can confirm their attendance via the self-service link.
Pending approval - You’ll approve the appointment from the scheduler when ready. The client is notified but cannot confirm themselves. Use this when you need to verify something first (e.g., external deposit payment, stock availability).

Confirmed is the default when no Confirmation Window is set. Pending confirmation is the default when one is set, and for bookings created from the waitlist. You can change the status on any booking before you save it. Setting Pending confirmation does not require a Confirmation Window - when a window (above) is configured it sets the deadline by which the client must confirm; with no window, the client can confirm any time before the appointment. Pending approval flow:

Create an appointment from the scheduler
Select Pending approval as the initial status
The appointment is created as “Booked” (pending approval)
The client receives a “pending approval” notification - no confirm button on the self-service page
You approve the appointment from the scheduler when ready
If Confirmation Window is enabled: the appointment moves to “Pending confirmation” - the client is notified and can now confirm their attendance via the self-service link
If Confirmation Window is not enabled: the appointment is confirmed immediately - the client receives a confirmation notification

Approval and confirmation are sequential steps. Approval is the business accepting the booking. Confirmation is the client confirming attendance. Each step can be skipped based on your settings.

The Status selector appears for any appointment you create in the scheduler once you’ve chosen a client and no deposit is required through the system. When a deposit is required through the built-in payment system, the deposit acts as the approval gate automatically and the selector is hidden.

Confirmation Links

Include confirmation links in your automated messages using template variables:

{{ConfirmAppointmentLink}}: One-click confirmation (recommended for reminders)
{{SelfServiceLink}}: Opens appointment details page with confirm/cancel options, and a reschedule option after signing in when your reschedule policy allows it
{{CancelAppointmentLink}}: Opens cancellation dialog

Important: These links don’t require the client to log in. Each one carries a signed token for that one appointment, so the link itself is the client’s proof, the same way a YES or NO reply from their phone is. Confirming, cancelling, paying a deposit and paying a balance from a payment link work straight from the link. Rescheduling still asks the client to sign in, and so does paying a deposit or a balance if you take payments through Square. If you change who an appointment is for, links sent before the change can no longer confirm, cancel or pay for it.

Confirmation vs Deposits

Appointments with deposits: Successful payment is the confirmation; no additional step needed
Appointments without deposits: Client confirmation applies if enabled

Service-Level Overrides

Each service can have its own confirmation window setting. When an appointment includes multiple services, the longest confirmation window applies - the most confirmation lead time, so the client is asked to confirm as early as the most restrictive service requires.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Confirm Any Time Before

Setting: Confirm any time before (0 minutes)
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Result: Client can confirm anytime before Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Client Experience: “To secure your booking, please confirm your appointment before your appointment time.”
Use Case: Maximum flexibility for clients

Scenario 2: Confirm at Least 24 Hours Before

Setting: Confirm at least 24 hours before
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM (25 hours before)
Result: Client can confirm now (sufficient time)
Client Experience: “To secure your booking, please confirm your appointment at least 24 hours before your scheduled time.”

Scenario 3: Cannot Confirm - Too Close to Appointment

Setting: Confirm at least 24 hours before
Appointment Time: Monday, 6:00 PM
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM (4 hours before)
Result: Confirmation window has passed - client should contact business
Client Experience: Confirmation button may be disabled or show different message
Note: Your team can still confirm it manually

Scenario 4: Confirmation with Deposit Payment

Setting: Confirm at least 24 hours before
Deposit Required: $100
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Client Pays Deposit: Monday, 2:30 PM
Result: Appointment automatically confirmed - payment serves as confirmation
Client Experience: No separate confirmation step needed

Scenario 5: Multiple Services with Different Windows

Service A: Confirm at least 12 hours before
Service B: Confirm at least 24 hours before
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Applied Window: 24 hours (longest - most confirmation lead time)
Result: Client must confirm by Monday, 3:00 PM (24 hours before)

Scenario 6: Unconfirmed Appointment

Setting: Confirm at least 24 hours before
Appointment Time: Tuesday, 3:00 PM
Current Time: Monday, 2:00 PM
Client Status: Has not confirmed
Result: Appointment remains in “Booked” status
Business Action: Follow up with client to confirm or decide to cancel

Payment Policy

Configure deposit or card-on-file requirements for bookings. A required deposit applies to all bookings or to online bookings only, as you choose under Deposit applies to; When a client books online decides whether an online booking exists before its deposit is paid. Requiring a card on file applies to online bookings, and a client who hasn’t saved one gets no appointment until they do: see When a card on file is required. Note: This section requires Stripe Connect. If Stripe isn’t fully set up, you’ll see an alert prompting you to connect (or finish Stripe’s remaining steps). To set up Stripe Connect, go to Settings → Payments.

