General questions
How do I access my account settings?
Open All Settings in the sidebar, under Settings & account.
Select a card, or type in Find a setting to go straight to one.
The account menu, your business name or logo at the top of the sidebar, holds Quick Copy Links, Preview Links and Your Account & Billing. It has no settings item. You can also find a setting from the Quick Command Centre.
Can I have different settings for different locations?
Settings belong to one business account. With Enterprise Multi-Location, each location is its own business account, with its own calendar, team, services, customers and settings, and Locations HQ holds the organisation's billing and subscription. A team member can have access to several locations, with a different role at each. See Enterprise multi-location.
How do I change my account password?
You change a business login password with a reset email. There is no password field in Settings.
Open Team Members and select Manage on your own name. The owner is listed there too.
Select Send Password Reset.
Open the email sent to your profile's login email and set the new password.
A new password must be at least 8 characters and include an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter and a number. If you cannot sign in, select Forgot your password? on the business.petboost.com login screen.
Do not share one owner password with staff. Give each person their own login. Full steps: Change your account password.
Who can change account settings?
Only users with the Admin or Owner Admin role can open and change Settings. Service Performers and Service Supporters cannot see or change any settings. If a team member opens a settings page directly, for example by typing the URL, Petboost redirects them to Appointments and shows a brief Access restricted message saying their role does not have access.
Quick Command Centre
What is the Quick Command Centre?
The Quick Command Centre is a search that opens over any page in Petboost, so you can find a record, a page or a setting and go straight to it without clicking through menus. See Quick Command Centre.
How do I open it?
There are two ways:
Press Cmd+K on a Mac, or Ctrl+K on Windows or Linux
Select the search button, a magnifying glass, at the top of the page
Press Esc to close it.
What can I search for?
The toggle bar above the results has a switch for each source. These are on until you change them: Pages, Pets, Owners, Services, Team, Settings, Actions and Locations. These are off until you switch them on: Products, Resources, Packages, Memberships, Courses and Forms.
A setting result shows the path to it, such as Settings > Pricing & Payments, so you know where it will take you.
How do source toggles work?
Switch a source off to leave it out of your results, or on to include it. Pages and Actions are always on. Petboost remembers your choices in this browser.
Can I ask questions in the Command Centre?
Yes. When you type a question, such as "How many appointments does Kiwi have next week?", the Quick Command Centre offers Ask Grazi AI in place of the search results. Press Enter to ask Grazi AI. It also offers Ask Grazi AI when a search finds nothing.
Grazi AI
What is Grazi?
Grazi AI is Petboost's built-in support assistant. It sits in a panel on every screen: select Get Help at the top of the screen, or the Grazi AI tab at the right edge of the page. On a phone, tap Grazi's picture at the top of the screen. It reads your business data, such as your appointments, customers, services and settings, to answer questions about your business and about how Petboost works, and it never changes anything in your account. See Grazi AI Assistant.
Does Grazi save my conversations?
Yes. Your conversations are saved, so you can close the panel and pick up where you left off later.
In the Grazi AI panel header, select the chat history icon.
Choose Grazi for your conversations with Grazi AI, or Petboost team for your conversations with the team.
Select a conversation to open it, or type in Search threads... to find one.
Can I escalate to a human if Grazi can't help?
Yes. Speak with the team sits under the suggestions when you open the panel, below the message box once a conversation has started, and on a reply after you select thumbs down.
In the Grazi AI panel, select Speak with the team.
Under How urgent?, choose how urgent it is.
Under What are you trying to do?, say what you need.
Optional: under What's happening instead?, add any detail.
Select Send to the team.
Your Grazi AI conversation is attached, so the team can see what you have already discussed. The team replies in the panel and by email, usually between 8:00am and 6:00pm AEST.
Can I give feedback on Grazi's answers?
Yes. Select thumbs up under an answer that helped, or thumbs down under one that did not. Thumbs down opens What's missing or wrong? for an optional note. To have a person look at it as well, select Speak with the team on that reply, and the form opens with your note already filled in.
Can I send screenshots or files to Grazi?
Yes. In the Grazi AI panel, select the paperclip, then Add photos or files or Take screenshot. Grazi AI takes images and PDF, CSV and TXT files, up to 10 MB each. This helps when you describe something on screen, share an error message or give context that is easier to show than describe.
Business Details
Can I change my ABN after it's set?
No. Business Structure and ABN are set when the account is created, and Business Details marks them Locked after setup. This is an intentional safeguard: your ABN appears on invoices, receipts and legal documents, and changing it after the fact could create compliance issues with the ATO.
If you need to change it because your business has restructured, for example from a sole trader to a company, only the Petboost team can do it.
Open Business Details.
Under the locked field, select Message us, and send us your new ABN.
The team verifies the new ABN and updates it for you.
How do I change my ABN?
Your ABN cannot be changed on the Settings pages. It is locked after your account is set up to keep tax and legal compliance across all your historical invoices, receipts and documents. Your ABN is printed on every invoice and receipt your business has issued, and changing it retroactively could cause discrepancies with ATO records and create problems for your accountant.
If your business has restructured, for example you have moved from a sole trader to a Pty Ltd, or your ABN has changed with the ATO, select Message us under the field on Business Details and send us your new ABN with the documents that show the change. The team updates it for you after verification.
What business structure should I select?
You choose it when you create the account, under How is your business set up?: Sole Trader, Partnership or Company. Choose the legal entity registered for your ABN. Business Structure is locked after setup, and only the Petboost team can change it, as with the ABN.
Do I need an ACN?
Only if your business is a registered company: an ACN (Australian Company Number) belongs to a company. ACN (Optional) on Business Details can be entered once. It locks as soon as it holds a value, before you publish, so paste the whole ACN in one go. If it locks after one character, remove ACN from Pending Changes and paste it again. After that, only the Petboost team can change it.
How do I change which phone number customers see?
