Why a deposit is required
Some services ask for a small deposit up front. Here is why and how it works.
Deposits are how shops protect long or high-demand services from no-shows. If the shop has enabled deposits, you will see the amount before you confirm.
Two ways a shop can set it up
| Mode | What you pay now | What you pay in the chair |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage deposit | A share of the service price, 25% unless the shop has changed it | The remainder |
| Full prepayment | The whole service price | Nothing further |
It is one setting for the whole shop rather than a per-service choice, so if one service asks for a deposit they all do. The exact amount is worked out from the price of the service you picked and shown to you before the payment step.
Getting it back
Cancel far enough ahead and the deposit is refunded to the card you paid with. Cancel inside the shop's cutoff and the shop keeps it. The cutoff is 24 hours unless the shop has changed it, and the cancel screen tells you which side of it you are on. See Cancel your appointment.
Rescheduling is different: the deposit follows the booking to the new time. It is not refunded and not charged again.
Where the money goes
To the shop. A deposit is not a Booked fee — it is part of the price of the service, paid early, and it lands in the shop's own payout account. Booked charges the shop a processing rate on it and takes nothing from you.
Your card
Cards are processed by Stripe on Stripe's own page. Booked never sees or stores your full card number, and neither does the shop. See Payment methods accepted.
If you would rather not pay one
Ask the shop. Deposits are a policy, not a technical requirement, and a shop that knows you will often take the booking by phone instead.