Help Center

Answers to the questions business owners ask most once their booking page is live - notifications, availability, managing bookings, pricing, customization, security, and billing.

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Looking for something specific? Every question below links to the exact settings panel that controls it, so you can jump straight to Account > Settings and change it.

Topics

  1. Your first booking, start to finish
  2. Getting started & your account
  3. Notifications & emailing clients
  4. Calendar & availability
  5. Managing bookings
  6. Service Types FAQ
  7. Add-ons FAQ
  8. Coupons & tax
  9. Accepting card payments via Stripe
  10. Customizing your booking page
  11. Security & spam protection
  12. Data & billing

Your first booking, start to finish

I got my first booking - now what?
  1. Go to Account and click Manage next to the new booking.
  2. It'll be sitting at Pending. Confirm all the details with your client first - appointment time, service(s), and price - and use Booking Details to make any manual adjustments to pricing or time before moving on.
  3. Once everything's confirmed with your client, fill in anything else that applies (payment method, etc.), set Status to Confirmed, and click Save Changes.
  4. Use ← Back to all bookings to return to Account. The appointment now appears under Upcoming Bookings (if it falls within the next 30 days), with a one-click Add to Calendar button.
  5. Once the service is delivered and payment is received, reopen it - either Manage under Upcoming Bookings, or, if the date's already passed and it's no longer listed there, find it under Bookings by filtering to status Confirmed.
  6. Check it off as Paid, adjust the price if the scope of work changed (Price modifier), update anything else that needs it, set Status to Completed, and click Save Changes. Share a receipt with View Receipt/Invoice or send the details directly with Email Client, if needed.
  7. Head back with ← Back to all bookings - that booking's fully wrapped up, start to finish.

Getting started & your account

How do I sign in - do I need a password?

No password to manage. Your account signs in exclusively via "Continue with Google" - whichever Google account you used to sign up is your login. To switch accounts, sign in with a different Google account instead.

Where do I change my booking page URL?

Settings > Account Settings - lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens only. Your link is always 1minutebooking.com/book/<your-url>.

Where do I set up my services, add-ons, and pricing?

Settings > Service Types - add up to a set number of services, each with its own name, duration, and price. Add-ons (optional extras clients can add to a booking) and coupons live in their own panels just below it. See Services, pricing & coupons for more on how those work.

Does 1minutebooking process payments for me?

Not by default - you collect payment yourself, outside the platform (in person, a card reader, a payment link you send, etc), and 1minutebooking never touches that money. See Managing bookings for how to track payment method and status on each booking. The one exception is the optional Stripe Payments feature (off unless you turn it on), which does run a real charge - a deposit or the full amount - through the site.

Can I take my booking page offline without deleting my account?

Yes - Settings > Business Info has a "Disable Booking Page" button. Visitors see a "not found" page and can't submit new bookings, but you can still log in and manage everything as normal. Flip it back on any time.

What happens if I delete my account?

Everything goes with it - your booking page, clients, bookings, service types, all of it. This is done from Settings > Account Settings > Danger Zone and can't be undone, so export any data you want to keep first (see Data & billing).

What's the difference between "Reset account" and deleting my account?

Reset account (also in Settings > Account Settings > Danger Zone) wipes every booking, client, service type, add-on, blackout date, coupon, service location, and custom field, and restores every setting to its default - then walks you back through the setup wizard, as if starting fresh. Your login, booking page URL, and any Pro subscription are not affected, unlike full account deletion, which removes those too. Export anything you want to keep first - like deletion, this can't be undone.

Notifications & emailing clients

Controlled under Settings > Booking Notifications.

Can I change my email?

Not the one your account signs in with - that's permanently whichever Google account you used to sign up (see Getting started & your account), and it's what "Receive instant e-mail notification of new bookings" always sends to. Booking notifications always go there - never to the "Contact email" you set under Business Info (that one's just shown to clients on your booking page, and nothing is ever sent to it).

Want them somewhere else, like a shared team inbox? Set up forwarding in Gmail: open Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, add the other address as a forwarding address (Gmail will send it a confirmation link to click), then choose Forward a copy of incoming mail. Every booking notification will then land in both inboxes.

Does my client automatically get a booking confirmation email?

Yes, if "Email client booking confirmation" is turned on (it is by default) and they entered an email address that passes a quick pre-send verification check - so a typo'd or fake address never gets an attempted send.

This is separate from your own owner notification toggles, and it only fires for bookings a client submits themselves through your public booking page.

How do I find out when I get a new booking?

Turn on "Receive instant e-mail notification of new bookings." It's sent to the Google account you signed in with - never to the "Contact email" you set under Business Info (that one is just shown to clients). You can split this into separate toggles for Verified bookings (the visitor's IP matched a recognized residential/mobile ISP) and Unverified ones (VPN, proxy, business connection, or a failed lookup - not necessarily fraudulent, just worth a second look).

Can notifications go to a shared/team inbox instead of my personal Gmail?

There's no separate "notification email" field - it always goes to your sign-in Google account. To also land it in a shared inbox, set up forwarding in Gmail: Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, add the other address (click the confirmation link Gmail sends it), then choose Forward a copy of incoming mail.

I created a booking myself (phone call, walk-in) - how do I send the client their details?

A booking you create yourself from Create Booking / Quote does not automatically email the client - the automatic confirmation only fires when a client books through your public page. Instead, open that booking and click Email Client. That opens a pre-filled message (date, time, price, services, notes - everything they'd normally see in a confirmation) in your own email app, ready for you to review and hit send. It doesn't send anything by itself; it just does the writing for you.

Why didn't a client get their confirmation email?

Most common reasons: "Email client booking confirmation" is off in Settings, the client didn't enter an email (if it's not required, they can skip it), their address failed the pre-send check, or the booking was one you created yourself in the dashboard rather than one they submitted - see the question above for that case.