Your Business Phone shows on your booking page and in customer communications.
Open Business Details. It opens on Details.
Under Basic Information, edit Business Phone. Use the country code selector for a number outside Australia.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
The new number shows on every customer-facing page once you publish. This is your main business contact number. Team members can have their own contact details on their team member profiles, but your public booking page always shows the Business Phone.
Can I change my business type to mobile?
Mobile is not a business-level setting. It is set on each service: a service is delivered at your premises by default, and you mark it as mobile when you travel to the pet owner. You can offer both in the same business, for example mobile grooming alongside grooming at your premises.
Open Services, select Manage on the service, then Manage Service.
Choose Booking Settings.
Switch on Mobile service.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Services marked as mobile show a mobile badge on your booking page.
Branding
How do I upload or change my business logo?
Open Branding.
Under Logo Suite, select Smart upload and upload one image. Petboost removes the background and makes the square and horizontal logos, each as a PNG and an SVG.
To upload or replace one file yourself, select Upload each format, then upload it on Square Logo or Horizontal Logo.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
The Square Logo is used for profile pictures, icons and map pins, and the Horizontal Logo for headers, invoices and emails. An SVG scales without losing quality, and a PNG works everywhere.
Your logo appears on your booking page, in customer emails, on invoices and on the sticky booking bar once you publish.
What image sizes work best?
Image | What to upload |
Square Logo | A PNG or SVG, at least 512 × 512 pixels |
Horizontal Logo | A PNG or SVG of any wide shape, at least 1000 pixels wide |
Hero Background Image | An image in 4:3 |
Always use high-resolution images that scale well.
Why is my button color "Unsuitable"?
Text on that colour has a contrast ratio below 4.5:1, the WCAG AA standard, so it may be hard to read for people with visual impairments. Each colour under Colour Scheme shows Suitable or Unsuitable, and Why? shows its ratio.
Open Branding.
Under Colour Scheme, on the colour marked Unsuitable, select Magic Match Closest. Petboost moves it to the nearest colour that passes, close to your brand colour.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Can I upload my own fonts?
Yes. Brand Font searches the Google Fonts library, and you can enter a font that is not on it.
Open Branding.
Under Typography, open Brand Font and type a font name in Search Google Fonts....
Select the font.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
For a font that is not on Google Fonts, open Advanced (enter a font manually) and fill in Font Family Name, exactly as the font names itself, and Font URL, the stylesheet or font file. The font must be web-accessible.
How do I see my branding changes?
Visit your public booking page to see your branding as customers see it.
Open All Settings.
Open Quick Copy Links.
Select Booking Page Link to copy your short link,
https://pbbook.now/{your-business-name}.Open the link in your browser.
Changes show on the page once you publish them.
How do I connect Google Ads, Meta, or GA4 to bookings?
Open Marketing & Tracking.
Switch on Advanced options.
Under Conversion Tracking, paste the IDs for the platforms you use: Google Ads Conversion ID and Google Ads Conversion Label, Meta Pixel ID, and Google Analytics Measurement ID.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Leave a field blank to turn that platform off. Google Ads stays off until both its conversion ID and its conversion label are filled.
Petboost fires funnel events on the booking form and a purchase conversion when the owner submits. Events run on app.petboost.com, not on your own website.
See Conversion tracking for the step-by-step click path in Google Ads, Meta Events Manager, and Google Analytics.
Why does my Google Tag Manager ID not track bookings?
A Google Tag Manager container ID starts with GTM-. You can publish it in the field, but Petboost does not load it. Copy the platform IDs instead: a Google Ads ID that starts with AW-, a Meta Pixel ID that is digits only, and a GA4 measurement ID that starts with G-.
Business hours and availability
What happens if I change my business hours?
Your business hours are the opening hours pet owners see on your showcase page and booking form. They do not decide when you can be booked: each team member's working hours and each resource's hours do. Changing them does not move, cancel or change any appointment already on your calendar.
Open Business Hours.
Under Weekly Schedule, switch each day on to open it, or off to show it as Day off.
Open a day and set the start and end time of its shift.
Select Save Business Hours.
The same editor is on All Settings as Opening hours, which opens Business Details on its Hours sub-tab. There, Publish Changes saves it.
What's the difference between Business Hours and Team Member Working Hours?
These are two separate settings:
Business Hours are the opening hours your customers see on your showcase page and booking form. You set them on Business Hours, or on All Settings as Opening hours
Working hours are when each team member works, made of sessions. Petboost offers a team member for bookings inside their working hours and outside their leave. You set them from Team Members: select Manage on the team member
Business hours do not limit what customers can book. For example, your business hours are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, one team member works 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM and another works 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Customers booking the first see times between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and customers booking the second see times between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. If a team member's working hours ran past your closing time, customers could book them then, so keep the two in step.
Tip: If you want a team member to work different hours on different days, for example Monday 7-3 and Tuesday 9-5, set this in their working hours, not in business hours. See Working Hours & Leave Management.
How do I set up public holiday closures?
Public Holidays loads Australian public holidays from Google Calendar and applies them as blocked time in bulk. It is not in the sidebar: open it from the link below, from the settings menu on Schedules & Sessions with Public Holiday Manager, or from Manage public holiday hours on the Hours sub-tab of Business Details.
Open Public Holidays.
Choose your state or territory: ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC or WA.
Select Fetch Public Holidays to load the official holiday list.
Switch each holiday on or off, or use Enable All or Disable All.
Under Team Members and Resources, choose who gets the blocked time, or use Select All.
Select Apply Holidays, then select the Apply button that names the number of holidays, such as Apply 5 Holidays.
To apply holidays to one team member only:
Open Team Members and select Manage on the team member.
Open Leaves & Restrictions.
On the Public Holidays card, select Magic Load Public Holidays.
Tick the holidays they will observe.
Select Apply Selected.
A resource has the same card on its Blocked Times tab.