Payment Policy Options

No upfront payment: No deposit required for bookings
Require a deposit: Clients pay a deposit when booking
Card on file: The client saves a card to confirm the booking. No money is charged and nothing is held on the card - saving it simply secures the booking, so you can charge a late cancellation or no-show fee to that card if your cancellation policy applies. A client booking online without a saved card creates no appointment: their time is held for 30 minutes while they save one, and saving it creates the appointment, already confirmed. Use this when you want protection against no-shows without asking clients to pay upfront.

Card on file vs deposit. A deposit takes a real payment at booking and applies it toward the service total. Card on file takes no money - it only stores the card so a fee can be charged later if needed. (A future option to pre-authorise a hold on the card is planned but not yet available.)

Deposit Configuration

When requiring a deposit, configure: Deposit Type:

Fixed amount: A specific dollar amount (e.g., $50)
Percentage: A percentage of the service total (e.g., 25%). Add-ons are included; products and the appointment fee are not, so neither increases the deposit

If a client cancels late or doesn’t show: decides what a late cancellation or a no-show leaves of the deposit.

Refund the deposit, less the fee (the default): the fee comes out of the deposit and the rest goes back to the client.
Keep the whole deposit: the client gets none of the deposit back, even when the fee is smaller.

Either way, a late cancellation or no-show fee larger than the deposit can be charged to a card the client saved. See How the fee is collected.

How Deposits Work

Under Book now, pay within a window:

Client selects services and, if enabled, a team member (see how clients book)
Appointment is created in “Booked” status
Client sees “Deposit Required” message with deposit amount
Client is redirected to payment page
Payment succeeds → Appointment status changes to “Confirmed”
Payment fails or is not completed → Client can retry using the same deposit link until your auto-cancel window ends; then the booking is released (with Stripe and a window of up to a day, the moment the payment page expires; otherwise on the next 15-minute check)

Under Pay to book no appointment is created at step 2. The time is held for 30 minutes while the client pays, and paying is what creates the appointment, already confirmed. See When a client books online. Deposit Application:

The deposit amount is applied toward the total service cost
If deposit is less than total, remaining balance is due at the appointment

Fee Calculator

The booking policies page includes a fee calculator showing:

Stripe Fee: Payment processing fee (varies by region)
Platform Fee: Bella Booking platform fee
Total Fees: Combined fees deducted
You Receive: Net amount after fees

Enter different deposit amounts to see how fees affect your revenue. The calculator covers Stripe rates in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In any other country it links to Stripe’s pricing page, where you can see the rates for your country.

Service-Level Overrides

Each service can override the payment policy:

Use default: Apply location settings
No upfront payment: No deposit for this service
Require deposit: Specify fixed amount or percentage
Card on file: The client saves a card to secure the booking - no upfront charge. Whatever your location’s own policy, a client with no saved card gets no appointment until they save one: their time is held for 30 minutes meanwhile, and saving the card creates the appointment, already confirmed

A service that takes a deposit can also set its own deposit rule, Keep the whole deposit or Refund the deposit, less the fee, or follow your location’s. Membership plans can override the payment policy too, for members on their covered services - see Memberships → Deposit for members for the full resolution order (membership → service → location default). These are standing rules: the deposit rules follow Deposit applies to, so on All bookings they reach the appointments your team creates and on Online bookings only they don’t, while a card on file requirement gates online bookings only (for a team-created appointment you can instead charge the client’s saved card at creation). For a one-off change, the deposit amount is editable (or waivable) directly on the Scheduler’s create-appointment form - see Adjusting the Deposit on One Appointment.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Fixed Amount Deposit

Policy: Require deposit, Fixed amount
Deposit Amount: $50
Service Total: $150
Result: Client pays $50 deposit, $100 remaining balance due at appointment
Client Experience: “A deposit of $50.00 is required to secure your booking. The remaining balance of $100.00 will be due at your appointment.”

Scenario 2: Percentage-Based Deposit

Policy: Require deposit, Percentage
Deposit Percentage: 25%
Service Total: $200
Calculation: $200 × 25% = $50 deposit
Result: Client pays $50 deposit, $150 remaining balance due at appointment
Client Experience: “A deposit of $50.00 is required to secure your booking. The remaining balance of $150.00 will be due at your appointment.”

Scenario 3: Deposit Equals Total

Policy: Require deposit, Fixed amount
Deposit Amount: $100
Service Total: $100
Result: Client pays $100 deposit, no remaining balance
Client Experience: “A deposit of $100.00 is required to secure your booking. This will be applied toward your service total.”

