Taking payment with the customer there

Open the booking in the staff app and use Take payment. First choose how much — the balance outstanding, the full price, a deposit only, or any other amount — then how the customer is paying:

• Card on this device — opens a secure card page on your phone or tablet; hand it to the customer to enter their card. Best when you have no card reader.
• Customer’s phone — creates their private invoice page and offers to share the link (WhatsApp, message, or copy). They pay on their own device.
• Card reader — take the payment on your SumUp, Zettle or similar terminal as usual, then tap this to record it.
• Cash or Bank — record money handed over or transferred.

Whichever route you use, the payment is recorded against the customer’s account, the booking and the invoice for that job. If the booking has not been invoiced yet, an invoice is raised automatically and settled on the spot — and any deposit already paid is carried across, so the customer is only asked for what is genuinely left.

Card payments taken through Stripe confirm themselves. Reader, cash and bank payments are recorded the moment you tap, so the invoice updates immediately.

Example

A groomer finishes a £35 groom. The customer already paid a £10 deposit, so the app offers £25 as the balance. She taps Card on this device, hands over the tablet, and the invoice settles before the dog is back on the lead.

FAQ

Do I need a card reader?
No. “Card on this device” and “Customer’s phone” both take card payments with no hardware at all, as long as Stripe is set up in Settings → Payments. A reader is simply another option if you already have one.

Does it work with my SumUp or Zettle reader?
Yes, as a two-step: take the payment on the reader as you normally would, then tap Card reader in the app to record it. Pet Central cannot drive reader hardware directly, so it needs that one tap to keep the books right.

What if the booking has not been invoiced?
An invoice is raised for you automatically from the booking’s service and price, then settled by the payment. Nothing extra to do.

The customer already paid a deposit — will they be charged twice?
No. The balance option subtracts everything already recorded against that job, including the deposit, so they are only asked for what is left.

Can they pay part of it now and the rest later?
Yes. Choose “Other amount” and take whatever they are paying. The invoice shows as part paid and the outstanding balance updates.