Holidays are not applied automatically. Fetch and apply them each year
Applying holidays blocks new bookings but does not cancel or move existing appointments. Check your calendar after applying and reschedule any conflicts yourself
Re-applying a holiday skips blocked time that is already in place, so it does not create duplicates
See Public Holidays.
Booking settings
Should I enable or disable online booking?
Keep Online booking on for most situations: customers can book at any hour within your availability rules, which saves your team time.
Turn it off only if:
You are temporarily not accepting new bookings
You need full manual control over every booking
You are in a maintenance or transition period
Open Booking Settings.
Switch Online booking off.
In Turn off online booking?, select Turn it off.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
While it is off, customers cannot start or change a booking, the booking page opens with a contact banner, and your team can still create and change bookings. Online booking needs a Pro, Flex or Max plan.
Should I require a card on file?
Yes, in most cases. With a card required, the customer must add a valid payment card before they book online. That reduces no-shows and lets Pre-hold funds and Auto-pay invoices work.
Allow booking without card, under Card on file on Pricing & Payments, is off by default, so a card is required unless you switch it on. A deposit, if the service takes one, is charged at booking. Otherwise the card is not charged until the appointment.
What's the best booking notice period?
It depends on how much preparation your services need. These are common settings:
Notice | Suits |
4 hours | Same-day bookings with preparation time |
24 hours | A common default |
48 hours | Services that need more preparation |
1 week | Services that need special preparation |
Open Duration & Timing.
Under Booking Notice Period, set Minimum advance notice required for bookings in Weeks, Days, Hours and Minutes.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Until you set a notice period, Start with recommended settings suggests 24 hours' notice. Select Apply recommended to use it, or I will configure manually.
Should I use instant confirmation or manual approval?
Use Instant confirmation unless you need to review each booking yourself before it is confirmed, such as for VIP services, complex requirements or capacity you manage by hand.
Open Booking Settings.
Switch Instant confirmation on to confirm online bookings straight away, or off to approve each one yourself.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
With it off, a booking made online stays Pending until you approve it. Pending bookings wait under Requests to accept on Mission Control.
How do I customise my online booking page?
Your online booking page takes its appearance from Branding and its behaviour from your booking settings. Here is what you can control, and where:
Appearance, on Branding:
Your logo, square and horizontal, under Logo Suite
Hero Background Image, the large photo across the top
Video on your booking page, shown in the hero
Your Primary Colour, Primary Button Colour, Secondary Colour and Secondary Button Colour, each checked for contrast
A font, under Typography
Booking behaviour, on Booking Settings:
Whether Online booking is on
Instant confirmation or manual approval
Customers choose their team member, or team members are assigned automatically
Timing, on Duration & Timing:
Booking Notice Period, the minimum advance notice
Booking Interval, the time slot increments
Buffer time before and after appointments
Multi-pet bookings, on Booking Engine:
Multi-Pet Scheduling: Best Fit, All Pets Together or Clustered Start
Payment, on Pricing & Payments:
Whether a card on file is required, with Allow booking without card
Service display, on Services:
Service names, descriptions, images and pricing
Which services are available for self-service booking
Weight eligibility ranges, for the Quick Estimate filter on your booking page
Service categories and badges, such as mobile and vaccination required
Policies, on Policies & Paperwork:
Cancellation notice period and fee percentage
Terms and conditions document
Liability waiver document
Vaccination certificate requirements
Your booking page at pbbook.now/{your-business-name} (redirects to petboost.com.au/{your-business-name}-{id}/) combines all of these into one public page. Sections such as Quick Estimate can be hidden on Your Booking Page in Settings. See the Your Booking Page guide for full details.
Payments
Is there a way to turn off the payment stuff while keeping online booking and reminders?
Yes. You do not need to turn off online booking or reminders to turn off payment processing. Each of these is set separately:
Feature | Where to set it |
Online booking | Booking Settings |
Email and text reminders | Notifications |
Card on file requirement, Allow booking without card | Pricing & Payments, and each service's Pricing & Payments tab |
Pre-hold funds | Pricing & Payments, and each service's Pricing & Payments tab |
Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments, Auto-pay invoices | Automatic Actions, and each service's Automatic Actions tab |
To keep online booking and reminders but turn off payment automation, start on Pricing & Payments:
Open Pricing & Payments.
Under Card on file, switch on Allow booking without card.
Switch off Pre-hold funds.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes. If Before You Publish lists services under Also update services, check the ticks: services that were following the old value start ticked and change too, and services with their own value start unticked.
Then turn off the automatic charge:
Open Automatic Actions.
Switch off Auto-pay invoices and Auto-finalise appointments.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Leave Notifications as they are. Customers can book online and receive reminders, but no cards are pre-authorised or charged automatically. You collect payment yourself: in person, by bank transfer, in cash, or by sending a payment link.
Tip: Without a card on file, no-shows are more likely. To keep that protection without automatic charges, keep the card required and Pre-hold funds on, and switch off only Auto-pay invoices.
Should customers or business pay processing fees?
From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards. Most businesses build their processing costs into their service prices with Build Fees Into Pricing in Pricing Assistant, so the customer sees one price with no surcharge line. The other common approach is to absorb the fees and keep your prices as they are.
Open Services, open the settings menu (the gear) at the top of the page, and select Pricing Assistant.
Select Build Fees Into Pricing, then follow the steps in Pricing Assistant.
Pricing Assistant changes service prices only. If you built the booking fee into your prices, switch off Pass platform fee to customer under Fee Configuration on Pricing & Payments. Stripe's card processing fee has no switch: it cannot be passed on to customers from 1 October 2026. See Build fees into your prices.
What are Stripe's fees?
Typically 1.65% + $0.30 per transaction in Australia. Your rate may vary based on transaction volume. Check your Stripe dashboard for exact rates.
Fee Configuration on Pricing & Payments shows the rate on your plan. The fee is deducted from each card payment and cannot be added to the customer's invoice.
