Slotward / Card on file
A way of taking a deposit
The deposit is collected at booking, not after they miss
Some booking setups ask for a card and charge a cancellation or no-show fee only if the shop enforces it later. Slotward charges the deposit when the client books. That is the amount the window can keep. Slotward is not affiliated with products that bill a fee after the visit.
No card to start. Create an account, then name the shop. That starts the 7-day free trial. Client deposits open only after Stripe enables charges. Then $39 a month or $390 a year from Settings if you want new bookings to stay open.
This page compares Slotward with a way of taking a deposit. It does not quote another company's price, fee, or feature list. Where a public page was checked, that write-up is linked with the date.
When the money moves
The client pays the deposit on the booking page, before the visit. The charge is on your connected Stripe account. Outside the saved window, a client cancellation refunds it. Inside the window, you keep it. A no-show stays kept after you mark it, and you can mark it only once the visit was supposed to have started. If you cancel the appointment, the deposit is refunded even inside the window.
There is no second charge
This version does not store a card to charge a fee after a no-show, and it does not add a cancellation fee on top of the deposit. If the amount you need for a missed visit is the deposit, set the deposit to that amount. A flat amount and a percent can sit on different services. Every bookable service has one.
The client can cancel without you pressing a button
They use the manage link from the confirmation screen. They do not create an account. The window in force at booking is the one stored on the appointment, so a later policy edit does not rewrite it. This page does not claim that other products block client cancellation. That kind of fact is only on a comparison that links the page it was read from.
An authorization is a rental rule, not the appointment rule
Appointment deposits in Slotward are charges at booking, then refunds or keeps under the window. A card authorization is used for a rental security deposit only when the return date plus a one-day settlement window is under 6 days away. That rental rule is not a no-show fee for a haircut or a session. The rental pages describe it.
What Slotward does
Trial, price, and who is paid
Slotward is $39 a month or $390 a year after a 7-day trial. The trial starts when the shop is created, and no card is required to start. The client pays the deposit on your booking page. That charge is on your Stripe account. Slotward does not add a fee on top of the deposit.
The window runs itself
You write the cancellation wording and the hour count. Clients read that before they pay, and they get a manage link after they pay. Cancel outside the window and the deposit refunds. Cancel inside the window and you keep it. A no-show is kept, and you mark that after the visit was supposed to start. If you cancel the appointment, the deposit is refunded even inside the window. The window in force at booking is stored on the appointment, so a later edit does not rewrite it.
What this version does not do
- One shop and one weekly calendar. A second person needs a second shop. There is no staff roster and no waitlist.
- Every bookable service has a deposit. You cannot list a service on the booking page with the deposit turned off. The deposit is a flat amount or a percent of that service.
- The deposit is collected at booking. This version does not store a card to charge a second fee after a no-show, and it does not send reminder texts.
- No point of sale and no in-person register. Slotward books the time and takes the deposit.
Questions
Can I require a card and charge only if they don't show?
Not in this version. The deposit is collected when they book. You keep it inside the cancellation window or when you mark a no-show after the start. You do not run a separate fee later.
Does the client see the rule before paying?
Yes. The booking page shows the cancellation wording you save. The appointment keeps the window it was booked under.
What does the trial cost?
The trial is 7 days and starts when the shop is created. No card is required to start. Then it is $39 a month or $390 a year, chosen in Settings. Client deposits are not the subscription. Deposits open only after Stripe enables charges.
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Montgomery Appworks LLC · 9905 S Pennsylvania Ave Ste A, Oklahoma City, OK 73159