How Cards Are Saved
There are only three ways a customer's card gets saved on file in Petboost. Staff cannot manually enter card details for a customer -- this is a Stripe/PCI security requirement.
1. Pet Owner Portal / Digital Wallet (Recommended)
The customer logs into their Pet Owner App, goes to their Digital Wallet, and adds a card. This uses a Stripe SetupIntent which securely saves the card for future charges.
How to trigger this: Text a secure add-card or update-card link from these places:
On the appointment, tap Send SMS on the No card on file alert, or Send request SMS on the No card badge
On the customer's Wallet tab, tap Text card request when they have no card, or Text card update when the card is expired or expiring this month
On Customers & Pets, open the Key Dates calendar, tap a card-expiry day, then tap Text card update
That SMS opens the add-card form after they tap the link.
2. Online Booking Flow
When a customer books self-service online, they are prompted to add a payment method. Cards saved during this flow are stored as their card on file.
3. Membership Enrolment
The membership signup flow uses a Stripe SetupIntent to save the card for recurring billing.
What Does NOT Save a Card
Payment links do not save cards on file. A payment link opens a Stripe-hosted payment page for a set amount. When a customer pays via a payment link:
They enter their card on a Stripe-hosted checkout page
The payment is processed for that single transaction
The card is not saved to their profile
Their card status remains unchanged
Checking Card Status
Use the customer's profile or search for them to see their current card status:
Status | Meaning |
Active | Valid card on file, ready for charging |
NoCard | No card saved -- customer needs to add one |
Expired | Card has expired -- customer needs to update |
ExpiringSoon | Card expiring this month -- still chargeable. Petboost emails the owner 30 and 7 days before the last day of that month when they have a future appointment or an active membership. You can also tap Text card update on Wallet or Key Dates. |
Unknown | Card status could not be determined -- check the customer's profile |
Getting a Card on File
You can get a card on file in these ways:
If you are on the appointment, tap Send SMS on the No card on file alert, or Send request SMS on the No card badge
If you are on the customer's profile, open the Wallet tab and tap Text card request (or Text card update when they already have a card)
If you are looking at Key Dates, tap the card-expiry day and tap Text card update
The customer adds a card when they next book online through self-service booking
Enrol the customer in a membership (the signup flow saves their card)
The SMS options text a secure link that opens straight to the add-card form. The customer needs a phone number on their profile.
Note: A customer paying via a payment link does not save their card. They would still need to add a card separately through one of the options above for future auto-charging.
Card expiry emails
Petboost emails the pet owner 30 days and 7 days before the last day of the printed expiry month, when they have a future active appointment or a membership whose benefits are still usable.
You can see this on Settings > Notifications as Email the customer: card expiry. The toggle is on and cannot be turned off. Staff can still tap Text card update on the customer's Wallet tab or on a Key Dates card-expiry day.
Pre-Authorisation
When Pre-hold funds is on, Petboost places a hold for the appointment total on the card on file 72 hours before the appointment. If you cancel the appointment or mark it as a no-show and charge the cancellation fee, Petboost takes the fee from the hold. Turn on Pre-hold funds in Settings > Pricing & Payments, or for one service or one customer. Bookings that paid a deposit are not held.
If the hold is declined, the appointment still goes ahead. Petboost texts the customer and tries again every 4 hours, up to 5 attempts, until the appointment starts.
SMS Payment Links
For customers without a card on file, you can send a payment link via SMS from the appointment detail page. This lets them pay for a specific appointment without saving their card.