ChairHoldGuides · 26 Aug 2026
How to take a haircut deposit
You already know the conversation: “You still coming?” The better version is: they already paid to hold the chair. Here is the setup.
Pick a hold percent
ChairHold charges a percent of the service price at booking. Examples:
- $30 shape-up, 50% hold → $15 now
- $45 fade, 40% hold → $18 now
- $80 color or long service, 50% hold → $40 now
High enough that ghosting hurts. Low enough a regular still books. You can change it later without rebuilding the shop.
Set the cancel window
Hours before the appointment when they can still cancel and not lose the hold. Twenty-four is the default people already expect. Same-day texts after that window are a no-show under your rule.
Say it in one sentence
Put this on the shop: “Deposit is charged now toward this appointment, not a gift card. Cancel inside the window or the chair stays yours and the hold stays with the shop.”
How the client pays
They do not download ChairHold. They open your link or scan the QR, pick the service and an open chair, and pay. Stripe takes the card. After you finish Settings → Payments, that money can land in your account.
When they sit down — or do not
On Today, mark Show and apply the deposit to the balance. Mark No-show and keep the deposit if they missed the window. That is the whole bookkeeping.
If empty chairs are the pain, read barber no-show deposits next.
ChairHold is a shop tool. You set the hours, the menu, and the hold. The client pays the deposit toward that appointment. Stripe processes the card. We do not take a percentage of the haircut.