How to require a deposit in Square Appointments
Square’s help center says deposits need “a Square Appointments account (Free plan or paid subscription).” Square shipped them in beta in October 2025 and added separate amounts per service in May 2026.
- Open the payment policy. Square Dashboard > Appointments > Settings > Payments & cancellations. Under Payments, click your current policy.
- Choose Require a deposit. Pick a fixed amount or a percentage.
- Choose which services. All services (every fixed-price service) or Specific services, with an amount for each.
- Write your deposit policy. It shows at checkout. Say whether the deposit is refundable.
On the Square app: More > Settings > Appointments > Payments & cancellations > Require a deposit. Square also offers Require full prepayment for fixed-price services.
Sources, checked October 9, 2026: Square: deposits, Square: cancellation policy.
The limits Square lists for deposits
These come straight from Square’s deposits article:
- Online bookings only. Square doesn’t take a deposit when you book for a client.
- Clients can’t cancel a deposit appointment themselves. They can reschedule before your cut-off; you cancel it for them.
- No packages or loyalty rewards on services that require a deposit.
- Several deposits become one charge when a client books more than one deposit service.
- One policy per service. Sellers report Square makes you choose between a deposit and a card hold for no-shows.
The deposit request on the Square Seller Community, “Deposit instead of full payment for Appointments?”, collected 279,802 views before Square shipped it. That is how much this matters to appointment businesses.
Deposits vs no-show fees on Square
A deposit is money paid at booking. A no-show fee is charged later to a card held at booking. Square’s no-show protection needs Square Plus or Premium:
- Choose Hold card in case of no-show, then a flat fee per appointment, per service, or a percentage.
- Set a cancellation cut-off from one hour to two weeks.
- Charge the fee up to 14 days after the appointment. If the card declines, you contact the client.
- Card-on-file charges run at 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan.
Many appointment businesses prefer a deposit: the money is already in the account, and nobody has to decide whether to charge a regular after a missed visit.
Sources, checked October 9, 2026: Square: cancellation policy, Square: plans and pricing.
How Foyer takes deposits
Foyer adds deposits to the booking widget on your own website, and books every appointment in Square.
- Per service, per group, or a business default. Full payment, a flat deposit, a percent deposit, or pay at the visit.
- Hold, book, then charge. Foyer holds the card, books the time in Square, then takes the payment. If the slot is taken mid-checkout, the hold is released and nothing lands on the client’s statement.
- Clients can cancel in time. Before your cut-off (24 hours by default), the client’s reschedule and cancel link refunds their online payment automatically.
- Works with packages and memberships. Package sessions and member credits apply first, so a member booking their included facial isn’t asked for a deposit.
- The front desk sees it. The amount paid online is written on the appointment in Square.
Variable-price services can only take a flat deposit, since the final price isn’t known at booking. Foyer takes cards; Square’s own flow also takes Apple Pay and Google Pay.
A deposit and cancellation policy you can copy
Clear wording at checkout does as much as the deposit itself. Adjust the numbers to your business:
Check your state’s rules before charging fees, and show the policy where clients book, not only on a separate page.