Scenario 4: No Deposit Required

Policy: No upfront payment
Service Total: $150
Result: No deposit required, full payment due at appointment
Client Experience: No deposit message shown, appointment confirmed immediately

Scenario 5: Multiple Services with Different Policies

Service A: No deposit required
Service B: 25% deposit required
Service A Price: $100
Service B Price: $200
Total: $300
Applied Policy: 25% deposit (most restrictive)
Calculation: $300 × 25% = $75 deposit
Result: Client pays $75 deposit, $225 remaining balance

Scenario 6: Deposit Applied to a Late Cancellation

Policy: Require deposit, Fixed amount $100, Refund the deposit, less the fee
Cancellation Policy: 24-hour notice, fee of 25% of the service price
Service Total: $200
Cancellation Time: 12 hours before (insufficient notice)
Calculation: fee $200 × 25% = $50, taken from the $100 deposit
Result: $50 refunded, $50 kept as the fee

Booking Options

Configure client booking options and preferences. All settings in this section can be overridden per service.

Choose Team Member

Control whether clients pick their own team member when booking online.

Allowed (default): Clients choose a team member, or Any team member for the best available match
Not allowed: Clients go straight from Services to Time, and Bella assigns the team member

Each service can override this on its own Booking policies tab in the Service Catalogue. The Booking page shows this choice on its Booking steps card, with a link back here.

Allow Clients to Join Waitlist

Control whether clients can join a waitlist from your booking page.

Enabled: Clients can join a waitlist from the time step, on a fully booked date or from under the times on any other date, and you can share the Straight to the waitlist link
Disabled (default): Waitlist option is not shown

How It Works:

Client selects services and a date
System displays “Join the waitlist” on a fully booked date, or “Can’t find a time that suits? Join the waitlist” under the times
Client adds up to 6 preferred dates, each with a time window such as Morning or Afternoon
Client signs in and joins the waitlist
Entry appears in your Scheduler waitlist panel
When a slot opens, you contact the client and book from the waitlist

Service-Level Override:

Each service can override this setting
Select “Yes - Allow waitlist for this service” to enable even if location default is disabled
Select “No - Don’t allow waitlist for this service” to disable even if location default is enabled
Select “Use default” to follow the location setting

Resolution Logic (Multiple Services): When an appointment includes multiple services:

If ANY selected service explicitly disables waitlist → Waitlist disabled
If ANY selected service explicitly enables waitlist → Waitlist enabled
If ALL services inherit → Use location default

Best Practices:

Enable for services where demand often exceeds availability
Consider disabling for express or walk-in services where waitlists don’t make sense
Review your waitlist regularly to follow up with clients

Hide Prices in Online Booking

The Prices row under Settings → Booking policies (Client display) is Visible or Hidden. Hidden means clients will not see the amount on the booking page, even after you have entered one.

Hidden: the amount is hidden during online booking
Visible (default): the amount is shown

When Hidden helps:

Services with prices that vary based on hair length, complexity, or consultation
When you prefer to discuss pricing in person
For services where the final price is determined during the appointment

When Visible helps:

Services with a fixed price
When clients expect to see prices before they book

How it displays:

Prices	Price prefix	What clients see on most booking steps
Hidden	None	”-“
Hidden	”From"	"From” (prefix only)
Visible	None	the formatted amount
Visible	”From"	"From” plus the formatted amount

The service list can hide the amount entirely (no dash) when prices are Hidden. Service-level override:

Each service can override this setting on its Booking policies tab
Set Prices to Hidden to hide even if the location default is Visible
Set Prices to Visible to show even if the location default is Hidden
Leave Use default to follow the location setting

Recipe: show one service online without its price

Open the service in the Service Catalogue and go to its Booking policies tab
Set Prices to Hidden. Your other services keep following the location setting
Optionally, give the service a Price prefix (for example “From”) on its details, so clients see that word instead of a dash
Save the service

Clients then book it without seeing an amount on the booking page or in their confirmation and reminders. The price you entered still applies: a percentage deposit is worked out from it and shown, and the checkout receipt shows what was charged. Price Visibility in Communications:

Pre-checkout communications (booking confirmations, reminders): amounts hidden when Prices is Hidden
Post-checkout communications (checkout receipts): Confirmed prices always shown
Deposits: Always shown regardless of hide prices setting (clients need to know what they’re paying)
Appointment fee: When the booking charges it, its client-facing name and amount are always shown before confirmation, even while catalogue prices and the total remain hidden. A booking that charges no fee (a prepaid session with Waive for prepaid sessions On) shows no fee line

Time Slot Interval

Control the spacing between the available times clients can pick when booking online. On the page, the row reads this back as “Every 15 minutes” (or whatever interval you’ve set) - a spacing, not a length. For example, a 30-minute interval offers times at 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, and so on; a 15-minute interval offers 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, and so on. Note: This setting applies to online bookings only. It controls the available times clients see - it does not change how the scheduler looks to your team (that is Zoom, a separate display-only setting).

