Skip to main content

Payment Processing

Updated today

Complete guide to managing invoices, processing payments, handling refunds, and automating payment workflows in Petboost.

Invoice Lifecycle

Invoices progress through these stages:

Draft → Finalized → Payment Attempted → Paid

Alternative outcomes:

  • Payment Declined → Retry → Paid

  • Refund Granted (full or partial)

  • Invoice Amount Void (cancelled before payment)

Invoice Components

Service Items

Each pet has separate service items:

  • Service name and description

  • Quantity (usually 1, but can be more)

  • Unit price

  • Discount (percentage or fixed amount)

  • Line total

Editing service items:

  • Quantity buttons (- and +) - Adjust count

  • Price field - Click to edit amount

  • Discount field - Enter percentage (e.g., 10%) or amount

  • Change service - Swap for different service

  • Remove - Delete item from invoice

Additional Items

Add non-service items:

  • Products sold (food, toys, accessories)

  • Add-on services

  • Fees or surcharges

  • Tips for team members

How to add:

  1. Open appointment invoice section

  2. Click "Add Item" button for specific pet

  3. Choose:

    • Service (from your service list)

    • Product (from inventory)

    • Custom item (enter name and price)

  4. Item adds to invoice automatically

Pricing Breakdown

Subtotal (excl. GST): Sum of all items before tax

GST (10% included): Tax amount embedded in pricing

Total (incl. GST): Final amount customer pays

Multi-pet discount: Applied automatically if configured

Payment Methods

Petboost supports 6 payment methods:

1. Card on File (Saved Payment Method)

Most common and recommended method

Requirements:

  • Customer has added payment method

  • Card valid and not expired

  • Sufficient funds available

Process:

  1. Select "Card on File" radio button

  2. Displays last 4 digits and expiry

  3. Click "$X • Charge Card on File" button

  4. Payment processes instantly

  5. Receipt sent automatically

Benefits:

  • Fastest payment method

  • No manual data entry

  • Automatic retry on soft declines

  • Works with Pro Automations

2. Cash

In-person payment in physical currency

Process:

  1. Select "Cash" radio button

  2. Click "$X • Record Cash Payment"

  3. System marks as paid

  4. Optional: Print receipt

Best for:

  • Walk-in customers

  • Customers without payment method on file

  • Locations with cash-only preference

Important: Cash payments cannot be refunded automatically (must handle manually)

3. Bank Transfer

Customer pays via direct bank transfer

Process:

  1. Select "Bank Transfer" radio button

  2. Click "$X • Send Invoice & Bank Details"

  3. Customer receives email with:

    • Invoice PDF

    • Your bank account details

    • Payment reference number

  4. Manually mark as paid when transfer received

Best for:

  • Large invoices (corporate clients)

  • Customers preferring bank transfers

  • International payments

Important: Requires manual verification and reconciliation

4. Card Reader (In-Person)

Physical card reader for in-person payments

Requirements:

  • Paired card reader device

  • Bluetooth connection active

Process:

  1. Select "Card Reader" radio button

  2. Click "$X • Present Card to Reader"

  3. Customer taps/inserts/swipes card

  4. Reader processes payment

  5. Receipt prints/emails automatically

Benefits:

  • Works offline (syncs when online)

  • Supports all card types

  • Contactless payment (tap)

  • Integrated with Petboost

5. External Payment (Manual Override)

Mark invoice as paid manually

When to use:

  • Customer paid outside Petboost (PayPal, Venmo, etc.)