Is a card reader worth it?
Consider one if:
You have walk-in customers
Customers prefer in-person payment
You do front-desk checkout
You want in-person card payments to charge the appointment directly
Skip it if:
All bookings are online with card on file
You have very low transaction volumes
There is no Wi-Fi where you take payment. The reader connects over Wi-Fi and has no mobile data option
You run mobile services without reliable internet
New readers are the Stripe Reader S700, and a WisePOS E you already own keeps working with Petboost. To check whether a reader is connected:
Open Pricing & Payments.
If In-Person Payments is not on screen, switch on Advanced options.
Read In-Person Payments. If it shows Connect your card reader, no reader is connected yet: select it and type the pairing code from the reader.
See Card Reader Setup.
Can I use my existing card terminal?
Not connected to Petboost. Petboost connects to Stripe card readers only. New readers are the Stripe Reader S700, and a WisePOS E you already own keeps working with Petboost. You can keep another EFTPOS machine and record those payments as Other EFTPOS on the appointment.
Can I use my bank-supplied EFTPOS terminal instead of Stripe to avoid transaction fees?
Yes, alongside Stripe. You can keep using your existing terminal, such as Smart Pay, Square or a bank EFTPOS machine, and record those payments in Petboost. Stripe stays connected either way: Business Pro, Flex and Max need it for online booking, Card on File and no-show protection.
Take the payment on your terminal as normal, then record it:
Open the appointment from Appointments.
Under Payment Method, select Other EFTPOS.
Select Mark as Paid.
Petboost does not charge a fee for Other EFTPOS payments.
The trade-offs:
Stripe | Other EFTPOS | |
Booking fee | 1.4% (Pro), 1.4% (Flex) or 1.2% (Max) per transaction | None |
Stripe processing | 1.65% + $0.30 (per transaction) | Your bank's rate |
Accounting | Reaches Xero through Stripe's bank feed | Manual reconciliation |
Automation | Pre-hold funds, no-show protection | None |
Counts toward fee waiver | Yes | No |
From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards. See Build fees into your prices.
The subscription waiver: Process enough card payments via Stripe in a billing month and next month's plan fee is waived ($7,500 for Pro, $13,500 for Flex, $20,000 for Max). A billing month starts on your subscription's renewal date, and each one counts separately (not cumulative). The booking fee still applies. Other EFTPOS payments don't count toward this threshold.
Can I use Stripe for online bookings but my existing terminal for in-person payments?
Yes. You can mix Stripe and Other EFTPOS appointment by appointment:
Online bookings: leave Allow booking without card off on Pricing & Payments so customers add a card when they book, and switch on Auto-pay invoices on Automatic Actions to charge it after the appointment
Walk-in or in-person: take the payment on your existing terminal and record it as Other EFTPOS
Customers who will not save a card: turn on Book Without Card on the customer's Settings & Overrides tab, then record their payment as Other EFTPOS, Cash or Bank Transfer
A Stripe connection is required to activate Business Pro, Flex or Max, for online booking, packages and automations. Once it is connected, you choose the payment method for each transaction.
What's the difference in bookkeeping between Stripe and Other EFTPOS?
With Stripe for every payment:
Every payment matches to its appointment in Petboost
Stripe Bank Feeds send your payouts to Xero automatically
Your accountant works from one data source
The end-of-quarter reconciliation is straightforward
With Other EFTPOS as well:
Stripe payments still reach Xero through the bank feed
Payments on your own terminal land on a separate bank statement that you reconcile by hand
You match two data sources against your appointments each quarter
Matching payments to appointments takes more bookkeeping time
When you compare the two, count the bookkeeping time as well as the fees. If your bank's rate is well below Stripe's and you are comfortable reconciling by hand, using both can work.
What if bank transfer payments don't arrive?
Follow up with the customer: check they have your correct account details and that they actually sent the payment. A bank transfer can take 1 to 3 business days to arrive.
Open the appointment from Appointments.
Select Resend bank transfer request to send the invoice and your bank details again.
Mark the appointment paid only after the money reaches your account.
We currently use Square Appointments. How does Petboost compare?
Petboost is built for pet services, such as grooming, daycare, training, walking and boarding. When you compare, look at:
Resource capacity: set how many pets each resource takes, such as a play area or a grooming station
Lifecycle automation: automate as much or as little as you want, from booking confirmations and reminders to pre-hold funds, auto-completion and auto-payment
Packages: customers buy packs of sessions online, such as 5, 10 or 20, and spend the credits on their bookings
Pet profiles: grooming preferences, vaccination records and health details on each pet
Availability checks: Magic Availability Check offers only the times that fit your team, resources and rules, and Quick Force Create books a time outside them when you need to
Card payments through Petboost cost Stripe processing (1.65% + $0.30) plus a booking fee (1.4% on Pro, 1.4% on Flex, 1.2% on Max), which is more per transaction than Square's card rate. In return, saved cards are charged automatically, each payment is matched to its booking, and funds can be held before the appointment. Weigh the difference against the time you spend on payments and no-shows now.
How does Petboost prevent no-shows and missed payments?
Petboost has several layers of no-show protection:
Card on file requirement: customers must add a valid payment card to book online
Pre-authorisation holds: with Pre-hold funds on, Petboost holds the funds 72 hours before the appointment, not just checking that the card exists
Cancellation fees: your cancellation fee, a percentage or a fixed amount, applies when a customer cancels with less notice than your Change & Cancellation Notice Period
No-show fees: to charge for a missed appointment, open the booking, select Manage, then Mark as no show, and in Mark as No Show choose Charge Cancellation Fee. The rate is the same as a late cancellation, as there is no separate no-show rate. Petboost charges the card on file, or keeps the fee from the deposit if one was paid. A booking already paid in full cannot be marked as a no-show
Automatic Actions: pre-hold funds before the service, and charge the card after it
Automatic Actions
Are Automatic Actions included in my plan?