Calendar & availability

Does this sync with Google Calendar (or Outlook/iCloud)?

No - and this is worth understanding, because it changes how you should manage your time. There's no live, two-way sync with any external calendar. Availability is calculated entirely from your own Business Hours, Blackout Dates & Times, and your existing 1minutebooking appointments.

Every confirmed booking does get a one-click Add to Calendar button (Google, Apple, Outlook.com, iCal) on your dashboard - that's a one-way export you trigger manually, not a sync. If you book something elsewhere (another calendar, a second job, a personal appointment), it won't show here automatically - add a blackout date to block that time off.

What's the difference between Business Hours and Blackout Dates?

Business Hours (per weekday) define the recurring windows you're open at all. Blackout Dates & Times carve out one-off exceptions inside those hours - a specific date, or just part of one.

Can I block off just part of a day, like a lunch break?

Yes - when adding a blackout date, set a start and end time to block just that window. Leave both blank to block the entire day. There's also a toggle for whether an appointment that would merely overlap a blackout (without starting inside it) is blocked too - e.g. with 1-5 PM blacked out and that toggle on, a 3-hour appointment can't start any later than 10 AM, since it would still be running when the blackout begins.

Can I require advance notice, or cap how far ahead clients can book?

Both, under Settings > Business Hours. Minimum notice stops last-minute bookings (e.g. 2 hours means a client looking at 3 PM only sees 5 PM and later). Max advance booking limit caps how far into the future they can pick a date (90 days by default) - turn it off to allow booking indefinitely far ahead.

What is "buffer time"?

A gap added on both sides of every appointment that no other booking can be scheduled into - e.g. 15 minutes of buffer on a 10:00-11:00 AM appointment blocks 9:45-11:15 AM, so clients can't book back-to-back with zero breathing room.

What does "Pending appointments block availability" mean?

When checked (the default), a client's request holds that time slot the moment they submit it - no one else can request the same slot while you decide. Unchecked, a pending request stays in your list but the slot remains open for others until you actually confirm it; whoever you confirm first keeps it. Either way, a confirmed booking always blocks its slot.

What's "Allow overtime bookings"?

By default, the last bookable start time is picked so the appointment finishes by closing (an 8 PM close with a 60-minute service stops offering times after 7 PM). Turning this on offers every slot up to closing itself, even if the appointment then runs past your stated hours.

Booking slot length vs. service duration - what's the difference?

"Booking slot length" controls how far apart the start times offered to clients are (e.g. every 15, 30, or 60 minutes) - it has nothing to do with how long an appointment actually lasts. Duration is set per Service Type, and can also be extended by add-ons.

Managing bookings

How Create Booking / Quote works

Use Create Booking / Quote any time a client books outside your public page - a phone call, an email, a walk-in - or to log a job you already gave someone a price for out in the field. It creates a normal booking straight in your account; nothing about it is public, and nothing is sent to the client automatically.

  1. Client. Pick New client and type their name (email and phone are optional), or Existing client and search by name, email, or phone.
  2. Booking details. Set the status (usually Pending or Confirmed), date, time, and duration, plus an address and payment method if you use them.
  3. Choose how it's priced - this is the key fork on this page:
    1. Standard - pick from your Service Types like a client would, then optionally attach add-ons. Price and duration fill in from your catalog automatically (use Recalculate if you change the selection after typing a duration by hand).
    2. Custom quote - for work that doesn't match your catalog, or a price you already quoted someone directly. Describe the job in Scope of work and type in the exact price - nothing is pulled from your catalog, and the booking stays labeled "Custom" from then on. Set the duration yourself here too, since there's no service to calculate it from.
  4. Price modifier (optional). Add or subtract a flat amount on top of the total - a quick way to apply a one-off discount or surcharge without changing the underlying price.
  5. Internal notes (optional). Private to you - the client never sees these.
  6. Create Booking. Check the price breakdown at the bottom of the page, then submit.

Already quoted someone a price? Pick Custom quote, describe the job, and enter the number you already told them - that's it. It won't touch your Service Types/Add-ons catalog at all, and you can still add a price modifier afterward if the final number changes.

One thing to know: creating a booking here does not email the client automatically - that only happens when someone books through your own public page. Once you've saved it, open the booking and click Email Client to send them a pre-filled confirmation through your own email app.

What do the booking statuses mean?

Pending - a client submitted a request; nothing is confirmed yet. Confirmed - you've reviewed and locked it in (this is also what unlocks the Add to Calendar button). Completed, Cancelled, and No-show are yours to set afterward for your own records - nothing changes them automatically, so update the status yourself as bookings happen.

What does "Verified" vs "Unverified" mean next to a booking?

It's based on the visitor's IP address at the time they booked. Verified means it matched a recognized residential/mobile ISP - very likely a genuine local client. Unverified means it didn't (could be a VPN, proxy, business connection, or a lookup that simply failed) - not necessarily fraudulent, just worth a quick look before confirming. You can hide unverified bookings from your list with a checkbox above the bookings table.

Does 1minutebooking process payments for me?

Not by default - payment is collected by you, the merchant, outside of 1minutebooking (in person, a card reader, a payment link you send, etc). The "Payment method" field on a booking just records which method the client said they'd use, and a "Paid" checkbox for your own tracking. The one exception is the optional Stripe Payments feature, which does run a real charge - a deposit or the full amount - through the site if you turn it on.

How do I enter a manual quote for a client (phone call, walk-in, negotiated price)?

Use Create Booking / Quote and pick "Custom quote" instead of a service type - you set the date, time, duration, and price directly, with nothing pulled from your service catalog. See the next question for what that means going forward.

What's a "Custom quote" booking?

One you create from Create Booking / Quote without picking a service from your catalog - useful for one-off or negotiated pricing. It has no service type or add-ons attached, and stays flagged "Custom" regardless of status.