Available Options

Presets run 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 minutes, then quarter-hour steps from 1 hour to 2 hours. If none of them suits you, choose Custom and enter any interval between 5 and 120 minutes. Smaller intervals show more available times and give clients more choice; larger intervals show fewer.

10 minutes suits businesses that have moved off the traditional 15-minute grid - common in hairdressing. Choosing 5 minutes would cover every 10-minute time too, but it also offers the in-between ones (9:05, 9:15, 9:25 and so on), which a 10-minute business generally doesn’t want.

Setting the Time Slot Interval

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
Click the Time slot interval row
Choose a preset, or click Custom and enter your own interval in minutes - any value from 5 to 120 minutes, in steps of 5. The presets are shortcuts, not the whole list, so intervals like 10, 20 or 25 minutes are all available.
Review the change summary that appears, then click Apply

Scheduling Optimisation

Control how available time slots are presented to clients during online booking. This setting helps you keep your calendar compact by guiding clients toward slots that avoid leaving short, unfillable gaps between appointments. Note: This setting applies to online bookings only. Your team always sees all available slots when booking from the Scheduler.

Optimisation Modes

Mode	Description
Show all	Display every available time at your configured interval. Clients have full flexibility, but bookings may leave short gaps between appointments.
Reduce gaps	Hide available times that would leave gaps too short for another booking. Clients still see plenty of choice while your calendar stays compact.
Eliminate gaps	Only offer available times directly next to existing bookings, breaks, or shift boundaries. Keeps your schedule tightly packed but may show fewer available times.

Setting Scheduling Optimisation

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
Find the Schedule gaps row, under Booking access
Select one of the three modes - Show all, Reduce gaps or Eliminate gaps
Review the staged change and select Apply. Nothing is saved until you do

Preview booking flow

Use Preview booking flow (page header, or search for it in the command palette) to walk through the messages, payments and notifications a client and your business receive after a booking - deposits, approval, reminders, late cancellation or no-show fees. It does not show which times clients can pick; for that use Check what clients see / Find a time (below). The two tools answer different halves of “what happens when someone books online.”

Checking what clients see

From Booking policies, when Schedule gaps is Reduce or Eliminate, use Check what clients see under that row - it opens Find a time in a new tab, already on the Online booking view, so your policy edits stay on the page. The same check is available from Preview booking flow (under the Booking page chips as Check available times), from Online booking → Live preview, and when a team member or service is turned off for online booking. You can also open Find a time from the Scheduler (or press F). Its Availability view has two presets - Scheduler (every free slot your team can book, the default) and Online booking (exactly what clients see). Each booking rule that can differ between the two - Schedule gaps, the minimum notice period, and the booking window - is listed with its own switch showing whether it is enforced, pre-set by the preset you pick; toggle rules individually for a custom view. An Online vs Scheduler slot count shows how many free times clients do not see (whenever any of those rules can differ), and Find a time explains when Schedule gaps hid free times - including days that still show some options, and days that look empty online even though the calendar still has open pockets (not fully booked). If the selected team member or service is hidden from online booking, Find a time says so - clients can never choose them online. From the Online booking view you can open Preview booking flow in a new tab to walk through messages and payments. Switch back to Scheduler to book any free slot yourself. Find a time still offers a time the client you choose is already booked at, and marks the day with Client already has an appointment on this day. Your booking page is stricter for a signed-in client: it hides any time that overlaps one of their appointments. So if a time shows in Find a time but is missing from your booking page while you’re signed in as a client, check that client’s appointments that day, or open your booking page in a private or incognito window to see what a new client sees (see Times that clash with the client’s own appointments).

How It Works

The optimisation filter runs after all other availability checks (working hours, blocked time, notice periods). It examines each candidate time slot and evaluates the gaps it would create relative to existing appointments, blocked time, and shift boundaries. Schedule gaps is worked out from your team members’ calendars. A booking made only of resource-only services (a room or piece of equipment booked with no team member) has no team member calendar to tidy, so Schedule gaps doesn’t hide any of its times, whichever mode you choose. Show all time slots:

No filtering - every available slot is shown
Default behaviour

Reduce gaps:

A slot is hidden if it would create a gap that is longer than zero but shorter than your configured time slot interval
Gaps of zero (back-to-back) and gaps large enough to fit at least one more booking are allowed
In practice, this removes only the “awkward” slots that leave dead time - when better options exist
A free window is never made fully unbookable. If every remaining start in a pocket would leave a short remnant (for example a 50-minute service in a 90-minute gap with 60-minute time slots), those starts stay visible instead of the day reading as fully booked. Reduce gaps prefers tidy slots; it does not hide the only bookable times

Eliminate gaps:

A slot is shown only if it is directly adjacent (zero gap) to an existing appointment, blocked time, or shift boundary on at least one side
On days with no existing bookings or blocked time, all slots are shown - there is nothing to cluster around yet, unless you set a Smallest usable gap (below)
Once the first booking is placed, subsequent slots are offered only next to existing activity

Smallest Usable Gap

By default, the first booking of a day can start anywhere. If your services are 20 minutes and you open at 10:00, a client can book 10:05 and leave five minutes that nobody can use. Smallest usable gap lets you put a floor on that. Set it to 20 minutes and each end of the first booking of the day has to be tidy: either flush against that team member’s shift - starting the moment it opens, or finishing the moment it ends - or leaving at least 20 minutes on that side. Both ends have to pass. On 5-minute time slots that means 10:00 and 10:20 are offered, while 10:05, 10:10 and 10:15 are not.

Setting It

You set this inside the Schedule gaps row - it belongs to Eliminate gaps and exists nowhere else.

Navigate to Settings → Booking policies
Click the Schedule gaps row, under Booking access
Select Eliminate gaps. Smallest usable gap appears underneath, in the same editor
Choose a preset or enter your own, or leave it Off. It has to be at least your time slot interval and at most 4 hours - on a 30-minute interval, picking the 15 or 20 minute preset shows a warning and the page will not save until you raise it
Review the staged change and select Apply

Off is the default, and nothing changes for your booking page until you set it. Once set, the Schedule gaps row reads back both halves at a glance - Eliminate gaps · smallest usable gap 30 minutes.

What It Does and Doesn’t Affect

Only with Eliminate gaps. It lives inside that choice, so on the other two modes there is nothing to set and the value is cleared if you switch away. Reduce gaps already uses your time slot interval as its threshold
Only on a day where that team member has nothing on at all. It is judged per team member, so a colleague being busy does not switch it off for someone who is free. Any appointment OR blocked time of their own - including a recurring break they block out each day - makes it a normal day, and once a day has something in it, Eliminate gaps goes back to offering times directly against existing bookings. This is deliberate: applying a floor there too would make a 30-minute pocket between two appointments unbookable for a 20-minute service, because it strands 10 minutes whichever end it takes - losing you the booking to save the gap
A long service is never made unbookable. If a service is so long that every start a team member could take leaves less than your floor at one end or the other, all of their available times are shown instead. Checked per team member, so a colleague with a longer shift never masks it. This safety net looks at the whole day, so it does not fire when only the remaining part of today is too short - late in the day a floor can legitimately leave nothing bookable until tomorrow

Choosing a Value

Think about the shortest thing you would genuinely sell into a gap. If you offer a 10-minute fringe trim online and it gets booked, a 10-minute gap isn’t wasted and a 20-minute floor would cost you available times for no reason. If your shortest real service is 30 minutes, anything under that is dead time worth blocking.

What Counts as an Anchor

The filter considers these calendar items as anchors that slots can be adjacent to:

Appointments - existing confirmed or booked appointments for the team member
Blocked time - personal breaks and lunch breaks belonging to that team member. Blocked time owned by a resource rather than a person does not count here
Shift boundaries - the start and end of a team member’s working shift

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Reduce Gaps - Removes Awkward Slots

Shift: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Existing appointment: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Service duration: 45 minutes
Time slot interval: 30 minutes
Slot at 9:00 AM: Would end at 9:45 AM, leaving a 15-minute gap before the 10:00 AM appointment. 15 minutes is shorter than the 30-minute interval → slot hidden
Slot at 11:00 AM: Starts right after the appointment ends (zero gap) → slot shown
Slot at 11:30 AM: Gap before the slot is 30 minutes (equals the interval) → slot shown

Scenario 2: Eliminate Gaps - Back-to-Back Only

Shift: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Existing appointment: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Service duration: 60 minutes
Slot at 9:00 AM: Adjacent to shift start (zero gap before) → slot shown
Slot at 11:00 AM: Adjacent to appointment end (zero gap before) → slot shown
Slot at 11:30 AM: Not adjacent on either side → slot hidden
Slot at 4:00 PM: Service ends at 5:00 PM = shift end (zero gap after) → slot shown

Scenario 3: Eliminate Gaps - Empty Day

Shift: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
No existing appointments or blocked time
Result: All available slots are shown - there is nothing to cluster around yet. Set a Smallest usable gap if you would rather the first booking of the day could not strand a few unsellable minutes against opening or closing time
Once a client books (e.g., 10:00 AM), subsequent clients see only slots adjacent to that booking and shift edges