Automatic Actions are included in Business Pro, Business Flex, and Business Max plans. Calendar Lite does not include them, so on Lite you start, complete, finalise and charge appointments by hand. Appointment reminder emails and vaccination reminders still send on paid Calendar Lite. They stay off during the 14-day trial.
Check your subscription in Billing if you don't see these settings.
Should I enable all five automations?
Most businesses turn on all five. The five are Pre-hold funds, on Pricing & Payments, and Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices, on Automatic Actions. With all five on, an appointment runs in this order: the funds are held, the appointment starts, it completes, the invoice is created and the card is charged.
If you review each invoice before charging, leave Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices off. You can start with one and turn the others on as you go.
How do I set up automated payment collection?
Automated payment collection uses the Automatic Actions chain, on Business Pro, Flex and Max. Start with the card and the hold on Pricing & Payments:
Open Pricing & Payments. If Activate Stripe opens, connect Stripe first, as in Connect Stripe.
Under Card on file, leave Allow booking without card off, so customers need a valid payment card before they can book online.
Switch on Pre-hold funds.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Then turn on the rest of the chain:
Open Automatic Actions.
Switch on Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes. If Before You Publish lists services under Also update services, check the ticks: services that were following the old value start ticked and change too, and services with their own value start unticked.
What each one does:
Pre-hold funds validates the card and holds the funds 72 hours before the appointment
Auto-start appointments starts the appointment at the scheduled time
Auto-complete appointments completes it at the scheduled end time
Auto-finalise appointments creates the invoice 30 minutes after the scheduled end time
Auto-pay invoices charges the card on file at the next automatic check after the invoice is finalised. Checks run every 15 minutes
Trap: Auto-pay invoices and Pre-hold funds are set per service as well as for the business. If Auto-pay invoices is on for the business and off for a service, that service's appointments are not charged automatically. Check each service's Automatic Actions tab for Auto-pay invoices and its Pricing & Payments tab for Pre-hold funds.
Once this is set up, cards are held before the appointment and payment is collected after the service. Until the appointment is Paid, you can edit the invoice, select Void Invoice in Manage, or take payment another way.
How do I turn off just auto-charging but keep everything else?
You can turn off automatic charging while the rest of the chain keeps running, for the whole business or for some services.
Turn off auto-pay for the whole business
Open Automatic Actions.
Switch off Auto-pay invoices, and leave Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments and Auto-finalise appointments on.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Appointments still start, complete and finalise automatically, which creates the invoice, but you process each payment yourself. Pre-hold funds still holds the funds 72 hours before, so you keep no-show protection without automatic charging.
Turn off auto-pay for some services
Open Services, select Manage on the service, then Manage Service.
Choose Automatic Actions.
If the switches are not on screen, switch on Advanced options.
Switch off Auto-pay invoices.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Most services charge as normal, and the services you changed wait for you to take payment. This suits services with variable pricing that need a review before charging.
Tip: Keep Pre-hold funds on even without Auto-pay invoices. It validates cards and reserves funds without charging them, so you still get no-show protection.
What if pre-hold funds fails?
Petboost texts the customer and tries the hold again every 4 hours, up to 5 attempts, until the appointment starts. The appointment still goes ahead.
Can I cancel an auto-payment?
Yes, until the charge runs. Auto-pay invoices charges at the next 15-minute check after the invoice is finalised. Before then, edit the invoice, select Void Invoice in Manage, or turn off Auto-Pay Invoices for that customer:
Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
Open the Settings & Overrides tab.
Switch off Auto-Pay Invoices.
Select Save Changes.
Do auto-payments always work?
No. Payments can fail if:
The card is expired or cancelled
There are insufficient funds
The card issuer blocks the transaction
There is a technical issue
The appointment then shows Payment Declined and appears under Unpaid on Mission Control. The customer is notified and can update their payment method, and Email you: payment declined emails you if it is on. See Retry a declined card.
Notifications
Are SMS notifications expensive?
SMS notifications are included in your plan at no extra charge:
Business Pro: 500 SMS/month included
Business Flex: 700 SMS/month included
Business Max: 1,000 SMS/month included
Calendar Lite: Email notifications only (no SMS)
If you exceed your monthly allocation, you can buy SMS credit packs. See the SMS Credits guide.
Can customers opt out of notifications?
Yes. Customers can reply STOP to a text to unsubscribe, and emails include an unsubscribe link. Booking messages, such as confirmations, reminders and receipts, do not depend on their communication preferences, so they still receive their appointment information. See Consent management.
What's the best reminder timing?
A reminder 24 hours before the appointment is a common choice. Adjust it for:
How much preparation the service needs
How far customers travel
Your no-show history
Open Notifications.
Under Pre-Appointment Reminders, then First Reminder, switch on Email the customer: reminders, Text the customer: reminders, or both.
Under Reminder Time, choose how long before the appointment in Weeks, Days, Hours and Minutes.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Petboost checks for due reminders every 15 minutes. A text reminder due between 11pm and 4am, business time, is not sent. The email reminder still is.
Do I get notified when customers book online?
Yes. Under Booking Created on Notifications, Email you: new booking copy emails your business address a confirmation addressed to your team when a customer books, reschedules, updates or cancels online, and Text you: new booking alert texts your business number when an appointment is created.
Open Notifications.
Under Booking Created, switch on Email you: new booking copy.
Switch on Text you: new booking alert.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Email you: new booking copy only sends while Email the customer: booking updates is on.
What notification settings can I control?
