Proper pricing and duration configuration ensures accurate quotes, realistic scheduling, and smooth appointment workflows. This guide covers all pricing models, duration settings, and advanced configuration options.

Single, standard price for all bookings

Best for:

Example:

How to set:

Starting price with flexibility for adjustments

Best for:

Example:

How to set:

When to use:

Adjusting variable prices:

Create separate services for each price point

Best for:

Example:

Benefits:

How to set up:

Offer automatic discounts when customers book multiple pets

What it is:
Encourages customers to book multiple pets at once by offering reduced per-pet rates. Petboost uses rate-per-pet tiers: you set the price per individual pet for each pet count tier, and the system applies that rate to ALL pets when the tier is met.

Why use it:

How to set:

Important: The rate you enter is the price per individual pet, not the total for all pets. The system calculates: total = rate per pet x number of pets. For example, if you want to charge $150 total for 2 dogs, set the rate per pet to $75 (not $150).

How it works:

Example Configuration:

Best Practices:

Recommended rate reductions:

Services where multi-pet discounts work best:

Services where discounts may not apply:

Pricing Psychology:

Customer Experience:

At booking, customers see:

When adding third pet:

Common Questions:

Q: Can I have different rates for different services?
A: Yes, configure multi-pet rate tiers per service. Each service can have its own per-pet rates.

Q: Does the discount apply to mixed services?
A: No, rate tiers apply when multiple pets book the same service in the same appointment.

Q: Can customers combine multi-pet rates with packages?
A: Multi-pet rates apply to the service price before package credits.

Q: The rate I enter is per pet, not the total?
A: Correct. The rate per pet is what each individual pet is charged. Total = rate per pet x number of pets. If you want 2 dogs to cost $150 total, set the per-pet rate to $75.

Q: Do rates apply to add-on services?
A: Configure separately per service. Typically apply to main services, not add-ons.

Total time blocked on schedule for this service

Includes:

Does not include:

Examples:

Duration Types:

Time-Based Duration:

Day-Based Duration:

Setting realistic durations:

Too Short:

Too Long:

Just Right:

Additional time before or after service

Purpose:

Before Buffer:

After Buffer:

Examples:

No Buffer Needed:

Light Buffer (15 minutes):

Moderate Buffer (30 minutes):

Heavy Buffer (45+ minutes):

Setting buffer time:

Customize how duration appears to customers

What it is:
Overrides the default duration display with custom text. Instead of showing "2h" or "1h 30m", you can display more customer-friendly text like "Approx. 2 hours" or "2-3 hours depending on coat condition".

When to use:

How to set:

Examples:

Default display:

Custom display:

Best Practices:

Times customers see change what customers see on the booking page and in reminders. They do not restrict which slots exist.

They live on the service, under Duration & Timing → Times customers see. They are not on Booking Settings.

The card has one panel per side of the visit, named by what the customer does. A venue service shows Drop-off then Pick-up. A mobile service shows Pick-up then Drop-off. Each panel has Customers see, with three modes:

The panel shows what the customer will read for an example booking, and the message at the top of the card is the confirmation they receive.

To show Morning or Afternoon instead of 9:00 AM:

Do not select A window if the goal is to hide the clock.

A session Label with Show on booking page on adds a badge next to 9:00 AM. The clock stays, and that badge wins over A message instead of a time. Leave Show on booking page off if you are hiding the clock. See Setting up your sessions.

If the customer books two services on the same booking, the time list follows the first service on the slot. A message instead of a time on the second service does not hide the first service's times.

Staff still see the scheduled times on the appointment.

What it does:
Fixed Start Time locks a service to a single start time each day. Pet owners see one bookable time, not a list of slots. The clock still shows unless A message instead of a time is also on.

Rules:

When to use it:

When not to use it:

To set it:

Recommended approach:
Create tiered services by size with variable pricing:

Why:

Alternative:
Single "Full Groom" service with wide variable range (from $130-$245), manually select during booking.

Recommended approach:
Fixed pricing for clear expectations:

Why:

Recommended approach:
Fixed pricing with clear day types:

Why:

Recommended approach:
Fixed pricing with package options:

Why:

When creating multiple similar services, you can copy settings from an existing service to save time:

This is particularly useful when setting up variations of the same service (e.g., different sizes of the same grooming style).