What does "Price modifier" do?

A flat amount you add or subtract in Booking Details - a quick way to apply a one-off discount or surcharge (e.g. a loyal-client discount, a same-day rush fee, or correcting a scope-of-work change) without touching the service price or add-ons themselves. Enter a positive number to add a surcharge, or a negative one (e.g. -10) to discount, then click Apply. It always shows as its own separate line on the price breakdown and receipt - never merged into the service price - so what actually changed stays visible later. It only ever applies to the one booking you set it on. Important: it's applied before tax, not after - so if you're trying to match it to a specific dollar amount that already includes tax (like a refund), see "I refunded part of a Stripe payment and now it shows a leftover Balance due or Refund owed" below, or you'll be off by the tax on that amount.

Can I edit price, duration, or services after a booking is created?

Yes - open the booking (the Manage button next to it in your bookings list) and use Save Changes in Booking Details. Changing the selected service type(s) resets the service price automatically; use "Price modifier" to add or subtract a custom amount on top (shown as its own line, not merged into the service price), and "Recalculate" to refill duration from the current services/add-ons.

A client wants to change their service after already submitting a booking - where do I do that?

Open that booking with the Manage button in your bookings list, then check/uncheck the service type(s) under "Service type(s)" in Booking Details. The service price updates automatically to match; click "Recalculate" to also update duration, then Save Changes.

What if I need to apply a discount after a booking is already submitted?

Coupons only apply while a client is filling out the booking form themselves. To discount a booking after the fact, open it with Manage and use the "Price modifier" field in Booking Details - enter a negative number (e.g. -10) and click Apply. It's shown as its own line on the price breakdown and receipt, separate from the service price.

Deleting a booking vs. marking it Cancelled or No-show - what's the difference?

Changing the status to Cancelled or No-show keeps the booking in your records (and in exports) with that status. Deleting it from the Danger Zone on the booking's page removes it permanently - use that for mistakes or duplicates, not routine cancellations.

How do I rebook a repeat client without re-entering everything?

Once a booking's status is Completed, open it and click Duplicate Booking. It opens Create Booking / Quote pre-filled with the same client, service type(s)/add-ons (or the same custom quote scope, if that's what it was), address, payment method, and internal notes - you just pick a new date and time.

Pricing is not copied as-is - it's recalculated from your current catalog, so a rate change since the original booking carries over automatically. If the new total differs from the original, an orange banner says so before you save. If a service type or add-on from the original has since been removed from your catalog, a banner lists what couldn't be carried over so you can pick a replacement.

I duplicated a booking and the price is different from last time - what happened?

That's expected. Duplicate Booking (see the question above) doesn't copy the old price - it recalculates it live from your current Service Types/Add-ons catalog, so any rate change since the original booking is picked up automatically. If the recalculated total doesn't match the original, you'll see a banner on the Create Booking / Quote page before you save, e.g.:

"Heads up: this booking previously totaled $180.00 (before tax). At today's pricing it now totals $300.00 (before tax). Review before saving."

It's informational only - it won't stop you from saving, it's just there so a rate change doesn't slip by unnoticed. Both totals are before tax and before any price modifier you add on the new booking. This banner never appears when duplicating a Custom quote booking, since there's no catalog price behind it to compare against - the original price just carries over as your starting point.

Does 1minutebooking support recurring or repeating appointments (weekly, biweekly, etc)?

Not automatically - there's no setting that generates future occurrences on its own. For a regular client, the practical way to handle it today is Duplicate Booking (see the question above): once each appointment is Completed, duplicate it and pick the next date. It's a manual step each time rather than a true recurring schedule, but it saves re-entering the client and service details from scratch.

Can I give a client a receipt or invoice? Where do I find it, and how do I make it say "Paid"?

Open the booking with Manage - Booking Details has a View Receipt/Invoice link (opens in a new tab, safe to print or save as PDF) with the full price breakdown, and a separate Email Client button to send those same details straight to their inbox via your own email app.

The receipt stamps itself PAID or UNPAID based on the Paid checkbox in Booking Details - check it (or, if a deposit was already collected via Stripe, check it once the remaining balance is settled) and click Save Changes, then reopen the receipt.

What if a client pays a deposit, or prepays for the service?

If you want it collected automatically, right on the booking page, turn on Stripe Payments and require a deposit or the full amount before submission - Booking Details then shows exactly what was paid and any balance due. If the client instead pays you a deposit some other way (cash, e-transfer, etc., outside Stripe), there's no dedicated field for that - track it yourself in that client's Private client notes (on their client profile page - never shown to the client), or in the booking's own Internal notes field. Use the "Paid" checkbox in Booking Details once the full amount is settled.

Can I add a client without creating a booking for them?

Yes - on Account, scroll to the Clients panel and click Add Client. Enter a name (email and phone are optional) and save - no booking is created. That client then shows up under "Existing client" the next time you use Create Booking / Quote, so you can save their contact info ahead of their first appointment instead of typing it in from scratch.

Can I block a client from booking again?

Yes - open that client's profile (click their name from any booking) and use Block Client in the Danger Zone. Future booking requests using their email or phone number are automatically declined; their existing bookings are unaffected. Unblock the same way, any time.

What does "Locked Appointment" mean on a booking?

It appears once a booking is both Completed and Paid, and blocks further edits in Booking Details until you uncheck it - a safeguard against accidentally changing a job that's already finished and settled. Uncheck it if you genuinely need to edit something after the fact (e.g. correcting a typo); it re-locks automatically the next time Save Changes lands the booking back in that same Completed+Paid state. The Stripe paid amount is locked too - a refund or chargeback that happens while it's locked won't update this booking (see "Does 1minutebooking notice on its own if I refund or get charged back outside the app?" below).

