Online payments

Online payments are the single biggest no-show killer for premium services. Chairtime uses PayFast to take card + EFT through your storefront and on phone bookings.

What you get

Storefront deposits — your storefront asks for a deposit (R, %, or full price) before confirming the slot. No deposit, no booking.
SMS / email deposit links — for phone bookings, send a PayFast link with one tap. The booking stays as awaiting deposit until the client pays.
POS card payments — ring up the final total through PayFast. Client taps a link on their phone or scans a QR.
Auto receipts — every paid booking gets a branded receipt by SMS or email.
No-show protection — if a client no-shows after paying a deposit, the deposit is yours. Set the cancellation window in Setup → Booking policy.

Switch it on

/platform/billing → tap Switch on PayFast (Pro plan or higher).
Chairtime walks you through PayFast onboarding — bank details, FICA docs, business proof. PayFast usually approves within 2–3 business days.
Once approved, deposits become an option on every service. Set the default in Setup → Booking policy.

How clients see it

A client books on your storefront, picks Hair colour (R650, 50% deposit required). The booking flow takes them straight to PayFast — card or instant EFT. They pay R325, get a confirmation, the booking lands on your board as confirmed. The remaining R325 is collected at the POS after the service.

Money flow

PayFast charges 3.5% + R2 per card transaction (standard PayFast rates).
Money is paid out to your bank weekly by PayFast (or daily on higher tiers — set up with PayFast directly).
Chairtime doesn’t take a cut of your bookings. Your subscription is the only thing we charge.

Refunds

From the POS, open the sale → Refund. PayFast refunds the original card within 3–5 days. The client gets an SMS confirming the refund.