Petboost gives you control over several notification channels and triggers, all on Notifications:
Booking messages:
Text the customer: booking confirmation and Text the customer: booking changes (on/off). Cancellation texts follow Text the customer: booking changes
Email the customer: booking updates (on/off). Booking confirmation, change and cancellation emails follow it
Reminders:
Email the customer: reminders and Text the customer: reminders (on/off), under First Reminder
Reminder Time, in weeks, days, hours and minutes before the appointment
Reminders for frequent Daily and Weekly Recurring appointments (on/off), under Reminder Rules
Custom messages:
Pre-Appointment Message, under Custom Messages, a note in confirmation and reminder emails and on the pet owner's booking card, such as "Please arrive 10 minutes early". Also add to confirmation and reminder texts adds it to texts as well
Confirmation Message, added to reminder texts when Confirmation Reply (Y/N) is on. It needs an active dedicated number
Abandoned booking alerts:
Email you: abandoned bookings & unfinished profiles (on/off), under Abandoned Bookings & Incomplete Profiles, emails you when a customer starts booking but doesn't complete it, or leaves their profile unfinished
Switch on Advanced options if Custom Messages or Abandoned Bookings & Incomplete Profiles is not on screen.
One service: every switch on Notifications is a default. Each service has its own Notifications tab, where it can message customers differently. See Change notifications for one service.
What you cannot customise:
The core notification content (appointment details, times, service names) is standardised for consistency
Notification language or translations
For full details, see the Notifications guide.
Policies & Paperwork
Do I need a lawyer for my terms and conditions?
Strongly recommended. Proper legal documents protect your business from liability. Many lawyers offer pet business packages.
Can I change my cancellation policy later?
Yes. Petboost applies the policy saved on the booked service when the appointment is cancelled, so a change also reaches appointments already booked. Each service keeps its own copy of the policy. When you publish a change to the business default, Also update services lists the services that will not follow it on their own, in two groups. Services that were following the old policy still hold it, so they start ticked and change with it; untick any you want to leave. Services that have their own policy were set differently, so they start unticked; tick them only to replace it.
How do I set up a cancellation policy?
Open Policies & Paperwork.
Under Change & Cancellation Policy, switch on Allow changes and cancellations. With it on, customers change and cancel for themselves.
Under Fee type, choose Percentage or Fixed amount.
For Percentage, choose Percentage of booking, from 0% to 100% of the appointment cost in 5% steps. For Fixed amount, enter the fee in dollars. It is charged once per booking.
Set Change & Cancellation Notice Period in Weeks, Days, Hours and Minutes. 24 hours is a common choice.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
How it works in practice:
If a customer cancels with at least the notice period, for example more than 24 hours ahead, no fee is charged
If a customer cancels with less notice, for example less than 24 hours ahead, the fee is charged to their card on file: the percentage of the appointment cost, or the fixed amount, never more than the booking total. When a deposit was paid, the fee is your percentage of the deposit, or the fixed amount up to the size of the deposit, and the rest of the deposit is refunded. A booking already paid in full cannot be cancelled: refund it with Issue refund instead. With no card on file, the fee waits on the invoice as Pending
If the card charge fails, the fee shows as Failed and can be retried from the appointment
You can waive the fee case by case for emergencies. See Waive a cancellation fee
Tip: Communicate your cancellation policy clearly. Add a note to your Pre-Appointment Message, under Custom Messages on Notifications, reminding customers of the notice period.
What's a fair cancellation fee?
50% is the standard industry rate. Consider:
0-25%: customer-friendly, but may not cover your costs
50%: a balanced approach
75-100%: a strict policy, for high-demand or high-cost services
Must I require vaccination certificates?
Yes, for any service where pets interact or share space. Titre test results are also accepted as proof of immunity.
Recommended for:
Boarding
Daycare
Group training classes
Optional for:
One-on-one grooming
Mobile services at the customer's home
How do I set up vaccination requirements?
Open Policies & Paperwork.
Under Health & Safety Requirements, switch on Require vaccination certificate.
Optional: switch on Require vaccine review & approval, which appears once the first switch is on.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
When it is on:
Customers must upload vaccination records, or titre test results, before they can book online
Petboost checks each certificate's label and dates, not the document itself. To check each certificate yourself, turn on Require vaccine review & approval: appointments then stay Pending until you approve the certificate
Services on your booking page display a vaccination required badge
What to require: core vaccines (Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus for dogs), plus Bordetella (Kennel Cough) for boarding and daycare. Records must be current and signed by a licensed veterinarian.
Tip: If some services require vaccinations and others don't, for example boarding requires them and mobile grooming doesn't, set the requirement for the business and turn it off for individual services on each service's Policies & Paperwork tab.
Can I require a digital agreement before booking?
Yes. Customers review and accept your terms and waiver the first time they book online.
Open Policies & Paperwork.
Under Client agreements, select Upload Terms & Conditions and choose your PDF.
Select Upload Waiver Document and choose your PDF.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Each document is a PDF of up to 5 MB.
What happens when a customer books for the first time:
The terms and the waiver are two separate cards. The terms card has View Terms & Conditions and the tick box I have read & agree to your business's Terms & Conditions. The waiver card has Review Waiver and the tick box I have read & agree to the terms of the waiver as set out by your business
The customer must tick each box to go on
Petboost stores the agreement with the date and time, the documents agreed to, the IP address and booking details, and the version of the documents
You see their agreements on the Paperwork tab of their profile
Legal enforceability: Digital agreements with timestamps are legally binding. The clickwrap format, which needs an active tick from the customer, is the proof, together with the date, time, IP address and exact version of the documents that Petboost captures.
When you replace a document, customers who agreed to the old one are asked to agree to the new one when they next book. Their earlier agreements stay on file.
Tip: Have a lawyer review your terms and waiver. Many lawyers offer pet business document packages. Update your documents every year or whenever your policies change.
Are digital agreements legally binding?
Yes, digital agreements with timestamps are legally enforceable. Petboost captures the proof: the date, time, IP address and document version.
Invoices and receipts
Can I customise what appears on invoices?
Invoice content is standardised for clarity and legal compliance, but you can customise key elements.