Service Types FAQ

Controlled under Settings > Service Types - up to 100 per account. Setting up an add-on itself? See the Add-ons FAQ below.

Can clients select more than one Service Type in a single booking?

Only if you turn on "Allow multiple services to be selected at once" - you also choose which combinations are allowed. With it off, picking a new service replaces whatever was selected before.

Can I require a specific add-on for one of my Service Types?

The "required" setting lives on the add-on, not the Service Type itself: edit the add-on, turn on "Require this add-on to be selected for a service type?", then pick which Service Type(s) it's mandatory for. See the full walkthrough in the Add-ons FAQ.

Can a Service Type's price and duration scale with a quantity the client picks, like hourly billing?

Yes - turn on "Allow multiple quantities" on the Service Type itself, and both its price and duration multiply by whatever quantity the client picks. Example: an "Hourly Cleaning" Service Type set to 60 minutes / $50 lets a client book "2" and pay $100 for a 120-minute appointment. This is a separate mechanism from using a required Add-on for the same job - see that alternative in the Add-ons FAQ.

What's the difference between a Service Type's Minimum and Maximum quantity?

Maximum is the highest quantity a client can pick (1-10,000). Minimum is the lowest quantity once the client has it selected - always at least 1, since a Service Type has no "selected but zero units" state, and can't be set higher than Maximum.

Why does my $0 Service Type show "FREE" on the booking page - or why doesn't it?

A service priced at $0 shows a green "FREE" badge instead of "$0.00" - but only when nothing else on that service forces a real charge. Specifically, it's hidden if any required add-on applies to that service type (an "Hourly" service with a required "Number of hours" add-on, for example, isn't really free - the base price is just $0 because the real cost comes from the add-on). Remove the add-on's "Required" toggle, or make it not apply to that Service Type, if you want the badge to show.

What happens to my existing Service Types if I change my Business Type or click Reset to Default?

Both "Reset to Default" and "Change Business Type" completely replace everything in your Service Types and Add-ons with the starter set for that business type - they don't merge with, or add to, what's already there. There's no undo, so it's worth reviewing what you already have first if you've already customized things.

Is there a limit to how many Service Types I can have?

Yes - up to 100 per account, shown right in the panel header under Settings > Service Types.

Can I bill for a partial hour, like 3.25, instead of a whole number?

Yes, from the admin dashboard - Create Booking or Manage/Edit Booking - not the public booking page, which stays whole-number-only for clients (a client is only ever giving an estimate up front). For a Service Type with "Allow multiple quantities" turned on, the quantity field there accepts quarter increments: 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, and so on - price and duration both scale correctly from it automatically, with no separate Price modifier or manual duration edit needed. Typing something that isn't a clean quarter (e.g. 3.33) rounds up to the nearest one (3.5) rather than being rejected. The usual Minimum/Maximum quantity bounds set in Settings still apply. This only applies to a Service Type's own quantity - an add-on's quantity is still whole-number-only, see the Add-ons FAQ below.

Add-ons FAQ

Controlled under Settings > Add-ons and Service Details - up to 100 per account. Setting up the service itself? See the Service Types FAQ above.

How can I make a Service Type that requires an add-on?

Edit the add-on and turn on "Require this add-on to be selected for a service type?", then uncheck "All service types" in the popup that appears and pick only the Service Types it should be mandatory for - the client can't leave it unselected (and must choose a quantity, if quantities are allowed) to book that service. Example: add "Deep Cleaning" as a Service Type, then add "Bedrooms" as an add-on with "Allow multiple quantities" turned on and mark it required for "Deep Cleaning" - the client must now tell you how many bedrooms before they can book it. It can still be offered - just not required - on any other Service Types selected under "Add-on available to...". A required add-on always needs a real minimum quantity (at least 1), so turning this on bumps Minimum quantity up from 0 automatically if it was still 0.

What does "Allow multiple quantities" do on an add-on?

Lets the client pick a quantity greater than one instead of a plain yes/no choice - each unit is charged at the add-on's price. Example: a "Bedrooms" add-on with this on lets the client enter "3" and pays for 3 bedrooms; without it, the add-on can only be added once.

What's the difference between an add-on's Minimum and Maximum quantity?

Maximum is the highest quantity a client can pick (1-10,000). Minimum is the lowest quantity once the client has selected the add-on at all - it defaults to 0, so an add-on can stay entirely skippable while still requiring, say, at least 3 once a client adds any. Marking the add-on "Required" bumps a 0 minimum up to 1 automatically (a required add-on can't sit at 0); dropping the minimum back down to 0 automatically unchecks "Required" again.

What are add-on "preset options" for?

They replace the quantity/yes-no choice with a fixed list of options the client picks from instead, each with its own price and extra time - useful when a plain quantity or per-unit rate doesn't make sense. Example: a "Square Footage" add-on can't be priced per square foot without the numbers blowing up at scale, so instead it offers brackets like "1000-1500 sq ft," each with their own price and time added.

How do I charge hourly instead of a flat price?

Create a Service Type for the hourly work (e.g. "Hourly Cleaning") and check "No cost" so its own price is $0, then add a required Add-on such as "Number of hours" with "Allow multiple quantities" turned on, priced at your hourly rate with a 60-minute duration, and Min/Max quantity set to whatever range makes sense. Restrict it as Required to just that Service Type (see the question above) - the client then has to enter how many hours before they can book, and the total price and appointment duration scale with whatever they enter. This is exactly the pattern the built-in starter Service Types/Add-ons use for their own "Hourly ..." options (Personal Training, Cleaning, Massage, Photography, Tutoring, Consulting, Handyman Service, Detailing, Tattoo Session) if you picked one of those as your business type when you signed up - open Settings > Service Types and look at how "Number of ... hours" is set up there for a working example to copy. A Service Type can also scale its own price/duration directly off its own quantity, with no separate add-on needed - see the Service Types FAQ.

