In this article
Where deposits actually pay off
Three situations: the slot is two hours or more (an unfilled afternoon), you buy product for the appointment (colour, lashes, ink), or you have never seen this person before. In all three, the deposit is a small commitment that separates the people who will come from the people who were “just checking”. Outside those three, it mostly adds friction to bookings that would have shown up anyway.
Where they cost you
A blanket deposit on every booking tells your regulars you don’t trust them — the ones who have never missed a slot. It also adds a step to a booking that used to take a minute, and every extra step loses people. Providers who introduced deposits for everyone often see fewer bookings and the same number of no-shows: the forgetful didn’t plan to miss, so a deposit didn’t change their behaviour, only reminders do.
How to ask so it doesn’t sound like a bank
One sentence, in the confirmation: “Colour appointments are held with a €20 deposit, which comes off the price — it’s fully refundable if you cancel 48 hours ahead. You can send it to [account] or pay at your next visit.” Amount, why, refund rule, how. No “policy” heading, no bold red text.
The no-show fee: mostly a threat you won’t collect
A fee charged after the fact is hard to collect and easy to resent. The realistic version is a rule: after a no-show without a word, the next booking needs a deposit. It costs nothing to run, it targets exactly the people who caused the loss, and everyone else never hears about it.
What to do before any of this
A reminder the evening before and a one-tap reschedule link remove most no-shows on their own — the forgetful come, and the ones who can’t make it free the slot in time. Set those up first; then add deposits only where the three situations above still leave a hole.
Who this is for
Providers with long or costly appointments: hair colour, lashes, tattoo, permanent make-up, 90-minute treatments, first consultations. Quick, cheap, frequent services (a 20-minute trim, a nail fill) usually lose more to the friction than they gain.
What this won’t fix
TapBook does not take payments or deposits at booking; it shows your policy, sends confirmations and reminders, and lets clients cancel or move within your window — which removes most of the reason for deposits in the first place. If you do want to collect them, you take the transfer or card payment yourself and note it on the booking.