Taking payments in person
Collect the balance at the end of an appointment with Tap to Pay on Android or iPhone, a Bluetooth card reader, cash or another method, and handle deposits, card holds and refunds from your phone.
Taking payments in person
The app can take the money at the end of an appointment. Your client taps their card, you record cash, or you note a bank transfer, and the booking's balance updates on the spot.
The money goes straight into your own Stripe account, the same one your online deposits are paid into. ResNeo never holds it.
Taking a payment is always optional. Nothing nags you, nothing opens by itself, and an appointment can be completed with a balance still outstanding.
Before you start
- Connect Stripe on the web first. In-person card payments are paid into your connected Stripe account, so the switch below does nothing until that is set up. See Connect Stripe to take payments.
- An admin turns the feature on. Team members cannot.
- Check which phone you have. With Tap to Pay, the phone itself is the card reader:
- Android phones: Tap to Pay is built in.
- iPhone: Tap to Pay on iPhone needs an iPhone XS or later and version 1.2.0 of the app or newer. An admin sets it up once for your venue (Step 2).
- iPad, and iPhones older than the XS: take cards with a Bluetooth card reader instead (Step 3).
Step 1: Switch on card payments at your venue
- Sign in as an admin, open the More tab and tap Booking settings.
- Scroll to Taking payment in person.
- Turn on Take card payments at your venue. The description reads "Let your team collect an appointment's balance in person by tapping the client's card or phone. Money goes straight to your Stripe account."
- A toast confirms In-person payments turned on.
If Stripe is not connected yet, an amber note appears asking you to connect Stripe first and pointing at Plan & payments on the web dashboard. Finish Stripe, and the card options start working.
Good to know: team members do not see this switch. Once it is on, they see a Bluetooth card reader row under In-person payments in More, so anyone can pair hardware but only an admin decides whether the venue takes cards at all.
Step 2: Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone (iPhone only)
Skip this step on Android, where Tap to Pay needs no set-up. On iPhone, an admin accepts Apple's terms once for your venue:
- Make sure card payments are switched on (Step 1). The Tap to Pay on iPhone section only appears after that.
- Sign in as an admin on the iPhone, open More, then Booking settings, and scroll to Tap to Pay on iPhone.
- Tap Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone.
- Accept Apple's terms when they appear. Apple then shows a short guide to taking payments.
- The section now reads Tap to Pay on iPhone is on. Your team can then use it on their own iPhones. Each iPhone takes a moment to get ready the first time.
The first time anyone opens the updated app, a screen introduces Tap to Pay on iPhone. An admin can set it up from there with Get started instead. How to use Tap to Pay on iPhone, in the same section (in More for team members), opens the guide again at any time. It covers cards, Apple Pay, PIN entry and what to do if a card can't be read.
Good to know: only an admin can accept Apple's terms. Until one does, team members see "Tap to Pay on iPhone is not turned on for your venue yet. Ask an admin to turn it on in Booking settings. Only an admin can accept Apple's terms."
Good to know: Apple requires a passcode on the iPhone, and the iPhone needs to be signed in to an Apple Account. If iOS is too old, the app asks you to update it in Settings, then General, then Software Update.
Step 3: Pair a card reader (or use the phone)
With Tap to Pay, you can charge a card with no hardware at all. On Android, the Tap to Pay on this phone button appears inside the payment sheet. On iPhone, the button reads Tap to Pay on iPhone. Your client holds their card or phone near the top of yours.
For a Bluetooth reader (needed on iPad and on iPhones older than the XS, and optional everywhere else):
- Admins open More, then Booking settings, and tap Bluetooth card reader under Taking payment in person. Team members tap Bluetooth card reader under In-person payments in More.
- The sheet explains: "Pair a Bluetooth card reader to take chip and contactless payments, including PIN."
- Tap Find a reader. Keep the reader switched on and nearby.
- Tap your reader in the list to connect it. Once connected the sheet shows Connected: and the reader's name, and its battery level.
- Tap Close.
The app remembers the reader and reconnects to it next time. Scan again looks for another one, and Forget this reader unpairs it.
Good to know: if the sheet says the reader is updating, leave it alone. The message reads "Updating your reader. Keep it nearby and switched on. This can take a few minutes." A low battery shows charge it soon beside the percentage.
Step 4: Take the payment
- Open the appointment from the Calendar or the bookings list.
- Tap Take payment. It sits in the row of buttons at the top of the booking, beside Arrived and the confirm action, and again inside Payments & confirmation.
- The sheet opens showing what is due, for example £30.00 due, with the client's name underneath.
- Check the Amount (£) field. It is filled in with the full balance. Leave it to take everything, or change it to take part of it. On an appointment with no set price the field reads Amount to charge (£) and you type what the client is paying.
- Choose how they are paying:
- Card payment, then Tap to Pay on this phone (Android) or the reader button, which reads Use card reader when one is already paired and Connect a card reader when none is. The screen tells you what to do: "Hold the client's card near the top of your phone", or "Hold the card to the reader, or insert the chip."
- On an iPhone that can use Tap to Pay, the sheet shows Tap to Pay on iPhone and Card reader straight away, in place of Card payment. If the card asks for a PIN, hand your iPhone to your client so they can enter it on screen.