An add-on's quantity needs to reflect a partial amount, like 3.25 - how do I bill for that?

Add-on quantities are still whole-number-only (unlike a Service Type's own quantity, which accepts quarter increments like 3.25 directly from Create Booking or Manage/Edit Booking - see the Service Types FAQ above). For an add-on specifically, there's no way to enter "3.25" directly - this needs two separate corrections, for price and for duration:

  1. Book it at the nearest whole number you'd normally charge (3, in this example) - price and duration both fill in correctly for a plain 3-unit add-on.
  2. Price: open the booking with Manage and use the Price modifier field in Booking Details to add the extra amount for the remaining 0.25 unit (e.g. +$18.75 at a $75/unit rate) - click Apply. It shows up as its own separate "Price modifier" line, rather than changing the quantity or the Add-on price itself.
  3. Duration: Price modifier only affects price - it does not touch the Duration field. If you also want the appointment's calendar block to reflect the real 3.25-unit job (not just 3), manually change Duration (minutes) to the correct total as well, then Save Changes.
Is there a limit to how many Add-ons I can have?

Yes - up to 100 per account, shown right in the panel header under Settings > Add-ons. An add-on's own preset options (see above) are capped separately, at 50 per add-on.

Coupons & tax

Controlled under Settings > Coupons and Tax. For services and add-ons, see the Service Types FAQ and Add-ons FAQ above.

Can a coupon make a booking free, or take the price negative?

No - a coupon (percent or flat amount off the pre-tax subtotal) can never take a booking below $0, regardless of the discount value.

What does tax apply to?

The combined service + add-on subtotal, when "Charge tax on bookings" is enabled under Settings > Tax. Rate and an optional tax number (shown on receipts) are both set there.

Can I make one specific booking tax-exempt, even though tax is on for my account?

Yes - open that booking with Manage and uncheck Taxable in Booking Details, then Save Changes. This only affects that one booking; tax still applies to every other one as normal.

Accepting card payments via Stripe

Controlled under Settings > Stripe Payments.

How can I take payment via Debit / Credit card?

Connect your own Stripe account under Settings > Stripe Payments. Once it's turned on, clients can pay by debit or credit card right on your booking page - either the full amount or a deposit, whichever you require - and the money goes straight to your own Stripe account, not to 1minutebooking. We take a fixed 2% platform fee out of each charge, on top of Stripe's own processing fee.

How do I turn this on?

Go to Settings > Stripe Payments and click Connect your Stripe account - if you don't already have a Stripe account, Stripe will help you create one as part of connecting. Once Stripe finishes reviewing your account, come back to that same panel to turn on Accept Payments via Stripe. This feature also has to be turned on platform-wide by us first - if you don't see it at all, it isn't available yet.

What's the difference between full payment and a deposit?

Require Full Payment Prior to Submitting charges the client's card for the entire booking total before the request is sent. Require Only a Deposit to Submit charges just a portion - either a flat amount or a percentage of the total, your choice - and you collect the rest from the client yourself afterward, the same way you'd collect payment for any other method.

Is this required for every booking, or can I turn it on for just some services?

It's an account-wide setting - once it's on, the same full-payment-or-deposit requirement applies to every paid booking, regardless of which service type. There's currently no way to require it for some services and not others.

Can I charge a card through Stripe for a booking I create myself (Create Booking / Quote)?

Not through this feature - it only runs on your public booking page, not Create Booking / Quote. For a phone/walk-in booking you want to charge a card for, send the client a payment link from your own Stripe Dashboard (or use whichever method you'd normally take a card payment by), then record it on the booking yourself (Payment method, Internal notes, and the Paid checkbox) the same way you would for any other off-platform payment.

What happens if the client's card is declined?

Nothing is created - they just see an error on the booking page and can try a different card. A booking is never submitted until a payment attempt actually succeeds, so a declined card never results in a booking with no payment attached.

Can clients pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay instead of typing a card number?

Automatically, if their browser/device supports it - Stripe's own payment form shows whichever wallets and payment methods it considers eligible for the amount, currency, and browser. There's nothing extra to turn on for this.

Where does the money go - does 1minutebooking hold it?

No. Every charge is a direct charge on your own connected Stripe account - it lands in your own Stripe balance and payout schedule, and you see it in your own Stripe Dashboard. 1minutebooking never holds or has access to the funds.

What currency will my clients be charged in?

Whichever currency you chose during setup (USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, AUD, or NZD) - the first-login setup wizard requires you to actually pick one (it won't let you skip past it with nothing selected), though it pre-selects USD or CAD for you to confirm if it can tell you're signing up from the US or Canada - anywhere else, you just pick. Shown read-only in Settings > Business Info afterward, and locks as soon as you connect Stripe, since your connected account's own bank/settlement setup is tied to it - email [email protected] if it's wrong and you need it changed.

Is there a minimum amount I can charge?

Yes - Stripe enforces a small minimum per charge (roughly $0.50 USD or the local equivalent). If your full price, or a flat-amount deposit, works out to less than that, the charge will fail. Worth keeping in mind if you price a service very low or set a small flat deposit rather than a percentage.

What's the 2% fee, and do I get it back if I refund a client?

1minutebooking takes a fixed 2% platform fee out of each charge, on top of Stripe's own processing fee. If you refund a client, the 2% platform fee is not returned - only Stripe's own fee behaves however Stripe's refund policy says it does.

Do I need my own Stripe account?

Yes - this connects to a Stripe account that's entirely yours (a "Standard" Stripe Connect account). You handle any refunds, chargebacks, or disputes directly in your own Stripe Dashboard, the same as if you'd signed up with Stripe on your own.

Is it safe - do you ever see my clients' card numbers?

