Salon deposit policy example

That distinction and the client-facing framing come from ProperKind’s booking-fee guide (a vendor).

Example wording

To secure your appointment we take a [X%] deposit at booking. It’s taken off your bill on the day. Change or cancel with at least [48] hours’ notice and we’ll move or refund it. Inside [48] hours, or if you don’t show, the deposit is kept. Thank you for understanding: a missed slot is time we can’t resell.

What each booking app supports

Common structures (pick one)

• Card on file + fee: no money up front; you charge a late-cancel/no-show fee to the saved card. Lowest friction, but some owners report clients blocking cards after a no-show (r/Esthetics).
• Deposit credited to the service: paid at booking, kept if the client no-shows or cancels late. This is what owners in r/smallbusiness and r/Esthetics most often recommend.
• Tiered refund: e.g. full refund with 48h+ notice, 50% at 24–48h, deposit kept under 24h (example from ProperKind’s guide).
• Repeat no-shows: require full prepayment next time (an approach reported by several owners in this thread). Vagaro lets you set deposit rules specifically for “customers with no-shows or cancellations” (Vagaro).

Templates, not legal advice. Fee levels are examples; pick your own and check local consumer and card-network rules. Platform steps were checked against each vendor’s help pages on 2026-10-16, not run in a live account; menus change.