Automatically included:
Your business name and horizontal logo
Your billing address, business email and Business Phone
Your ABN. A business registered for GST gets a tax invoice with GST shown as included
Your bank details, once you add them on Pricing & Payments
The customer's name, email, phone number and address
The pet names
The services and items with their prices, and the total
The appointment date, the invoice number and, once paid, the payment date and Stripe receipt number
What you can change:
Business logo: upload it on Branding
Business name, address, phone and email: edit them on Business Details
Bank details: add them under Bank details on your invoices on Pricing & Payments
A message on one invoice: on the appointment's Invoice, type it under Invoice Message, then select Attach Message to Invoice. See Add a message to the invoice
Tax invoice or invoice: tick Registered for GST on Business Details
Not customisable:
Invoice layout/template design
Line item order
Currency format (follows your country settings)
For specific invoice requirements, contact support to discuss your needs.
Roles & Permissions
How do I manage user permissions for my staff?
Petboost uses a role-based access system with four roles. Each team member is assigned one role that controls what they can see and do.
Role | Who it's for | What they can access |
Owner Admin | Business owner, primary account holder | Everything, including settings, billing, reports, and exports |
Admin | Business managers, co-owners | Full business operations and settings |
Service Performer | Groomers, trainers, walkers, daycare staff | Appointments, customers, courses and messages. Services, Packages, Products, Team Members, Resources and Schedules & Sessions view only. Cannot access Settings, Reporting & Intelligence, Billing & Subscription or the Referral Program, or export data |
Service Supporter | Reception, assistants, trainees | Appointments, customers, courses and messages only. Cannot access Services, Packages, Products, Team Members, Resources, Schedules & Sessions, Settings, Reporting & Intelligence, Billing & Subscription or the Referral Program |
To see what each role allows:
Open Roles & Permissions.
Find the role's card. The ticked lines are what the role allows, the crossed lines are what it cannot do, and the team members who hold it are listed below them.
Optional: select View Full Permissions Map to compare every page and action across the four roles.
To change a team member's role:
Open Roles & Permissions and select Manage beside the team member's name. Their profile opens.
Open Personal Details.
Choose the new Role.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Role changes take effect immediately. The team member may need to refresh their browser.
Key restrictions to be aware of:
Service Performers and Service Supporters cannot see the revenue and payment cards on Mission Control, cannot export customer data, and cannot access Reporting & Intelligence
The sidebar hides links to pages a team member's role cannot use
Only Admin and Owner Admin roles can change settings, manage payments, or export data
For the full permission breakdown by role, see the Roles & Permissions guide.
Payouts
Where is my money? I can't see recent payments in my bank account.
Open Stripe Payouts. Your money is in one of three places, each a tile on the page:
Still Processing: inside your account's processing window, typically 2 days
On its way to your bank: a payout Stripe has sent, shown as In Transit under Payout History, typically 1-2 business days
Available to Payout: ready for the next scheduled payout
How long until payments reach my bank?
Stripe uses a rolling processing period (not batched). Stripe Payouts shows how many days it is for your account. After processing, the payout is sent on your schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly).
Typical timeline for daily payouts: a payment taken on Monday before the daily cutoff arrives on Wednesday. After the cutoff, it arrives on Thursday.
Weekend and holiday payments may take longer as banks don't process transfers on non-business days.
What's the daily cutoff time?
Payments successfully processed before the daily cutoff time are included in the next day's processing batch. Payments captured after the cutoff go to the following day's batch.
The exact cutoff time for your account is displayed in your local time zone on Stripe Payouts, under Daily Cutoff Time. This time varies by country (typically around 5pm local time).
Why didn't I receive a payout on Monday?
If your payout was scheduled for Saturday or Sunday, it automatically moves to Monday (next business day). Same applies to public holidays.
Your Next Payout, on Stripe Payouts, shows the date the next payout will actually arrive, accounting for weekends and holidays. When a weekend or holiday pushes it back, it reads Weekend/Holiday Delay.
Can I change my payout schedule?
Yes, in your Stripe Dashboard.
Open Stripe Payouts.
On Where Stripe pays you, select Change in Stripe. Your Stripe Dashboard payout settings open.
Choose the schedule:
Daily, which suits most businesses
Weekly, on a set day of the week
Monthly, on a set date each month
How do I change my bank account for payouts?
Open Stripe Payouts.
On Where Stripe pays you, select Change in Stripe. Your Stripe Dashboard opens.
Add a new bank account or change the existing details.
Stripe may require verification for a new bank account.
Why is my payout smaller than the total payments?
Your payout is the net amount after deductions:
Stripe processing (1.65% + $0.30 per transaction)
Booking fee (1.4% on Pro, 1.4% on Flex, 1.2% on Max)
Any refunds you processed
Select a payout under Payout History on Stripe Payouts to see its summary: Card sales, Refunds, Other adjustments, Stripe processing fees, Petboost booking fees and Net transferred.
Can I see which appointments each payout contains?
Yes.
Open Stripe Payouts.
Under Payout History, select the payout.
On a transaction, select Open Appointment to open the booking, or View in Stripe to open the payment in your Stripe Dashboard.
Each transaction shows the pet name and owner name, the service provided, and the Stripe fee, Petboost fee, and net. A payment that is not tied to a booking, such as a membership payment, has View in Wallet instead of Open Appointment.
How do I reconcile payouts with my accounting?
To match one bank deposit, open Stripe Payouts and select the payout under Payout History. Its summary runs from Card sales, through the fees, to Net transferred.
For a month, a quarter or a financial year:
Open Billing and choose Invoices & Payment.
Switch the view to Monthly, Quarterly or EOFY.
Select the period to expand it, and read Card sales this period.
Select Download statement for the same breakdown as a PDF, split into appointments, package sales, quick sales, and membership payments.
Those figures will not match one deposit. See How do I get a sales report or statement for the financial year?.
To send deposits to your books automatically, connect Stripe Bank Feeds in Xero.