No. Card details are typed directly into Stripe's own secure payment form embedded on your booking page and go straight to Stripe - they never pass through or get stored on 1minutebooking's servers.

Where do I see that a booking was paid this way?

Open the booking with Manage - Booking Details shows a "Paid via Stripe" line under Payment method with the amount and whether it was a deposit or full payment.

How do I get the transaction number for a booking (Stripe transaction #)?

Open the booking with Manage - the blue "Stripe Payment" banner and the "Paid via Stripe" line both show it, the latter as a clickable link straight into your Stripe Dashboard. It's also printed on the client's own receipt (View Receipt/Invoice), as "Stripe Payment ID" - safe to show them, since it's just a reference number, not something that grants access to the payment.

Will my client get an emailed receipt from Stripe too?

The moment a deposit or full payment through Stripe actually succeeds, 1minutebooking automatically emails the client a Payment Receipt (Subtotal, Tax, Total, and the Stripe Payment ID) - with a copy BCC'd to your own account's email, so you always have a record too. This happens for every Stripe deposit or full payment booking regardless of your Settings > Booking Notifications toggles. Whether Stripe also sends its own separate receipt on top of that depends on your Stripe account's own settings (Stripe Dashboard > Settings > Customer emails > Successful payments) - off by default on a new account.

How do I refund a client who paid a deposit or in full through Stripe?

Open the booking with Manage - the "Paid via Stripe" line under Payment method shows the payment's ID as a link straight into your Stripe Dashboard. Click it, then use Refund there for the full amount or a partial one (e.g. refunding a deposit if a booking falls through). This works the exact same way whether the client paid a deposit or the full amount - it's just a normal Stripe charge in your own account either way.

You don't need to update anything here yourself afterward - 1minutebooking picks the refund up on its own. Opening the booking (as long as it isn't Locked) automatically checks Stripe in the background and updates the payment status, the Paid/Deposit Paid checkbox(es), and the "Paid via Stripe"/Balance due figures to match - see "Does 1minutebooking notice on its own if I refund or get charged back outside the app?" below for exactly when this does and doesn't happen automatically.

Remember: 1minutebooking's 2% platform fee is not returned when you refund a client - see the fee question above.

I refunded part of a Stripe payment and now it shows a leftover Balance due or Refund owed - how do I clear that?

Balance due and Refund owed (shown in Booking Details under "Paid via Stripe" once the booking has a Stripe payment) are just the current total minus whatever Stripe has actually collected, net of anything already recorded as collected/refunded outside Stripe. Positive means the client still owes more than Stripe has taken; negative ("Refund owed") means they've paid more than the current total and are owed money back - both update live any time the total changes (a partial refund, a price edit, a coupon, etc).

There are two different ways to clear it, depending on what you actually want to happen:

  • The client still needs to actually pay/be paid the difference. Either refund/collect it directly in Stripe (then Refresh status picks it up automatically), or collect/refund it some other way (cash, e-transfer, etc.) and click the "Record $X collected via ..." or "Record $X refunded via ..." button that appears right below - it logs the amount and method as its own Payment History entry, no separate booking needed.
  • You'd rather lower the price itself to match what Stripe already collected (e.g. comping part of a job instead of moving more money) - use Price modifier for that. The catch: Price modifier is applied before tax, but a refund amount already has tax baked into it - so typing in the raw refunded amount over-subtracts by that amount's own tax share, and you're left with a small phantom "Refund owed" instead of a clean $0. When the owed side is showing "An additional $X is owed beyond what Stripe collected," a "Waive instead (price modifier -$Y)" button appears right next to "Record $X collected via ..." that already does this pre-tax math for you (it grosses the amount down by your tax rate first) - click it, confirm the pop-up (it saves immediately, no separate Save Changes step), and Balance due lands on exactly $0.00 with tax still calculated correctly on what's left.
  • You'd rather raise the price itself to match what Stripe already collected, keeping an overpayment instead of refunding it back - the mirror image of the option above. When the "Refund owed" side is showing "The total dropped $X below what Stripe collected," a "Keep instead (price modifier +$Y)" button appears right next to "Record $X refunded via ..." that grosses the overpayment up by your tax rate the same way, so raising the price by that amount lands the total back on exactly what Stripe collected. Click it, confirm the pop-up (it also saves immediately), and Refund owed lands on exactly $0.00 with tax still calculated correctly - but remember this means the client doesn't get anything back, so only use it when that's genuinely the outcome you want.
How do I "zero out" a booking entirely - e.g. comping a completed job?

Set Price modifier to the negative of Service price + Add-ons combined (e.g. -180 for a $0 service price plus $180 in add-ons), then click Apply and Save Changes - that drops the taxable subtotal, and the tax charged on it, all the way to $0.00. This only changes what's billed going forward, though - it doesn't refund anything on its own. If money was already collected via Stripe and none of it has been refunded yet, "Refund owed" will then correctly show the full amount still owed back to the client; refund that through Stripe (or record it with "Record refunded via ...", per the question above) to actually settle it.

Does 1minutebooking notice on its own if I refund or get charged back outside the app?

Yes, automatically, for any booking that isn't Locked - opening Booking Details silently asks Stripe for the real, current status in the background, and the payment status highlight, the Paid/Deposit Paid checkbox(es), and the "Paid via Stripe"/Balance due figures update in place if anything's changed. There's also a manual Refresh status button next to the payment status banner for the same check on demand, if you don't want to wait for (or reload) the page.

A full refund automatically unchecks Paid - or, for a deposit booking, the separate Deposit Paid checkbox specifically (see "How do I collect the remaining balance on a deposit-required booking?" below for what that split means); a chargeback/dispute does the same. A partial refund deliberately doesn't touch either checkbox - whether a partially-refunded booking should still count as paid is your own call, so it's left for you to decide and set by hand if needed.

