A card on file.
Or the money up front.
Take reservation deposits by card when guests book — or save a card and only charge a flat no-show fee if the party doesn't arrive. Your rules by party size, day and date, payments straight into your venue's own Stripe account, and refunds that run themselves by your cancellation policy.
A deposit of £10.00 per person is required for this booking. It comes off your bill on the night.
Part of booking,
not an awkward extra.
A deposit is asked for inside the normal booking flow — the guest sees it clearly, pays by card, and the table is confirmed.
You set the rules
A per-person amount — flat, or tiered by party size — with a minimum party size, a day-and-time schedule so deposits apply only when you need them, and special dates like Christmas carrying their own amounts.
Guests see it up front
The booking page says it up front — "a deposit of £10.00 per person is required for this booking" — and the payment step states the exact total before a card is ever entered. No surprises at the table.
Paid straight to you
The deposit is charged when the booking is made, directly on your venue's own Stripe account. You are the merchant of record, and ResoFlow never holds your money at any point.
Refunds follow your policy
Full, partial or no refund on cancellation, with a free-cancellation deadline you set. Eligible cancellations start the refund provided by the agreed terms. After the agreed cancellation deadline, a deposit may be retained. Declining a booking request starts a full refund; follow progress in the dashboard.
No deposit?
Save a card instead.
For venues that don't want money up front: qualifying bookings save a card at the time of booking, and a flat fee is only ever charged if the party doesn't turn up.
A card, not a charge
At booking the guest securely saves a card — nothing is taken. The page states the exact fee and when it applies before the card is saved, so the guest agreed to precisely what you might charge.
A human decision, never automatic
An authorised staff member must mark the booking as a no-show and choose to charge before a no-show fee is armed. Automatic no-show marking does not charge a fee. Late-cancellation fees are a separate option, explained below.
A safety delay for a no-show fee
The no-show fee is scheduled after a delay you choose, three hours by default. Re-seat or restore the booking before its pending charge starts to cancel it. If a payment has already started, check its status in the dashboard.
Late cancellations, optionally
A separate toggle applies the same fee when a protected guest cancels inside your free-cancellation window. It is off by default — you decide whether a late cancel counts.
Card required — or not
Choose whether a saved card is mandatory to complete a qualifying booking, or whether guests can book on without one. Either way, the minimum party size keeps small tables out of it.
Manage refunds from your dashboard
If you agree to return a fee, authorised staff can start the refund from the dashboard and follow its status. Its history stays recorded, including anything that needs further review.
How the money
works.
ResoFlow fee on deposits. Stripe processing applies separately, as with other card payments you take.
The Stripe account is your venue's own. You are the merchant of record and ResoFlow never holds the money.
Manage policy refunds, staff deposit refunds and no-show fee refunds in ResoFlow. A payment that needs further checking stays visible for follow-up.
Your choices are honoured
Cancel a booking and choose to retain the deposit, and it stays retained. Automatic refunds only ever run when your own policy grants them — the system moves money by your rules, never over them.
Which one,
and when.
A booking never carries both. When a deposit applies, it takes precedence.
| How it works | Deposit | No-show fee |
|---|---|---|
| Money at the time of booking | Taken by card | Nothing taken — a card is saved |
| What the guest agrees to | The exact amount, before paying | The exact fee and when it applies |
| When money actually moves | At booking | After staff choose to charge a no-show; separately, eligible late cancellations if enabled |
| Safety delay | — | For staff-armed no-shows — three hours by default |
| Refunds | Automatic by your policy, or manual | Manual, from your dashboard |
| Where the money lands | Your own Stripe account | Your own Stripe account |
| Shape of the amount | Per person — flat or tiered by party size | Flat, per booking |
| Plans | Plus £39 and up | Plus £39 and up |
Best used for different nights
Deposits for the services you can't afford to lose — big parties, peak nights, special dates. No-show protection for everything else, where friction at booking costs you more than the odd empty chair.
How deposits work
at your venue.
You'll need a Stripe account
Deposits and no-show fees are paid through your venue's own Stripe account, so you'll need one connected. It's free to set up, but it is a step before your first deposit — and worth doing on a quiet morning, not a Friday.
A no-show fee isn't guaranteed money
The fee is charged to the saved card after the no-show, and a card can be declined or expired by then. A declined fee is not silently retried — you're told, and chasing it is yours. A deposit, paid up front, is the stronger protection for a night you can't afford to lose.
Deposits add a step to booking
A card payment at booking is friction, and some guests will drop off rather than pay. That's exactly why the rules exist — scope deposits to the bookings that actually hurt, and leave the Tuesday table for two alone.
And it's all optional
Plenty of venues never switch either on, and take bookings perfectly happily. Both sit quietly in your settings until the night you decide you've had enough of empty chairs.
The money
questions.
Does ResoFlow take a cut of my deposits?
No. ResoFlow charges no platform fee on deposits. Stripe's standard card-processing rate applies to your venue, as with any card payment you take.
Can a guest be charged by mistake?
A no-show fee requires an authorised staff decision, followed by a safety delay — three hours by default. Re-seating or restoring the booking before its pending charge starts cancels that charge. If you enable late-cancellation fees, eligible guest cancellations can also trigger a fee under the agreed terms.
What if I decline a booking request?
Declining a booking request starts a full refund. Follow its progress in the dashboard, including anything needing attention. Guest-initiated cancellations follow the agreed cancellation terms.
Which plans include this?
Deposits and no-show protection are both on Plus at £39 a month and every plan above it.
A little more confidence
in every booking.
Start free and switch on deposits or no-show protection when you're ready — your rules, your Stripe account, your money.
No credit card required · Free plan available · 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans