# Booking payments - pay to confirm bookings

> Ask for a deposit or full payment to confirm table bookings, appointments, hotel stays and gym memberships, by card or bank transfer with receipt upload.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/booking-payments/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

**Booking payments** lets you ask customers to pay - a deposit or the full amount - to confirm a booking made online, in the portal or in the Shopper app. Payment methods come from [Finance › Payments › Payments & gateways](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/payments-hub/); this feature decides **when**, **how much** and **by when**.

> **How to turn it on**
> 1. **Plan:** Payments hub plus the module of each booking type (Services, Hotel, Gym; tables need Bookings)
> 2. **Switch:** The booking type's own switch in Settings › Business Settings › Modules; offline methods need Offline payment methods
> 3. **Permission:** Booking payments: view / manage; receipts: Review payment proofs
> - **Mobile app:** Customers pay in the SmartPOS Shopper app, the portal or the booking page

## Set the rule

1. Open the settings of the booking type: **Bookings › Settings** (tables and appointments), **Services › Settings**, **Gym › Settings** or **Hotel › Settings**.
2. In the card **Payment to confirm**, choose **payment required** (no / deposit / full) and the deposit type.
3. Choose **when due**: **pay now** (the booking is held for N minutes) or **pay within N hours**.
4. Choose the allowed methods (accounts attached to that booking channel in **Finance › Payments › Payments & gateways › Where used**) and save.

![Where used tab with the Payment to confirm bookings table listing appointment, table booking and membership rules and allowed methods](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/on-payments-hub-where-used.D-VbglIZ.png) (web app page: `/payments-hub?tab=channels`)
*Finance › Payments › Payments & gateways › Where used summarises every booking payment rule.*

## Follow payments

**Finance › Payments › Booking payments** lists every payment requirement with filters by status (waiting for payment, receipt under review, paid · confirmed, expired, cancelled, confirmed without payment) and type, plus **Receipts to review**. On each booking, the payment panel offers **Review receipt**, **Mark as paid**, **Resend payment link**, **Copy link**, **Confirm without payment** or **Request payment**. Calendars and floor plans show bookings waiting for payment in their own color.

![Shopper app screen to pay for a booking with card and bank transfer choices](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/on-app-shopper-booking-pay-methods.u1t6JgSF.png)
*Customers choose how to pay in the SmartPOS Shopper app.*

Customer messages use six notification templates ("Booking payment: waiting for payment", "receipt received", "paid and confirmed", "receipt not approved", "time running out", "expired") in **Settings › Notification templates**.

## Related pages

  - [Bookings](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/bookings/)
  - [Services](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/services/)
  - [Hotel](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/hotel/)
  - [Payments hub](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/payments-hub/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Which bookings can ask for payment?

Table bookings, service appointments, hotel stays and gym memberships - each with its own rule.

### Can I take a deposit instead of the full amount?

Yes. Choose no payment, a deposit (percent, fixed, per guest for tables, or each service's own deposit) or full payment.

### What happens if the customer does not pay in time?

The booking is held for the time you set (pay now) or until a deadline (pay within N hours). If nothing is paid by then, the hold expires and the booking is released.

### Can customers pay by bank transfer?

Yes, with an offline method from Finance › Payments › Payments & gateways. They upload the receipt and transaction ID; you approve it in Payment proofs.

### Do staff bookings ask for payment?

Not automatically. Staff can press Request payment on a booking to send a payment link.

### Can I confirm a booking without payment?

Yes, with Confirm without payment on the booking's payment panel, or Mark as paid when the money came another way.