Locked bookings are the one exception - a Completed+Paid booking with "Locked Appointment" checked is treated as fully settled and is deliberately skipped by both the automatic check and the Refresh status button (which is greyed out while locked). If you need to check a locked booking's real Stripe status (e.g. investigating an old chargeback), uncheck Locked Appointment first - it takes effect immediately, no Save Changes needed, and it'll lock itself again automatically the next time you save while still Completed and Paid.

None of this touches Status (Pending/Confirmed/Completed/Cancelled) - that's still your own call, and depends on whether the job actually happened:

  • Refunded before the job happened (e.g. the client cancelled and you agreed to refund them) - set Status to Cancelled and note the refund and date in Internal notes.
  • Refunded or charged back after the job was completed - don't cancel it; the job genuinely happened. Leave Status as Completed (Paid unchecks itself automatically, per above) and note what happened (and when) in Internal notes. Cancelling here would misrepresent your own records as "this never happened."

For a chargeback specifically: Stripe gives you a window to contest it with evidence directly in your Stripe Dashboard before it's final - it's not an automatic loss. If it looks like a bad-faith client, consider Block Client on their Client Profile so they can't submit new booking requests.

A Stripe payment was refunded or disputed - do I need to create a new booking to still complete it, or can I finish this one?

You can just finish this same one - there's no need to create another. Once the refund/dispute is detected (see the question above), Paid (or Deposit Paid) unchecks itself automatically; from there, just collect payment another way outside Stripe if the job's still going ahead (cash, e-transfer, a card reader, a payment link, etc.), pick that in Payment method, check the appropriate Paid checkbox back on once you've actually been paid, and note what happened in Internal notes so there's a record. The only time you genuinely need a fresh booking is the different scenario below (the client specifically wants to pay again with a new card) - a refund/dispute on its own doesn't require that.

The client paid in full with Stripe but wants to cancel and pay with a different card - what do I do?

There's no way to swap the card on an already-succeeded payment - each booking's Stripe payment is tied to the one PaymentIntent that was actually charged. Refund the original charge (see "How do I refund..." above), cancel this booking, and have them submit a fresh booking - that's what actually creates a new PaymentIntent for the new card. This is different from a plain refund/chargeback (see the question above) - only needed when the client specifically wants a new card payment, not just because a refund happened.

Can I switch a booking from "deposit required" to "full payment required" (or back) after it's already been submitted and paid?

No - Require Full Payment/Require Only a Deposit is an account-wide setting under Settings > Stripe Payments, and changing it only affects bookings submitted from that point forward. An already-paid booking's payment type (deposit or full) is frozen at whatever it actually was when the client paid - there's no way to retroactively convert one into the other. To collect more from an existing deposit booking, see the next question.

How do I collect the remaining balance on a deposit-required booking?

There's no "charge the rest through Stripe" button - collect it from the client yourself, outside Stripe, the same way you would for any other payment method (in person, a card reader, e-transfer, a payment link you send, etc.). Pick whichever method in Payment method, then check Balance Paid in Booking Details once you've actually been paid - it's shown alongside Deposit Paid specifically for a Stripe deposit booking, and they're deliberately two separate checkboxes: Deposit Paid tracks the Stripe deposit itself (kept in sync automatically, including if it's later refunded), and Balance Paid tracks only the remainder you collected yourself. Keeping them separate means a deposit refund never silently wipes out the fact you already collected the rest some other way.

What happens if I delete a client or booking that had a Stripe payment?

Nothing happens on the Stripe side either way - deleting is purely local to 1minutebooking. The charge stays exactly as it was in your own Stripe account (balance, payout, Dashboard history), and nothing is refunded automatically. If you want it refunded, do that in Stripe before deleting - once the booking's gone, you lose the one-click "Paid via Stripe" link into your Dashboard, though you can still find the charge directly in Stripe (see the question below - every charge is tagged with the booking id and client name/email).

Deleting a client deletes all of that client's bookings too, including any that were Completed+Paid and Locked - unlike deleting a booking directly (blocked while Locked Appointment is checked), deleting the client skips that check entirely. Worth double-checking a client's booking history before deleting them, especially if any were paid through Stripe.

How do I find out which Stripe payment was for which booking, if I already deleted the client or booking?

Open the charge in your Stripe Dashboard and check its metadata - every payment made through 1minutebooking is tagged platform: 1minutebooking (handy if you run anything else through this same Stripe account), and, right when the booking is created, with that booking's id, the client's name, email, and address (if you collect one), and the appointment date/time (booking_id, client_name, client_email, client_address, appointment_date, appointment_time). This is separate from - and survives - anything happening on the 1minutebooking side, so it's still there even after the booking or client is deleted here.

If you'd rather not open Stripe for this, exporting your data (Pro) beforehand also keeps a "Stripe Payment Intent ID" column you can match against.

A client says they were charged but I can't find the booking in my account - how do I locate it in Stripe, and what should I check?

Log into your Stripe Dashboard directly (not through 1minutebooking) and search Payments for around the date/time and amount the client reports - ask them for that, plus the email or last 4 card digits they used if they have it handy. Every payment this app ever creates is tagged platform: 1minutebooking in its metadata the moment checkout starts (before any booking exists yet), which helps narrow it down if you're browsing rather than searching by amount.

Once you find it, check the payment's own status - this is the key thing to look at:

  • Succeeded - a real charge went through. If there's still no matching booking here, it was almost certainly deleted afterward (see "What happens if I delete a client or booking..." above) - check the metadata for booking_id/client_name/client_email to confirm which one it was.
  • Canceled - nothing was actually charged. The card was only ever authorized (a temporary hold), and the booking attempt failed for some reason (most commonly the slot being taken by someone else in the same moment - see "Two clients tried to book the same slot" below) - the authorization was released rather than captured. This is very likely what the client is describing: a pending hold on their statement that they perceived as "being charged," which clears on its own (can take a few days, bank-dependent) without you needing to do anything.