Petboost gives you two ways to secure a booking before the appointment:

Only one applies to any given booking. If a booking takes a deposit, Petboost does not also pre-authorise the balance on top of it.

Deposits

Set your business default in Settings → Pricing & Payments under Deposits, then override it per service in Services → [Service Name] → Pricing & Payments. Each service shows whether it matches the business default or differs from it.

There are three modes:

Whatever the customer pays up front reduces the balance owed, so only the remainder is charged at the end of the appointment.

When the pet owner books online, Petboost takes the deposit at that moment. They must have a card on file and the charge must succeed, or the booking is refused. When the owner books several dates in one pass, Petboost takes the deposit for each date.

When you create the booking yourself, Petboost takes the deposit if the owner has a card on file. If they do not, the booking still lands and stays Pending. Open the appointment and use the blue Deposit due banner: select Take $X once the owner has a card, or Send card request to text them the add-card link first. Recurring bookings do not take a deposit.

What happens to a deposit when plans change

Pre-authorisation

Pre-authorisation protects the same bookings without moving any money up front:

Configuration:

When to use each

Our recommended setup for high-value or boarding bookings:

Adjust duration based on factors

Some services may offer duration multipliers for:

Manual adjustment:
During appointment creation, manually adjust duration if needed.

Small Business:

Premium Salon:

Urban Market:

Group Walks:

Private Walks:

Daycare:

Boarding:

Group Classes:

Private Training:

Q: Should I use variable pricing or separate services for different sizes?
A: Separate services if pricing and duration differ significantly. Variable pricing if differences are minor and you want flexibility.

Q: How do I handle severely matted coats that take much longer?
A: Use variable pricing ("from $X") and adjust price upward during or after service. Communicate extra time/cost to customer before starting.

Q: Can I change prices for existing appointments?
A: Yes, edit the appointment and adjust the price before finalizing. Price at time of finalization is what's charged.

Q: What if I underestimated duration and appointments run long?
A: Monitor actual durations and adjust service duration settings. Use buffer time to give yourself cushion.

Q: Should buffer time be paid?
A: Buffer time is not separately invoiced - it's built into your workflow. Service price covers both service duration and buffer time.

Q: Can I have different prices for weekends?
A: Yes. Set a Saturday and Sunday rate in Business Hours, as a percentage or a flat amount, and choose which services it covers. Pet owners see it badged on those dates while they book and in the total before they confirm. Public holidays have their own rates under Public Holidays. For a date-range season instead of a weekday, create separate "Weekend" service variants or adjust variable pricing at booking.

Q: How do I handle multi-pet discounts?
A: Use multi-pet rate tiers on your service (Pricing & Payments tab). Set a per-pet rate for each pet count tier. Alternatively, create dedicated "Multi-Pet" service variants with different pricing.

The order customers see on the booking page is set from Services with Sort & Group > Reorder.

The same Reorder control is on Packages and on Memberships > Plans.

Bulk Update writes the same field values onto every service you select. It does not change Service Name. To rename many services, use Edit many services in a grid.

You can also open Bulk Update Services from the settings menu on Services. If the selected services already share one type, the dialog opens on Fields.

Bulk Edit Grid lets you change different values per service, including Service Name. If you are on a phone, use Bulk Update. Bulk Edit Grid needs a desktop or laptop.

Optional: select Discard All to drop unpublished edits.

The grid toolbar sets the view. It is saved on the device you are using, so the grid opens on the view you left it in.

Select Clear all inside Filter to remove every condition.

Bulk Delete archives or permanently removes the services you select.

Archive (badge Recommended) hides the services. You can show them again with Include Archived Services in Filters. If a service has booking history, Petboost archives it instead of deleting it.

Custom categories group services. Global categories are labelled System and cannot be edited.

To edit a custom category, open it under Your Custom Categories, change the fields, then select Save Changes on Edit Category.

To change the order of custom categories, drag them under Your Custom Categories.

To delete a custom category:

Services using that category need to be reassigned.

Each service keeps its own copy of a business setting, taken when the service was created. When a service's copy differs from the setting, Petboost shows a 1 service uses its own setting or N services use their own setting badge on that setting. Changing the setting does not change those services; publish with Also update services switched on, or use the steps below.