The simplest way is a site where booking and payment are the same system, so you can require a deposit at the moment someone books. They pick a time, pay a deposit or the full amount, and the slot is held. Instinctor does this, so deposits are part of booking, not a separate step.
STEP BY STEP
1. Connect a processor
Link a card processor once so you can take a card at the time of booking. Money goes to your bank.
2. Choose the amount
Set a fixed deposit, a percentage, or full prepayment. Match it to how costly a no-show is for you.
3. Require it at booking
The customer picks a time and pays before the slot is confirmed, so only serious people book.
4. Hold the slot
Once the deposit is paid, the time is reserved and taken off your calendar, with no double-booking.
5. Remind them
Automatic reminders go out before the appointment, so the deposit does its job and they show up.
6. Apply it to the bill
The deposit counts toward the final price, and you collect the balance when the work is done.
WHY IT WORKS
Free bookings are easy to forget and easy to skip. The moment money is on the line, people either show up or cancel in time for you to fill the slot.
Only serious bookings
Asking for a deposit filters out the people who were never really going to come, protecting your calendar.
You are not left empty
If someone does not show, the deposit covers some of the lost time instead of a slot that earned nothing.
One system, no chasing
Deposit, reminder and final payment all run from the same booking, so there is nothing to chase by hand.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Yes. Charge a fixed deposit, a percentage of the price, or the full amount up front. Match it to how much a no-show costs you.
Yes. It applies to the final price, and you collect the balance when the job is done, so the customer is not paying twice.
At the moment of booking. The customer picks a time and pays before the slot is confirmed, so only serious people reserve it.
Yes. Once money is on the line, people show up or cancel in time for you to fill the slot, instead of quietly skipping a free booking.
Straight to your account through the card processor you connect. Instinctor does not sit in the middle of your deposits.
No. Booking and payment are the same system, so the deposit, the reminder and the final payment all run from one place.