1minutebooking is deliberately built so a real charge can never be captured without a matching booking already existing in your account at that exact moment - so "succeeded but no booking here" should only ever mean it was deleted afterward, never that money moved with nothing to show for it.

Two clients tried to book the same slot and both paid - can that happen?

It's a narrow window, not eliminated entirely - but nobody actually gets charged twice for one slot. Availability is checked before a card is even authorized whenever a date/time has already been picked at that point, which stops most of this in practice, but the two people would still need to be paying within moments of each other for it to matter at all. In that case the very last check (immediately before the booking itself is created) rejects the slower one - their card was only ever authorized, never actually charged, and that authorization is released automatically the same moment their booking is rejected. There's nothing for you to refund - releasing a hold like this can still take a few days to disappear from their bank/card statement (normal for any authorization, not something either of you can speed up), but no money was ever captured. That client's screen tells them their payment couldn't be completed and to pick another slot.

Do I have to refund a deposit if a client cancels or no-shows?

That's entirely your own call - 1minutebooking doesn't automatically refund or forfeit a deposit based on a cancellation or no-show. State your policy (e.g. "deposits are non-refundable within 24 hours of the appointment") in Settings > Policies & Terms > Cancellation Policy, shown to clients before they book, then refund or keep the deposit yourself based on that policy when it happens.

Can I disconnect my Stripe account later?

Yes - click Disconnect next to your connected account in Settings > Stripe Payments. This only forgets the connection on our side; your Stripe account itself is unaffected and you can reconnect any time. If a client happens to be mid-checkout at that exact moment, their card's authorization is automatically released as part of disconnecting - they're never left charged for a booking that can't be completed.

Customizing your booking page

Can I change the colors, add my logo, or remove the 1minutebooking badge?

Yes, all three are Pro features - see Settings > Booking Page Customization and Business Info for the logo. Free accounts use the default look and keep the "Powered by 1minutebooking.com" badge.

Can I embed my booking page on my own website, or share it on social media?

Yes - Settings > Embed & Share generates a customizable button (text, color, shape) with copy-paste HTML for Squarespace/Wix/WordPress/etc, plus the plain link for a social media bio or post.

Can I ask clients custom questions on the booking page?

Yes - Settings > Booking Form Fields > Custom Fields supports free text, single choice, or multiple choice questions, each optionally required.

I work out of more than one location - can clients choose which one?

Yes - add your locations under Settings > Booking Form Fields, then turn on "Require a location," choosing whether clients pick just one (radio buttons) or several (checkboxes).

What are the phone bubble and price bubble?

Small fixed elements shown on every screen of the booking flow: the phone bubble (bottom-right) lets a client tap to call you directly; the price bubble (bottom-left) shows the running total, updating live as they pick services and add-ons. Either, both, or neither - your call, under Business Info and Booking Notifications respectively.

Security & spam protection

What's hCaptcha, and do I need it?

An anti-bot challenge you can require on your public booking form, under Settings > hCaptcha. You can allow a set number of free submissions per IP per day before it kicks in, and optionally always require it for known VPN/proxy traffic. Most accounts won't need it unless they start seeing spam bookings.

What does "Flagged as VPN/proxy" on a booking mean?

The same IP check behind the Verified/Unverified badge (see Managing bookings) detected a VPN, proxy, or similarly non-residential connection for that booking. It's a flag for you to review, not an automatic rejection - plenty of legitimate clients use VPNs.

Can a tiny deposit (even $1, or 1%) help cut down on spam or fake bookings?

Yes - it's a common trick, and it's a much higher bar than hCaptcha alone. hCaptcha proves "not a bot"; a payment requirement proves "a real, working card is behind this," which filters out a lot more than bot traffic - low-effort fake bookings, prank submissions, and no-shows who wouldn't bother if it cost them anything. Under Settings > Stripe Payments, choose Require Only a Deposit to Submit and set it as low as a flat $1 - you're using the payment requirement itself as the filter, not really the amount collected. A percentage like 1% works the same way, but only on a high enough total; on a cheap service it can round down below Stripe's own minimum chargeable amount (see Is there a minimum amount I can charge?) and fail, so a flat $1 is the more reliable choice if this is purely a spam filter rather than a real deposit. It stacks with hCaptcha and VPN detection rather than replacing them; use all three together if spam is a real problem for you.

The downside to weigh first: requiring any payment upfront - even $1 - adds friction, and some real, legitimate clients will drop off rather than enter card details for what feels like a low-commitment inquiry. That's a genuine tradeoff of any "pay to submit" gate, not something specific to how this is built. It's worth it if you're already dealing with meaningful spam or no-show volume; if that isn't currently a problem for you, hCaptcha alone (no payment requirement) is the lower-friction first step.

Data & billing

Can I export my bookings and client data?

Yes, from Settings > Export Data - every booking, client contact info, service, date/time, price and status, as an Excel file, optionally filtered by date range, status, client, or phone. This is a Pro feature. Only your own data is ever included.

What does the Analytics page show?

Analytics (a Pro feature) breaks down your bookings over a date range you choose, optionally filtered to just Confirmed, Completed, or another status: Revenue Over Time, Busiest Day of Week, Bookings by Status, Top Services and Top Add-ons (both ranked by revenue), and Most Used Payment Methods. It's read-only - a way to spot trends, not something you configure.

What's included in Pro, and can I cancel any time?

Pro ($10/mo) unlocks a custom logo, booking page color customization, removing the "Powered by 1minutebooking.com" badge, Excel data export, and Analytics (revenue over time, busiest days, top services/add-ons, payment methods). Cancel any time from Settings > Account Settings - no long-term commitment.