  • Check payment received

  • Payment plan arrangement

  • Complimentary service (no charge)

Process:

  1. Open invoice "Manage" dropdown

  2. Select "Mark as Paid Externally"

  3. Enter payment details:

    • Method used

    • Transaction reference

    • Notes

  4. System marks as paid

Important: No automatic refund available - handle manually if needed

6. Pre-Authorized Payment

Capture pre-authorized hold

How pre-authorization works:

  1. When appointment confirmed, system places hold on card

  2. Hold reserves funds without charging

  3. When service complete, hold captured (charged)

  4. If cancelled, hold released automatically

Benefits:

  • Reduces no-shows (customer has "skin in the game")

  • Guarantees payment availability

  • Faster checkout (already authorized)

Process:

  1. System places hold automatically (if automation enabled)

  2. Complete service

  3. Finalize invoice

  4. Click "Capture Pre-Authorized Payment"

  5. Hold converts to actual charge

Invoice Actions (Manage Dropdown)

Access all invoice actions via the "Manage" dropdown button:

Invoice Actions

Available Actions:

1. Retry Charging Card

  • Reattempt payment after decline

  • Uses same card on file

  • Useful for temporary issues (insufficient funds, daily limit)

2. Take In-Person Payment

  • Switch to cash or card reader

  • Opens in-person payment dialog

  • Best when card on file fails repeatedly

3. Cancel Reader Action

  • Abort pending card reader transaction

  • Use if reader frozen or customer changes mind

  • Releases card reader for next transaction

4. Issue Refund

  • Full or partial refund

  • Processes to original payment method

  • Includes refund reason selection

  • Sends email confirmation to customer

5. Retry Card Pre-auth

  • Reattempt pre-authorization hold

  • Use if initial pre-auth failed

  • Ensures payment method valid before service

6. Finalize Invoice

  • Lock invoice for payment

  • Prevents further edits

  • Required before charging payment

  • Triggers "Ready to Pay" status

7. Preview Receipt

  • View receipt before sending

  • Check all details correct

  • Download PDF for printing

  • Send to customer email

Editing Invoices

When to Edit

Before finalization:

  • Add or remove services

  • Adjust pricing

  • Apply discounts

  • Add custom items

After finalization:

  • Requires un-finalizing first

  • Make edits

  • Re-finalize

  • Charge payment

How to Edit

Enable edit mode:

  1. Toggle "Edit" switch in invoice section

  2. All fields become editable

  3. Make changes

  4. Toggle "Edit" off to save

Editable fields:

  • Service price

  • Discount amount

  • Quantity

  • Add/remove items

Protected fields:

  • Service name (use "Change" button instead)

  • Tax calculation (automatic)

  • Payment method on file

Invoice Message

Add personalized message to invoice:

  • Visible to customer on invoice PDF

  • Visible in email and portal

  • Use for:

    • Thank you notes

    • Special instructions

    • Next appointment reminders

    • Promotional offers

How to add:

  1. Scroll to "Invoice Message" field

  2. Type message

  3. Automatically saved

  4. Appears on all invoice communications

Refund Processing

Full Refund

Return entire payment amount

Process:

  1. Open invoice "Manage" dropdown

  2. Click "Issue Refund"

  3. Select "Full Refund"

  4. Choose refund reason:

    • Service not satisfactory

    • Appointment cancelled

    • Billing error

    • Duplicate charge

    • Other (specify)

  5. Add notes (optional, staff-only)

  6. Confirm refund

  7. Customer receives email notification

Timeline:

  • Instant approval in Petboost

  • 3-5 business days to customer account

  • Receipt updated with refund details

Partial Refund

Return portion of payment

Common scenarios:

  • Service partially completed

  • One pet of multiple cancelled

  • Adjustment for service issue

  • Return minus cancellation fee

Process:

  1. Open invoice "Manage" dropdown

  2. Click "Issue Refund"

  3. Select "Partial Refund"

  4. Enter refund amount (e.g., $50.00 or percentage 50%)

  5. Select reason

  6. Add notes explaining partial amount

  7. Confirm refund

Important: Remaining balance stays on invoice as paid

Refund Statuses

Appointment status after refund:

  • Refund Granted - Full refund issued

  • Partially Refunded - Partial refund issued

  • Invoice Amount Void - Cancelled before payment, no refund needed

View refund history:

  • Activity Log shows all refunds

  • Invoice section shows refund amount

  • Receipt updated with refund details

Discount Management

Applying Discounts

Two types of discounts:

1. Percentage discount (e.g., 10%, 25%)

  • Enter in discount field: 10%

  • Automatically calculates amount

  • Updates when price changes

2. Fixed amount discount (e.g., $10, $25)

  • Enter in discount field: $10

  • Fixed regardless of price

  • Can exceed item price (goes to $0)

Discount precedence:

  • Multi-pet discount applied first (automatic)

  • Service-level discount applied second

  • Custom line-item discount applied last

Common Discount Scenarios

First-time customer:

  • Apply 10-20% discount

  • Add note: "Welcome! First visit discount"

Service issue or complaint:

  • Partial refund OR discount on next visit

  • Document reason in notes

Loyalty or package:

  • Discount code or percentage

  • Reference package ID in notes

Staff/family/friends:

  • Complimentary (100% discount)

  • Mark as "Staff/Family" in notes

Automated Payment Workflows

Pro Automations for Payments

6 automation types available:

1. Instant Confirmation

  • Automatically confirms bookings

  • Skips manual review

2. Pre-Hold Funds

  • Automatically pre-authorizes payment when confirmed

  • Reduces no-shows

3. Auto-Start

  • Starts appointments automatically at scheduled time

  • No manual "Start" click needed

4. Auto-Complete

  • Marks appointments complete at end time

  • Triggers invoice finalization

5. Auto-Finalise

  • Automatically locks invoice when complete

  • Moves to "Ready to Pay" status

6. Auto-Pay

  • Automatically charges card on file after finalization

  • Fully automated end-to-end

  • Requires customer to have valid payment method

Enable per service:

  • Go to Services → Edit Service → Pro Automations tab

  • Check desired automations

  • Saves automatically

Recommended automation tiers:

Tier 1 (Conservative):

  • Instant Confirmation

  • Pre-Hold Funds

Tier 2 (Moderate):

  • Tier 1 + Auto-Start + Auto-Complete

Tier 3 (Fully Automated):

  • All 6 automations (for trusted customers/simple services)

Payment Reports & Reconciliation

Daily Payment Summary

View at end of day:

  1. Filter calendar by "Paid" status

  2. Shows all successful payments

  3. Export to CSV for accounting

Includes:

  • Payment method breakdown

  • Total revenue

  • Refunds issued

  • Net revenue

Failed Payment Tracking

Monitor declined payments:

  1. Filter calendar by "Payment Declined" status

  2. View all failed attempts

  3. Take action (retry, contact customer, cancel)

Common failure patterns:

  • Expired cards (monthly)

  • Insufficient funds (weekends/month-end)

  • Wrong CVV/ZIP (data entry)

Refund Report

Track all refunds issued:

  1. Filter by "Refund Granted" or "Partially Refunded"

  2. View refund amounts and reasons

  3. Identify patterns (service issues, cancellations)

Tips & Best Practices

Smooth payment processing:

  • Always finalize invoice before charging

  • Verify total before processing payment

  • Add invoice message for branding

  • Preview receipt before sending

Handling declined payments:

  • First, retry once immediately (may be temporary)

  • Wait 24 hours, retry again

  • After 2 failures, contact customer for new method

  • Don't retry more than 3 times (may lock card)

Refund best practices:

  • Issue refunds promptly (within 24 hours of decision)

  • Always include reason and notes

  • Communicate with customer (email or call)

  • Document in Activity Log

Minimize payment issues:

  • Update expired cards proactively (send reminders)

  • Enable Pre-Hold Funds to catch issues early

  • Verify payment method before high-value services

  • Keep accurate customer contact info

Common Issues & Solutions

"Card declined" error
→ Check with customer, retry once, request new method if persistent

"Pre-authorization failed"
→ Customer card has insufficient available credit, request alternative

"Refund still pending"
→ Normal processing time 3-5 days, customer should see "pending" on bank statement

"Customer disputes charge"
→ Provide invoice PDF, service notes, and receipt; work with payment processor

"Cannot edit finalized invoice"
→ Toggle "Edit" switch, make changes, finalize again

What's Next?

Related Articles
Package FAQ
Pro Automations
Getting Started with Appointments
Managing Appointments
Appointments FAQ
Did this answer your question?