How to take deposits for appointments, and cut no-shows
To take a deposit for appointments, use online booking that charges a fixed amount by card when the client books, takes it off the bill on the day, and says plainly until when it's refunded. Keep the deposit small compared with the price, put the rule on your website and in the confirmation, and refund it when you're the one who cancels. Below: how much to ask, a fair rule and its wording, and a real hairdresser's booking website with a £20 deposit, built from one message in 69 seconds on Ginta's free plan.
This is practical advice, not legal advice. The UK rules quoted are from GOV.UK; other countries have similar consumer rules.
How a deposit for an appointment works
- The client picks a service, a day and a time on your website.
- Before the time is theirs, they pay the deposit by card. If they leave without paying, the time is released again after a short while.
- They get a confirmation with the date, the deposit paid, the rest to pay on the day, and the cancellation rule.
- On the day, the deposit comes off the bill.
- If they cancel in time, you refund the deposit; if they cancel late or don't come, you keep it, as your rule says.
A deposit is a part of the price paid in advance. Prepayment is the whole price in advance. Card on file (the client's card is saved and charged only after a no-show) is a third way; it needs a booking app that supports it.
How much to ask
There's no single right number, but there are two limits:
- Enough that people don't book casually. A deposit of a few pounds or euros stops "I'll book three times and pick one later".
- Small compared with the price. GOV.UK's guide for consumers says non-refundable deposits "should only be a small percentage of the total price", and that cancellation charges must be a genuine estimate of the business's direct loss (Cancelling goods or services). A cancellation charge isn't fair just because it's written down.
Many solo businesses use one fixed amount for every service (£10–£20 for hair, beauty and therapy), which is easy to explain. For long, expensive services (colour, extensions, a bridal trial), make the cancellation window longer rather than the deposit bigger.
A fair cancellation rule, and wording you can copy
Clients accept a deposit when the rule is short, fair both ways, and seen before they pay. For example:
A £20 deposit holds your appointment and comes off your bill on the day. Cancel or move online up to 48 hours before and it's refunded. Later than that, or if you don't come, the deposit is kept. If I have to cancel, you get it back in full.
Put it next to the booking, not only in the small print, and in the confirmation email. Say what happens when you cancel or run late; a one-sided rule is the one people complain about.
Free services: no deposit
A free patch test or a free consultation shouldn't ask for money. On Ginta, services priced at zero never take a deposit, even when the website asks for one on everything else; a deposit is also never more than the service's price.
A real example: a hairdresser in Brighton with a £20 deposit
Nadia Lane Hair is made up for this post. The website, timings and credits are real, from 29 October 2026: nadia-lane-hair.ginta.page.
What I typed
What came out, 69 seconds later
The website was live 69 seconds after I pressed the button and used 10.8 credits (10.2 for the build, 0.6 for one repair round). It asked no questions.
Ginta set up the booking with the six services, the hours, a £20 deposit, and online cancelling and moving until 2 days before, which is the 48-hour rule from my message:
The step where the client pays
The deposit is paid by card through your own Stripe account: you connect it once in Ginta (Account → Payments). Building it for a salon owner or a second business? That website can take payments into its own Stripe account instead (its Settings → Payments), and the owner can connect it from a link without a Ginta account. With Stripe connected, the booking form says "A deposit of £20 is paid online now", the button becomes "Continue to payment", and the client pays on Stripe's page before the time is confirmed. The money goes to your Stripe account; Stripe charges its card fees (in the UK, 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, Stripe's pricing) and Ginta takes nothing on top. This demo has no Stripe account connected, so its form ends with a plain Book button and clients would pay on the day, which Ginta's reply said:
Refunds and no-shows
When a client cancels online in time, you refund the deposit with the Refund button on that booking in Ginta (once per booking, back to their card through Stripe). A late cancellation or a no-show: you keep it, as the rule says. Clients can't cancel online inside the window, so a late change comes to you by phone or email.
What I'd change before sharing it
- The deposit sentence on the page. Ginta wrote "A £20 deposit is paid online to hold your slot" into the page from my message. It's only true once Stripe is connected; connect it before you share the link, or ask Ginta to say "pay on the day" until then.
- Your own photos. The first screen uses a stock photo; for hair, photos of your own colour work matter most.
- The rule in your words. The page says the deposit comes off the bill and the 48-hour rule; add what happens if you cancel.
What it costs
This build used 10.8 credits; every new account gets 25 free credits when it confirms its email, plus
5 a day. Bookings with deposits work on the Free plan, up to 30 bookings a month per website,
at a name.ginta.page address with a small badge. Your own domain and no booking cap start at €5 a
month (if you build with your own Claude or ChatGPT) or €19 on Light. See pricing.
Other tools, checked on 29 October 2026: Square Appointments' free plan has prepayment for chosen services; its cancellation policy and no-show fees are on Plus, £29 a month per location in the UK (Square's pricing). Calendly's free plan has no payments (Calendly's pricing). Wix Bookings needs an upgrade to take payments: Is Wix Bookings free?
Questions
Is it legal to take a non-refundable deposit?
Generally yes, if it's fair: in the UK, GOV.UK says non-refundable deposits should be a small part of the price and cancellation charges a genuine estimate of your loss. Say the rule before people pay.
Should the deposit come off the price?
Yes, almost always. A deposit that's an extra fee on top feels like a charge for booking online and puts people off.
How long before the appointment should the cancellation window be?
24 hours is common for short appointments; 48 hours or more for long ones like colour, where you can't fill the gap at short notice. On Ginta you choose it in the booking settings.
Do deposits stop no-shows completely?
No, but people who've paid something tend to come or tell you in time. Reminders help too: Ginta emails clients the day before.
Can I take the full price instead of a deposit?
Yes. Choose "The full price online" in the booking settings; clients pay the service's price when they book.
Written with AI help for Ginta, which Povilas runs; he also teaches a website-building course. The screenshots are from the real Ginta on the date above, and prices come from our pricing page.