- Record cash, then confirm with Record £30.00 cash.
- Record other payment for a bank transfer, gift card or anything else. Add a Note (optional) and tap Record £30.00.
- The sheet confirms £30.00 collected. If you took part of it, it also says how much is still outstanding. Tap Done.
Good to know: card payments email the client a receipt automatically, and the sheet says so. Cash and other payments do not. In the latest version of the app, a card payment also offers Share receipt, which sends a copy through your phone's share sheet.
Warning: recording cash writes a payment straight onto the booking, and only an admin can reverse it. The app makes you confirm for that reason.
On a visit with several services
If the client is having more than one service in one visit, the balance covers the whole visit, not just the service you opened. The sheet says so under the amount, so a £30 service showing £90.00 due is not a mistake.
If a card payment is still going through
Sometimes a card payment has not been confirmed by the time you look. The booking shows Card payment processing and the sheet offers Wait and close. Do not take another payment until it clears, or the client may be charged twice.
If it has been sitting there a while it changes to Card payment unconfirmed. Check the Payment history on the booking, or that payment in your Stripe dashboard, before collecting again. Nothing in the app can force a stuck payment through.
Payment history
Every appointment keeps a Payment history inside Payments & confirmation: the amount, the method, the time and how it ended up. It deliberately includes failed and still-processing attempts, not just money taken, which is what makes it useful at the end of the day. Three rows show at first, and Show N more opens the rest.
Refunds
Refunds are admin only.
- Open the booking and tap Refund a payment, next to the payment history. On a settled booking the top button reads Paid, and that opens the same sheet.
- The sheet lists what can be refunded, one button per payment, showing the amount and the method.
- Tap the payment, then tap again to confirm. The button changes to Tap again to refund £30.00 for a few seconds. Cancel refund backs out.
Refunds are for the full payment, and card refunds go back to the client's card.
Deposits and card holds
Deposits taken when the client booked online are handled separately from in-person payments, on the same booking screen.
- Where a deposit is still owed or has been paid, a Deposit actions button appears. It offers Send payment link, Record cash payment and Waive deposit while the deposit is outstanding, and Refund once it is paid.
- Where the booking holds the client's card for a no-show fee, the button reads Card hold actions instead, and offers Resend link, Waive, Charge no-show fee, Refund no-show fee and Release card hold, depending on the state of the hold. Charging asks for an Amount to charge (£) first, and will not take more than the fee you set.
- A cancelled booking that still holds a paid deposit shows a Deposit refund card with a Refund deposit button.
There is more on how deposits and card holds work in Deposits, full payment and card holds.
Accepting a booking whose deposit is unpaid
If you try to confirm or mark a client arrived on a booking whose deposit has not been paid, the app stops and shows Deposit not paid, with what is owed. You then have three choices:
- Send payment link to chase the money.
- Accept without payment to let the booking through anyway. The deposit stays collectable afterwards: the payment link keeps working, and the client gets their confirmation.
- Go back.
Accepting without payment is not the same as waiving. Waiving forgives the money; accepting keeps it owed.
Common problems & fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| There is no Take payment button | The venue switch is off, the booking is cancelled, or it is already settled | An admin turns on Take card payments at your venue in Booking settings. A settled booking shows Paid instead |
| Card payment is missing but Record cash is there | Stripe is not connected for this venue | Finish Stripe on the web. The app's amber note points you at Plan & payments on the web dashboard |
| I cannot find Tap to Pay on iPhone | The app is older than version 1.2.0, the iPhone is older than an XS, or you are on an iPad | Update the app from the App Store. On an older iPhone or an iPad, use a Bluetooth card reader |
| The Tap to Pay on iPhone section is missing | Card payments are not switched on, or Stripe is not connected | An admin turns on Take card payments at your venue first (Step 1) |
| "Tap to Pay on iPhone is not turned on for your venue yet" | No admin has accepted Apple's terms | An admin taps Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone in Booking settings (Step 2) |
| "Tap to Pay on iPhone needs a passcode on this iPhone" | Apple requires a passcode | Set one in the iPhone Settings app, under Face ID & Passcode, then try again |
| "Tap to Pay on iPhone needs a newer version of iOS" | The iPhone's software is too old | Update it in Settings, then General, then Software Update |
| "Tap to Pay on iPhone can't be used during a phone call" | You are on a call | End the call, then try again |
| Card reader says in-person payments are not available on this version | An old app build | Update the app from the App Store or Google Play |
| The reader does not appear when scanning | It is off, out of range, or already connected to another phone | Switch it on, keep it close, and tap Scan again |
| The app asks for location permission | Stripe requires location for card-present payments on both platforms | Allow location for Resneo in your phone's settings, then try again |
| The amount will not save | Amounts above £1,000 are refused, and you cannot charge more than the balance | Enter an amount within the balance, or take it in stages |
| The payment sheet is stuck on "Getting the card reader ready" | The reader is still waking up | Tap Cancel, which always works, then try again or record cash instead |
| I recorded cash by mistake | Only an admin can reverse it | An admin opens the booking and uses Refund a payment |
| No Refund a payment button | Refunds are admin only, and need a settled payment to act on | Ask an admin |