Scenario 4: Blocked time Acts as Anchor

Shift: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Lunch break (blocked time): 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Mode: Eliminate gaps
Service duration: 30 minutes
Slot at 11:30 AM: Service ends at 12:00 PM = lunch start (zero gap after) → slot shown
Slot at 1:00 PM: Adjacent to lunch end (zero gap before) → slot shown
Slot at 2:00 PM: Not adjacent on either side → slot hidden

When to Use Each Mode

Show all time slots:

You want maximum flexibility for clients
Your calendar is mostly empty and you want to fill it quickly
You handle schedule gaps through other means (walk-ins, internal bookings)

Reduce gaps:

You want a balanced approach - clients still see plenty of options
You want to avoid the most obvious dead time without being too restrictive
Good default for most businesses

Eliminate gaps:

You want tightly packed schedules with minimal dead time
Your business has high demand and can afford to show fewer slots
Team members prefer back-to-back appointments to finish earlier

Best Practices

Minimum Notice Period

24 hours is most common and fair
Use longer periods for complex services requiring preparation
Consider your client base and industry standards

Maximum Booking Window

90 days (3 months) is a good starting point for most businesses
Use the longest window (365 days / 1 year) for event services like weddings; create appointments further out manually from the Scheduler
Use shorter windows (1-4 weeks) if your schedule changes frequently
Review periodically and adjust based on your booking patterns

Appointments Per Day

Start from the number of appointments you finish a day feeling good about, not your record day
Pair it with the waitlist so a capped day captures demand instead of turning clients away
Remember it governs online booking only - you can still add to a full day from the Scheduler
If chairs or rooms are your real constraint, set capacity on your resources instead

Cancellation Policy

Start with 24-hour cancellation period
Use a fee of 50% of the service price as a starting point
Enable self-service cancellation to reduce administrative work
Review cancellation patterns monthly and adjust as needed

Client Confirmation

Use 24-hour confirmation window for most services
Include {{ConfirmAppointmentLink}} in reminder messages
Follow up with clients who haven’t confirmed close to appointment time

Payment Policy

Require deposits for high-value services to reduce no-shows
Consider percentage-based deposits for variable-priced services
Use fixed deposits for consistent deposit amounts

Booking Options

Enable waitlist for services where demand often exceeds availability
Set Prices to Hidden for services with variable pricing based on consultation
Set price prefixes (e.g., “From”, “Starting at”) when hiding prices to set expectations
To configure team member selection, set Choose team member in this section

Scheduling Optimisation

Start with Reduce gaps - it removes awkward short gaps without being too restrictive
Use Eliminate gaps only if your demand is high enough that showing fewer available times won’t reduce bookings
Remember that on empty days, Eliminate gaps shows every available time - clients get full flexibility for the first booking of the day, unless you set a Smallest usable gap

FAQs

Q: What’s the difference between minimum notice period, maximum booking window, cancellation period, and reschedule period? A:

Minimum notice period: Prevents clients from booking too close to the appointment time
Maximum booking window: Prevents clients from booking too far into the future
Cancellation period (restricted): Determines when the late cancellation or no-show fee applies (the restricted time window before appointment)
Reschedule period (restricted): Determines when clients cannot reschedule online (the restricted time window before appointment)

They work together to protect your schedule while providing flexibility. Q: What happens when a client tries to select a date beyond the maximum booking window? A: Dates beyond the maximum are disabled in the date picker and cannot be selected. The client can only choose dates within the allowed booking window. Q: Does the maximum booking window affect your team? A: No. The maximum booking window only applies to online bookings. Your team can book appointments at any time through the Scheduler. Q: Can I have different policies for different services? A: Yes! Each service can override location defaults for minimum notice, cancellation policy, reschedule policy, confirmation window, require approval, and payment policy. Q: What’s the difference between cancelling and rescheduling? A:

Cancelling: Ends the appointment, may trigger refunds based on cancellation policy
Rescheduling: Changes the date/time but keeps the same appointment, services, team member, and payment status

