Feature
Online payment and deposits if you want more serious booking commitment
AI Booking is an online appointment scheduling app for service providers — photographers, hairdressers, beauticians, trainers, teachers. The purpose of the online payment and deposit feature is to significantly reduce the number of uncertain bookings. AI Booking works with 3 Hungarian and international payment providers (Stripe, Barion, SimplePay), and supports deposits, full payment, coupons, and memberships. After payment, a Billingo or Számlázz.hu invoice is generated automatically — with minimal manual work.
What does this mean in practice?
Picture an average day with AI Booking running in the background. In the morning, before you've even walked into your business, the first booking has already happened: a returning guest picked a time slot on their phone at 7:42am and received an automatic confirmation email. Your calendar has updated, and all you do is glance at your phone over breakfast to see what's waiting for you that day. Online payment and deposits, for when you want a stronger booking commitment, were built exactly to give you this peace of mind: Stripe + Barion + SimplePay — 3 payment providers to choose from, deposit, full payment, or no payment — configurable per service, and coupon codes — fixed amount or percentage, limit, expiry date — all without you having to sit by your phone all day.
While you're working, guests don't interrupt you with urgent calls, because your online booking page is available 24/7. In the afternoon, when you check back in, you review the incoming bookings, cancellations, and payments in a few minutes — and importantly, everything is organized, searchable, and exportable. The guest registry remembers what each person liked last time, so at their next booking you already know exactly what to prepare. Weekly statistics show you the trends: is revenue growing, how many new guests arrived, and which service is most in demand.
In the evening, when you close up the workshop or salon, you no longer need to keep a paper diary or send follow-up emails. AI Booking automatically sends tomorrow's reminders (and, in the Basic/Pro plan, the SMS messages), updates Google Calendar, and prepares the monthly statistics. Your job remains the professional part — the system takes over the booking administration.
Key Benefits
Deposit, full payment, or no payment — configurable per service
Coupon codes — fixed amount or percentage, limit, expiration date
Passes — N sessions, with expiry date
Automatic invoicing with Billingo + Számlázz.hu integration
How to use it in 3 steps?
- 1
Registration and basic settings
The first step is registration that starts your 14-day trial without a credit card — just an email address or Google login is enough. The onboarding wizard walks you through your account basics (business name, contact, booking URL), then you set up your services: name, duration, price, description. Can be activated: Stripe + Barion + SimplePay — 3 payment providers to choose from. Your booking page is then already live, and your guests can book right away — with an average setup time of 15-30 minutes.
- 2
Working hours, calendar and notifications
In the second step, you set your working hours (weekly, daily, exceptions, time off), and connect your Google Calendar account so your private events also block booking slots. You decide which email templates are active (confirmation, reminder, follow-up) and when they go out (e.g. 24 hours before). In the Basic and Pro plans, you can also add SMS reminders. Can be enabled: Deposit, full payment, or no payment — configurable per service. This way your guests receive an automatic, branded confirmation.
- 3
Sharing the link and daily use
The third step is sharing your booking link: Instagram bio, Facebook post, business card QR code, an embeddable booking form on your website, or a WordPress shortcode. From here, the system works automatically: Coupon codes — fixed amount or percentage, usage limit, expiry date. All you do is check your mobile admin dashboard each morning (installable from your mobile browser), see the day's bookings, confirm them, and at month's end export the invoices to Billingo or Számlázz.hu. The statistics module shows how your business is growing.
up to 30%
higher attendance rate with online deposit payment — the financial commitment reduces no-shows. A typical result; the exact effect depends on the clientele and the deposit ratio.
How does it fit with the other features?
When is it worth asking for a deposit?
When the service is longer (e.g. a 2-hour photoshoot), more expensive (e.g. a wedding photoshoot), or no-shows are frequent. A 30-50% deposit represents a financial commitment from the guest and reduces the risk of a no-show without cancellation.
Stripe, Barion, or SimplePay?
All three are Hungarian and international providers — each with a different transaction fee structure and feature set. Stripe is globally known, high-quality, and fully automated. Barion is a Hungarian development that also integrates with the OTP mobile wallet. SimplePay is OTP's own solution. All three are live in AI Booking — you decide which one to use.
Coupons and discounts
In the admin panel, you can create coupon codes: fixed amount or percentage, usage limit, expiry date, group discount. Useful for campaigns, birthday promotions, returning-guest offers, or reinforcing new relationships. You can share coupons in an email campaign or a social media post.
Passes — multiple sessions for one price
If you work with returning clients (personal trainer, massage therapist, yoga instructor, psychologist), the package feature lets you sell N-session packages. The guest deducts from their package at booking, until it runs out or expires — automatically, without supervision.
Automatic invoicing
After a successful payment, AI Booking initiates the configured document in the provider's own Billingo or Számlázz.hu account. The VAT code and email notification are configurable per provider. Payment requests and bank transfers are also supported for customers who prefer not to pay online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a deposit payment mandatory?
No, it can be freely configured per service: no payment, a deposit (percentage or fixed amount), or the full fee. Within the same profile you can even mix modes — e.g. free booking for consultations, 30% deposit for photo shoots.
Is the deposit refundable?
Yes, a refund can be initiated with a single click from the admin interface. You can also set a cancellation deadline — if the guest cancels within it, an automatic refund is issued; if after, there isn't one.
How is VAT handled?
The VAT code is not a global constant: set the value that matches your own tax status. Always confirm the classification with your accountant; AI Booking passes the recorded setting to the selected document provider.
Can I use it as a flat-rate or simplified taxpayer too?
Yes, Billingo and Számlázz.hu can handle AI Booking's partner invoice fields. It's always advisable to consult an accountant on tax matters — the system only automates the operational part.
What happens if the payment fails?
The booking is set to 'payment pending' status, and the guest receives an email asking them to try again. If there's no successful payment within a configured deadline (e.g. 24 hours), the booking is automatically cancelled and the slot is released.
Can it also be used for equipment rental (deposit)?
Yes, the equipment rental module handles a separate deposit, which can be automatically refunded at the end of the rental period. Useful for massage therapists (treatment tables), trainers (equipment), teachers (lending library).
Does Stripe Connect work?
Yes, Stripe Connect is supported in the Pro package. This means a separate Stripe sub-account can be managed per staff member — the staff member receives their share directly from the guest's payment, and the invoice is also issued under a separate name.
What does it look like on the inside?
Try AI Booking
Start your 14-day trial with no credit card, set up your services, and share your booking link — your first online booking could come in today.