Reporting & Intelligence sales totals use appointment and sale dates, not payout arrival dates, so they will not match a bank deposit. Petboost is not accounting software. Billing and Reporting figures only cover payments recorded in Petboost. Actual earnings can vary for any payments collected outside Petboost, such as cash, bank transfer, or another payment machine.
Troubleshooting
My settings aren't saving
Check:
You selected Publish Changes, ticked the box in Before You Publish, then selected Publish Changes again. Until then, your changes wait under Pending Changes
You have the Admin or Owner Admin role
Required fields are filled in correctly
Your internet connection is stable
Try refreshing the page and saving again
I can't upload my logo
Verify:
Smart upload takes a JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC or SVG file. Under Upload each format, each file takes a PNG or an SVG
The file is 5 MB or smaller
Image dimensions are reasonable (not 10000 × 10000 pixels)
The file isn't corrupted
Customers say they're not receiving notifications
Check:
The customer's email and phone number are correct in their profile
The customer hasn't opted out of notifications
They have checked their spam or junk folder for emails
The notification is switched on in Notifications, and on the service's own Notifications tab
A text reminder due between 11pm and 4am, business time, is not sent. The email reminder still is
Booking page shows old branding
Try:
Check that you published the change
Hard refresh the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
Clear your browser cache
Wait a few minutes for changes to propagate
View in an incognito or private window
Auto-payments aren't processing
Work through these checks in order:
Open Billing and check that you are on Business Pro, Flex, or Max. Calendar Lite doesn't include Automatic Actions.
Open Automatic Actions and check that Auto-pay invoices is on.
Open Services, select Manage on the service, then Manage Service, and choose Automatic Actions. Check that Auto-pay invoices is on for this service. If the switches are not on screen, switch on Advanced options.
On the same service, choose Pricing & Payments and check that Pre-hold funds is on if you want cards validated before appointments.
Check that the customer has a valid, non-expired card on file, and that Auto-Pay Invoices is not switched off on their Settings & Overrides tab.
Open Pricing & Payments and check that Petboost Payments shows Petboost Payments Active.
Check the appointment's status. Auto-pay invoices charges once the invoice is finalised, at the next 15-minute check. If the appointment is still Completed and not Ready to Pay, finalise it yourself or check Auto-finalise appointments, which creates the invoice 30 minutes after the scheduled end time.
Trap: Auto-pay is set per service, not just for the business. For example, Auto-pay invoices is on for the business but off for "Full Day Daycare": Full Day Daycare appointments are not charged automatically, even though other services are.
Auto-pay invoices also charges appointments you finalise by hand, so Auto-finalise appointments is not required for it to run.
Setup and upkeep
What should I set up first?
When you first configure your settings:
Complete Business Details: name, phone, email and address.
Upload all your branding: logos, hero image and colours.
Configure your booking settings: online booking, and whether a card is required.
Set up Automatic Actions. Most businesses turn on all five.
Configure notifications: email and text reminders.
Upload your terms and conditions and your waiver.
Set your cancellation policy, for example 24 hours' notice and a 50% fee.
Decide whether to pass the booking fee on, or build your fees into your prices.
Load and apply public holidays for the year ahead.
Give each team member the right role.
Test the full booking flow as a customer.
Your ABN and business structure are set when you create the account.
What should I review regularly?
Monthly:
Review and update your hero image seasonally
Check your legal documents are current
Review how well your cancellation policy is working
Check your bank details for invoices are correct
Quarterly:
Review how your automations are working
Review notification timing and content
Update your custom messages
Check the contrast of your brand colours
Annually:
Review your legal documents with a lawyer
Refresh your branding
Review and update your policies
Run an Account Health Check
Load and apply public holidays for the coming year
To run an Account Health Check:
Open Account Health Check. It is also Run an Account Health Check, the last card on All Settings.
Select Run health check. Once a result is saved, select Run again instead.
Read Overview, then select See the checks.
Kiosk Mode
How do I get a walk-in client to sign my terms and conditions?
Use Kiosk Mode on a front-desk tablet.
On the tablet, sign in to Petboost at Mission Control.
Open the account menu: your business name or logo at the top of the sidebar.
Under Quick Copy Links, select Kiosk Mode.
Note the four digits under Staff exit code, then select Enter kiosk mode.
The client enters their mobile and taps Review {your business} terms & your details.
The Paperwork tab on a customer profile stores agreements that have already been accepted. It does not capture a new signature on your device.
How do I chase a customer who has not agreed to my terms?
They see your terms first thing when they log in. To text them now:
Open Mission Control.
On Attention Required, select Terms not agreed.
In the Terms not agreed list, select Send SMS request on the customer's card.
The list shows customers who have not agreed to your terms and have at least one upcoming booking. Use Bulk SMS Mode to send to more than one customer. Each send is logged on Timeline & Notes. If they are at the desk, use Kiosk Mode. See Chase unsigned terms for upcoming bookings.
How do I leave kiosk mode?
On the kiosk screen, select Staff exit in the bottom corner.
Enter 7139, the same fixed code on every account.
That signs the device out. Sign in again to return to your account.
Can clients check in or book from the kiosk?
Yes. They enter their mobile, then check in for today's visit, book if they have no appointment today, or review your terms.
Online booking times
Why did 10:30 disappear from my booking page?
Reduce gaps or Next available only is on, and 10:30 would leave a gap shorter than Smallest gap you can sell. Customers see the times on offer and are not told why others are missing. The time stays free, and your team can still book it. To offer every time again, choose All times under Which times customers see online on Booking Engine.
Related guides
For additional configuration:
Services: configure your service offerings
Team Members: set up team availability
Resources: configure locations and equipment
Customers & Pets: manage customer information
Public Holidays: set up public holiday closures
Roles & Permissions: manage team access levels
Your Booking Page: customise your public-facing page
Conversion Tracking: Google Ads, Meta, and GA4 IDs on the booking form
Kiosk Mode: front-desk tablet for check-in, booking, and walk-in terms