If customers can book online but pay later, you're carrying all the risk. No-shows, last-minute cancellations and unpaid bookings all cost you money. A booking system with payment fixes that by taking payment the moment a customer books.
This guide explains how online booking with payment works, the costs involved, how refunds work, and what to look for in a UK booking system that takes payments.
It's online booking software that collects payment as part of the booking. The customer picks a service and time, enters their card details (or uses a digital wallet) and the booking is confirmed once payment succeeds.
Instead of chasing payments or losing money to no-shows, every online booking arrives already paid.
Most booking systems use a payment provider such as Stripe, Square or PayPal. A typical flow looks like this:
There are usually two types of cost to compare:
| Cost | What it is | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Payment processing fee | Charged by the payment provider on each transaction | Standard published rates, no markup |
| Booking commission | A percentage some platforms take on top | Ideally zero |
| Software subscription | Monthly fee for the booking system | Flat and predictable |
Commission is the cost that grows fastest. On a business taking £5,000 a month in bookings, a 2% commission is £100 a month on top of processing fees. Our guide to free online booking systems explains how these hidden costs add up.
You can take:
Read our guide to taking deposits for appointments for how much to charge and a cancellation policy template.
A good booking system with payment should make refunds simple. When you cancel a paid booking, the refund should be issued automatically back to the customer's card, without logging into a separate payment dashboard.
Publish a clear cancellation policy on your booking page so customers know where they stand before they pay.
Dyal takes payment at booking through Stripe:
Yes. Most modern booking systems integrate with payment providers like Stripe so customers pay when they book.
Choose booking software with no commission and standard payment processing fees, so you only pay the provider's published rate plus a flat software fee.
Yes, when the booking system uses a trusted provider such as Stripe. Card details are handled by the payment provider, not stored by your booking system.
Yes. With Dyal, cancelling a paid booking issues a refund to the customer automatically.
Stop chasing payments and losing money to no-shows. See Dyal's plans — online booking with payments from £10 a month, no commission, with your first 3 months free.