Q: If a client reschedules, do they pay again? A: No. Rescheduling preserves the payment status. If they already paid a deposit, no additional payment is required. Q: What happens to unconfirmed appointments? A: They remain in “Booked” status. Bella only cancels them automatically for an unpaid deposit, and only when you have set a time limit: Auto-cancel unpaid for online bookings, When a team member books for appointments your team creates. Otherwise they wait for you to follow up. Q: How are refunds processed? A: Refunds are processed automatically through your payment provider when clients cancel. The refund amount depends on your cancellation policy. Q: Can I override the calculated refund? A: Yes. When your team cancels an appointment, they can override the calculated refund for special circumstances. Q: Do deposits apply to business-created appointments? A: Yes - the deposit policy applies to appointments you create in the Scheduler as well as online bookings (provided Stripe is connected). When a deposit is required, the appointment is held with a “Deposit required” indicator and the client is sent a payment link; you can also record the deposit manually, charge a saved card on file, or waive/override it for that appointment - the deposit amount is editable right on the create form (see Adjusting the Deposit on One Appointment). The client confirmation window is different - it applies only to appointments you create yourself: if enabled, those stay in “Booked” until the client confirms. Online bookings confirm on booking (or on deposit payment, or once you approve them when Require approval is on) and are not affected by the confirmation window. Q: Can clients change services or team members when rescheduling? A: No. Rescheduling only allows changing the date and time. To change services or team members, clients must cancel and create a new booking. Q: Why can’t clients cancel or reschedule appointments without deposits when policies are set? A:

Cancellation policies: Online cancellation with less than the required notice is only available for appointments with deposit payments. This ensures that clients who have made a financial commitment can manage their appointments online. Appointments cancelled with at least the required notice can be cancelled online regardless of deposit status.
Reschedule policies: Online rescheduling with less than the required notice is blocked for all appointments, regardless of deposit status. The reschedule policy is time-based only. Appointments rescheduled with at least the required notice can be rescheduled online. Appointments without deposits can still be cancelled or rescheduled by contacting you directly.

Q: What is the “Require approval” booking option? A: When enabled, online bookings are not automatically confirmed. Instead, they remain in “Booked” status until you manually review and approve (confirm) or decline (cancel) the appointment. This gives you control over which bookings to accept. Clients receive a “Pending approval” notification explaining their request is being reviewed. Q: What happens if I have both approval required and deposits enabled? A: Approval applies only to bookings where no payment step applies (no deposit and no card to capture). When you require a deposit, the client pays at booking and the appointment confirms automatically on successful payment-the system does not hold it for approval after payment. So with deposits enabled, online bookings confirm on payment; approval applies only to bookings without a payment step. A required card on file works the same way: when the card still needs to be captured, saving it confirms the booking without approval (if the client already has a saved card, approval still applies). Under the location’s Card on file policy that booking isn’t created until the card is saved, so nothing sits in your approval queue meanwhile. If you need to reject a booking after the client has paid, cancel it from the Scheduler and process a refund if appropriate. Q: Can I require approval for just one team member or one service? A: Per service, yes. Approval is overridable per service like every other booking policy: open the service in your Service Catalogue, go to its Booking policies tab, and set its Approval field to Require approval (or Auto-confirm) to override the location default for that service - leave it on Use default to inherit. So one service can wait for your approval while others auto-confirm. Per team member, no - there’s no per-team-member approval toggle. If the team members in question offer different services, the per-service override achieves what you want. Q: What is the online waitlist feature? A: When enabled, clients can join a waitlist from your booking page on any date (on a fully booked date, or from under the times when none suit them), or from your Straight to the waitlist link. You’ll see these entries in your Scheduler waitlist panel and can book them when spots open up. It helps capture demand that would otherwise be lost. Q: What happens when a client joins the online waitlist? A: The client receives a confirmation message (if automated messages are enabled). The waitlist entry appears in your Scheduler waitlist panel with the client’s preferred times: up to 6, each a date with a time window. The online form has no notes field, so these entries arrive without notes. When a slot opens up, you contact the client and book from the waitlist. Q: How do I hide prices on the booking page? A: On Settings → Booking policies, set Prices to Hidden. Clients will not see the amount, even when you have entered one. A price prefix (for example From) still shows on some booking steps. Deposits are still shown. Q: Can I hide prices for some services but not others? A: Yes. Open the service, go to Booking policies, and set Prices to Visible or Hidden. Leave it on Use default to follow the location setting. Q: Are deposits hidden when prices are hidden? A: No. Deposit amounts are always shown to clients, even when prices are hidden. Clients need to know what they’re paying upfront. The remaining balance is hidden and replaced with “Final price will be confirmed at your appointment.” Q: What is scheduling optimisation? A: Scheduling optimisation controls which time slots are shown to clients during online booking to help keep your calendar compact. You can show all slots, reduce gaps (prefer slots that avoid unfillable dead time - without hiding a day that only has imperfect options), or eliminate gaps (only show slots directly next to existing bookings). Q: Does scheduling optimisation affect bookings made from the Scheduler? A: No. Your team always sees all available time slots when booking from the Scheduler. The optimisation filter only applies to online bookings. Q: Why do I still see every available time on an empty day with “Eliminate gaps” enabled? A: This is expected. When a team member has no existing appointments or blocked time on a day, there is nothing to cluster around, so all slots are shown. Once the first booking is placed, subsequent clients see only slots adjacent to that booking and shift boundaries. If you want a floor on that first booking, set a Smallest usable gap. Q: How are processing time and buffer time shown to clients during online booking? A: Processing time is included in the total duration displayed to clients. For example, a 60-minute colour service with a 30-minute processing time shows as “90 mins (incl. 30 min processing time)” so clients understand the full appointment time. Buffer time (Buffer Before and Buffer After) is never shown to clients. It keeps the team member, and any room or equipment the service uses, busy before or after the appointment, so it does change which times clients can pick. See Service Timing Concepts.

