Booking deposits
Online booking deposits for med spas, collected at booking
Add a deposit to the treatments that need one. Patients pay it on Stripe's secure payment page straight after they book, and the rest is paid at your clinic.
Hold your time with a deposit
Laser hair removal, full legs
Sat 20 · 11:30 AM · Anyone available
Your time is held for about an hour while you pay.
Card payment on Stripe's secure page
A no-show on a high-value treatment costs the whole slot
Most med spas already ask for deposits on some treatments. The trouble is collecting them without a phone call, a payment link and a spreadsheet.
The slot you held for nobody
A patient books a 90-minute laser session and doesn't turn up. The practitioner's time is gone, and so is the patient who would have taken it.
Chasing deposits by text
Your front desk sends a payment link, waits, checks the payments app, then updates the diary by hand. It happens between patients, so it slips.
Booked but never paid
Without a rule for unpaid deposits, the slot stays blocked while nobody pays for it. Someone has to remember to release it.
How it works
Book, pay, confirmed: one flow
The deposit is part of your online booking, on your own website. There's no separate invoice to send and nothing to reconcile by hand.
You set a deposit on a treatment
In Services, add a deposit to the treatments that need one, such as long laser sessions or high-value injectables. Treatments without a deposit book exactly as before.
The patient books a real free time
They choose the treatment, a practitioner and a time from your real availability, then enter their details as usual.
They pay on Stripe's secure page
Straight after booking they're taken to Stripe Checkout. Card details go to Stripe, never to your website.
Their time is held while they pay
The slot is held for about an hour. If the deposit isn't paid in that time, the slot is released automatically and becomes bookable again.
Paid means confirmed, or waiting for you
With instant confirmation the booking confirms as soon as the deposit is paid. With manual confirmation it waits for your team, already paid.
Hold your time with a deposit
Laser hair removal, full legs
Sat 20 · 11:30 AM · Anyone available
Your time is held for about an hour while you pay.
Card payment on Stripe's secure page
Deposits only where you want them
A deposit is set per treatment, so you decide exactly where it applies. A 20-minute consultation can stay free to book while a full-legs laser session or a filler appointment carries a deposit.
The treatment page on your website shows the deposit alongside the price, duration and downtime, so patients know before they start booking. Nobody meets a surprise charge at the last step.
What the patient sees after paying
Every booking has a private manage page. Once the deposit is paid it shows as paid there, next to the appointment details, the add-to-calendar link and directions.
The rest of the treatment price is paid at your clinic, however you already take payment. Velvet Lead doesn't collect the balance online.
When a deposit is still due
If a patient closes the payment page before paying, the manage page lets them pay a deposit that's still due while their time is held.
An automatic email can remind them that the deposit is due. If the hold runs out first, the slot is released, so your diary never keeps a time for someone who didn't pay.
The awkward case, handled
Occasionally a deposit arrives after its slot was already released. When that happens, the Velvet Lead team is alerted so your clinic can refund the patient or rebook them, rather than finding out when they walk in.
Refunds are made in your own Stripe account, where you already see every payment. Velvet Lead doesn't issue refunds from the admin panel.
Your front desk sees deposit status at a glance
In Bookings, each appointment shows whether its deposit is paid or still due, next to the booking's status and internal notes. There's no need to cross-check a separate payments app to know who is committed.
Deposits work together with appointment reminders and the self-cancel link from online booking, which frees a slot a patient can't use. Together they are the practical side of reducing no-shows.
What it costs
Deposits run through your clinic's own Stripe account, so the money goes straight to you. Stripe charges its standard processing fees on each deposit, paid by your clinic. Velvet Lead doesn't add a fee on top of Stripe's.
Honest limits
What deposits don't do
Deposits are deliberately narrow. Here's where they stop.
- Online payment is limited to booking deposits on treatments that have one. There's no full online payment, point of sale or invoicing.
- No packages, memberships, gift cards or subscriptions are sold through the website.
- Refunds are made in your Stripe account, not from the Velvet Lead admin panel.
- Deposits need a Stripe account. Stripe doesn't currently accept businesses registered in Pakistan, so most clinics there take payment at the clinic.
- Stripe is the only payment provider. There's no PayPal or other payment integration.
Built for clinics like yours
- Med spas Facials, laser and injectables with US time zones and campaign tracking
- Aesthetic clinics Injectables, skin boosters, consultations and a gallery with consent
- Laser hair removal clinics Courses of sessions, patch tests and busy weekend diaries
- Hair transplant clinics High-value consultation leads, follow-ups and a consented gallery
- Cosmetic surgery practices Consultation requests, careful follow-up and a gallery with consent
FAQ
Questions clinics ask
How do patients pay the deposit?
Straight after booking, they're taken to Stripe Checkout, Stripe's secure payment page. Card details go to Stripe and never touch your website.
What happens if a patient doesn't pay?
Their time is held for about an hour. If the deposit isn't paid by then, the slot is released automatically and other patients can book it.
Can we take a deposit on some treatments and not others?
Yes. Deposits are set per treatment in Services, so a consultation can stay free while longer or higher-value treatments carry a deposit.
Who handles refunds?
Your clinic does, in its own Stripe account. If a deposit arrives after its slot was released, the Velvet Lead team is alerted so you can refund or rebook the patient.
Can patients pay the full treatment price online?
No. Online payment covers the deposit only. The rest is paid at your clinic, however you already take payment.
Are there fees?
Stripe's standard processing fees apply to each deposit and are paid by your clinic. Velvet Lead doesn't add a fee on top.
Stop holding slots for patients who never pay
Book a 15-minute demo and we'll show you a deposit booking on our demo clinic, from booking to paid.