Setting your booking policy: deposits and cancellations

Your booking policy sets the deposit you take and when it stops being refundable. Customers see it before they book. You need to set it before you can add services.

How do I set my booking policy?

1. Open Menu, then the Shop Settings tab.
2. Tap Booking Policy.
3. Under Deposit, choose No deposit required or A percentage of the price.
4. If you choose a percentage, enter it in the field.
5. If you take a deposit, pick a choice under Cancellation & rescheduling.
6. Under How far ahead customers can book, enter a number of days.
7. Under Anything else customers should know, add a note in Notes if you want.
8. Tap Set policy.

What can I choose for the deposit?

• No deposit required. Customers book without paying anything. Nothing is charged if they do not turn up.
• A percentage of the price. You can ask for up to 50%. Customers see the exact amount before they book.

What is the cancellation and rescheduling window?

This choice only appears when you take a deposit. You pick when the deposit stops being refundable:

• Any time. The deposit is always refunded to the customer.
• Up to 12 hours before, Up to 24 hours before, or Up to 48 hours before. If the customer cancels or reschedules inside that time, they lose the deposit.

A new policy starts with 24 hours selected. Customers always see what a change will cost before they confirm.

How far ahead can customers book?

Enter a number from 1 to 365 days. If you leave it empty, the app saves 365.

What goes in Notes?

Anything customers should know, such as parking instructions. You can write up to 1000 characters. The note shows on your shop page under From the business, in the About tab.

What does XO Bestie set for everyone?

You cannot change these. The app lists the first two under Set by XO Bestie:

• Every booking captures the customer’s card before the appointment, whether or not you take a deposit.
• Customers can always cancel or reschedule their own appointment. They see what it will cost before they confirm.

Also, the earliest time a customer can book is 30 minutes from now. You cannot change that either.

What happens if a customer cancels late or does not show up?

The deposit is the only amount you keep. It is kept when a customer cancels late, reschedules late, or does not turn up. There is no separate cancellation fee, no change fee and no no-show fee. If you take no deposit, a no-show costs the customer nothing.

If you cancel or reschedule an appointment yourself, the customer is not charged. See managing an appointment.

If I change my policy, do existing bookings change?

No. Each booking keeps the policy that was in place when the customer booked.

Can I set a different policy for one service?

No. One policy covers your whole shop.

Where can I read more?

See paying for a booking for what customers pay, and offering services on XO Bestie for the setup list.