Many businesses come to Petboost from monthly invoicing: a batch of manual invoices at the end of each month that runs behind, is often inaccurate and has to be chased. With a card on file, each visit is paid on the day, in line with your terms. Each charge is the invoice for that visit, so the amount matches the appointment, and the client never has to pay you from their banking app. The conversation with each client is the part that needs care.
Turn on automatic charging
Do this first. Until Auto-pay invoices is on, Petboost does not charge a card on file by itself.
Open Automatic Actions in Settings.
Switch on Auto-pay invoices.
If the row shows a badge such as 2 services use their own setting, open it and check the services listed. A service's own setting wins over this switch.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Once an appointment is finalised and moves to Ready to Pay, Petboost charges the card on file and emails the client a receipt. A booking whose client has no valid card on file stays in Ready to Pay for you to collect. Cancellations follow your cancellation policy.
To have that happen without anyone checking the pet in or out, also switch on Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments and Auto-finalise appointments on the same page. Without them, the charge follows when your team checks the pet out.
Check: Auto-pay charges bookings paid by card on file, which is the default. A booking switched to Cash, Bank Transfer or Other EFTPOS is not charged. Card on File and Secure Payment Link appear on the invoice on the Pro, Flex, Max and Enterprise plans, and Card on File is not offered while your business is on its free trial.
Introduce automatic payments to your clients
The most common worry is that asking a client to save a card feels pushy, as if you do not trust them. It is a common reason businesses stay on monthly invoicing. Lead with their convenience rather than your collection: you are taking a chore off their list. If a client is not ready to store a card, Petboost has two other ways to get you paid, described below.
When a client hears "automatic payment", they can hear "they can charge me anything, anytime". These four points answer that, so relay them whenever you introduce it:
They are only charged for visits that go ahead, after the visit or at check-in if you take Pay on Arrival. No visit, no charge, and cancellations follow the policy they already agreed to
A receipt is emailed when a payment is taken
Every invoice is saved in their account as a PDF they can download at any time
There is no month-end admin, no working out what they owe and no checking the maths
A few habits make the conversation easier:
Start with your regulars. They see you most, so they have the most to gain from never paying by hand again
Introduce it as the default rather than a request. "We're moving everyone onto automatic payments" lands better than "Would you mind saving a card?"
Mention the "only charged when it happens" point first, before the worry forms
If a client says no to a card, offer the text payment link in the same breath. Many clients who will not store a card are happy with a link
The payment ladder
Offer the first option first. If a client is not ready for it, move down a rung.
Rung | Method | Best for | What to say |
1 | Automatic payment (card on file) | The default for everyone | "I'll set you up so you never have to pay me manually again." |
2 | SMS payment link | Clients not ready to store a card | "I'll text you a link after each visit. Tap to pay, done." |
3 | Bank transfer request | Clients who prefer manual transfer | "You'll get a proper branded invoice each time, not a number in a text." |
A text payment link is the second choice because Petboost watches it for you: once the client pays, the booking is marked Paid, so you are not checking your bank account or chasing. The client taps a link each time. A bank transfer is still manual for the client, but Petboost emails them a branded invoice with your bank details.
Ask a client to save a card
Text the client a secure link when they have no card on file. The link opens the add-card form in their pet owner app.
Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the client's pets.
Open the Wallet tab. If it shows sub-tabs, choose Wallet Activity.
Under Card on File, select Text card request. When the card has expired, the button reads Text card update. When the badge is Expiring Soon, Text card update appears only if an appointment still to be charged on the card on file falls in the expiry month or later, or an ongoing membership will charge the card again.
Once the text goes, the button reads Request sent. The client needs a mobile number on their profile. To text them a sign-in link instead, select Send Quick Login SMS under Manage Owner.
A client can also add a card themselves: in the pet owner app they open Wallet and select Add Card. A client who books online is asked for a card, unless Allow booking without card is on in Pricing & Payments, and a client who enrols in a membership saves a card as they sign up. See Card on File and Payment Methods for how cards are saved and how to read a client's card status.
Check a client's card and payments
Look here after you send a card request, or when a client asks whether they have been charged.
Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the client's pets.
Open the Wallet tab. If it shows sub-tabs, choose Wallet Activity.
Under Payment & Card Activity, find Card added to account for the saved card and Payment successful for each charge.
A Payment declined entry means a charge failed and the booking still needs paying.
Send a payment link by text
Send a link when a client is not ready to save a card. It pays for that one appointment.
Open the booking from Appointments.
On the Appointment tab, under How Much, choose Secure Payment Link under Payment Method.
Under Deliver Link By, choose SMS.
Select the button that shows the amount and Send by SMS.
Check the preview in Send Payment Link by SMS, then select Send Payment Link.
The client taps the link and pays by card online, and the booking is marked Paid. Their card is not saved on file, so the next visit needs a new link. Send the link when they are ready to pay. The amount is set then, and a price change afterwards does not change a checkout already sent. SMS uses your SMS credits; Email and Copy Link make the same checkout without sending a text.
Request a bank transfer
Request a transfer when a client prefers to pay from their bank. Petboost emails them the invoice with your bank details.
Open the booking from Appointments.
On the Appointment tab, under How Much, choose Bank Transfer under Payment Method.
Select the button that shows the amount and Request bank transfer.
The request marks the booking as awaiting payment, not paid. When the money arrives, select the button that shows the amount and Mark paid by bank transfer. To send the invoice again, select Resend bank transfer request, and Download bank transfer PDF saves a copy. The bank details come from BSB and Account Number under Bank details on your invoices on Pricing & Payments.
Email the clients who still pay by hand
Petboost has this email ready for every client without a saved card, on the Move to Automatic Payments card. You send it from your own email.
Open Reporting & Intelligence on the Marketing Ideas tab.
If the tab has not been run yet, select Generate Marketing Ideas.
Under Ready-to-Use Email Templates, find Move to Automatic Payments and select View Details. The button shows how many clients have no saved card.
Choose Bulk Draft (BCC) to write one email to all of them, or Personalised to write one to each.
For a bulk draft, select Copy BCC List and paste it into the BCC line of a new email in your own mail app.
To send it yourself, copy the email below, swap in the details and send it to clients who still pay manually. It leads with their convenience and puts the reassurance first.
Subject: A simpler way to pay for [Pet Name]'s visitsHi [First Name],We've made paying for [Pet Name]'s appointments much easier. You can save a card securely on file and we'll handle payment automatically after each visit, so there's no logging into your banking app and no remembering to pay us.You're only ever charged for a visit that goes ahead, in line with our usual terms, and a receipt lands in your inbox straight away. Every invoice is saved in your account as a PDF you can download any time.If you'd rather not store a card, no worries, we can text you a quick payment link after each visit instead.To get set up, add your card in your account or let us know and we'll sort it at [Pet Name]'s next visit.Kind regards,[Business Name]