​Introduction

​How these settings interact

​Deposit and approval are complementary, not redundant

​Online payments unlocks most protections

​Approval applies to online bookings only

​Reschedule policy is time-based regardless of deposit

​What this means in practice

​Accessing Booking Policies

​Appointment fee

​Turn it on

​What clients see

​The quoted fee stays with the appointment

​Collect at booking, Non-refundable and Waive for prepaid sessions

​What the fee does and does not affect

​Client details

​Clients who already have an account

​Seeing the impact before you save

​Warnings you might see

​Per-service minimum notice

​Minimum Notice Period

​Setting Minimum Notice

​How It Works

​Service-Level Overrides

​Example Scenarios

​Maximum Booking Window

​Setting Maximum Booking Window

​Available Options

​How It Works

​When to Use

​Example Scenarios

​Appointments Per Day

​Setting a daily limit

​What counts towards the limit

​How it works

​Pair it with your waitlist

​Choosing a number

​Cancellation Policy

​Cancellation Period

​Late cancellation or no-show fee

​How the fee is collected

​Allow Self-Service Cancellation

​Preview cancellation scenarios

​Service-Level Overrides

​Example Scenarios

​Reschedule Policy

​Reschedule Period

​Allow Self-Service Rescheduling

​How It Works

​Important Notes

​Service-Level Overrides

​Example Scenarios

​Require approval for online bookings

​Approval flow at a glance (no payment step)

​Turning it on

​How It Works with Other Settings

​Automated Messages

​Client Confirmation

​How It Works

​Confirmation Window Options

​Choosing the Initial Status

​Confirmation Links

​Confirmation vs Deposits

​Service-Level Overrides

​Example Scenarios

​Payment Policy

​Payment Policy Options

​Deposit Configuration

​How Deposits Work

​Fee Calculator

​Service-Level Overrides

​Example Scenarios

​Booking Options

​Choose Team Member

​Allow Clients to Join Waitlist

​Hide Prices in Online Booking

​Time Slot Interval

​Available Options

​Setting the Time Slot Interval

​Scheduling Optimisation

​Optimisation Modes

Introduction

How these settings interact

Deposit and approval are complementary, not redundant

Online payments unlocks most protections

Approval applies to online bookings only

Reschedule policy is time-based regardless of deposit

What this means in practice

Accessing Booking Policies

Appointment fee

Turn it on

What clients see

The quoted fee stays with the appointment

Collect at booking, Non-refundable and Waive for prepaid sessions

What the fee does and does not affect

Client details

Clients who already have an account

Seeing the impact before you save

Warnings you might see

Per-service minimum notice

Minimum Notice Period

Setting Minimum Notice

How It Works

Service-Level Overrides

Example Scenarios

Maximum Booking Window

Setting Maximum Booking Window

Available Options

How It Works

When to Use

Example Scenarios

Appointments Per Day

Setting a daily limit

What counts towards the limit

How it works

Pair it with your waitlist

Choosing a number

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation Period

Late cancellation or no-show fee

How the fee is collected

Allow Self-Service Cancellation

Preview cancellation scenarios

Service-Level Overrides

Example Scenarios

Reschedule Policy

Reschedule Period

Allow Self-Service Rescheduling

How It Works

Important Notes

Service-Level Overrides

Example Scenarios

Require approval for online bookings

Approval flow at a glance (no payment step)

Turning it on

How It Works with Other Settings

Automated Messages

Client Confirmation

How It Works

Confirmation Window Options

Choosing the Initial Status

Confirmation Links

Confirmation vs Deposits

Service-Level Overrides

Example Scenarios

Payment Policy

Payment Policy Options

Deposit Configuration

How Deposits Work

Fee Calculator

Service-Level Overrides

Example Scenarios

Booking Options

Choose Team Member

Allow Clients to Join Waitlist

Hide Prices in Online Booking

Time Slot Interval

Available Options

Setting the Time Slot Interval

Scheduling Optimisation

Optimisation Modes