Is it possible to offer a free intro consult service without needing a credit card on file?

[Lindi_TPAO]

Hi all, 

We would like to offer a free introductory 15 minute consult session to our potential customers. However, Square requests a card on file to secure the appointment as part of the booking process, even though the consult is free of charge.

Is it possible to remove this step so that people can have a free consult and only need to provide email/mobile details?

Thanks!

[Summer2024]

Hi there, @Lindi_TPAO! 👋

You can toggle off requiring a card on file to book an appointment or service. 

To do this: 

1. Log in to your online Square Dashboard and select Appointments > Settings > Payments and Cancellations.

2. Under Card on File, toggle off Require a Card on File to Book Online.

I hope this helps! 

[Lindi_TPAO]

Thanks so much for your swift reply.

Will this then apply for an actual appointment booking as well? I would like this to remain requiring a card on File to book however not for the free consult. 

[Lindi_TPAO]

Further to this, when I look at the options I can toggle but for 'fixed price' services.

How would it be possible for a free service to bypass this? Is there a setting when adding/editing an Item as an Appointment so that the price is not 'fixed'?

[Laurie_]

Hi @Lindi_TPAO,

I'm just jumping in here to offer some help!

Just to confirm, are you specifically looking to provide the option to waive the requirement for a card for the free consultation, without extending this to other services? Additionally, are you considering allowing customers to book the free consultation along with other paid services?

The reason I ask is that the steps provided earlier apply to all services and online bookings. As far as I know, there isn't a specific option to customize payment requirements for individual services. However, there might be a workaround solution that I'm not aware of at the moment.

Once I have a clearer understanding of your objectives, I can touch base with my team to ask about what your options would be. 

[Lindi_TPAO]

Hi Laurie, 

Thanks for jumping in to help. To confirm, the requirements are:

- To offer a free consultation that does not require a credit card but can be booked online

- To offer a paid consultation that requires a credit card payment upfront when booked online

- A customer will book one or the other consultation, they would not book both at the same time.

At present the first requirement has a credit card step in it that we would like to remove.

Thanks!

[Laurie_]

Thanks for confirming, @Lindi_TPAO!

Currently, the online booking system doesn't enable you to establish specific payment requirements for individual services. However, if your customers won't be selecting both paid and free services simultaneously, you can achieve this outcome by assigning a fixed price of $0.00 to your free consultation service. I've tested this by creating a consultation service on my own account for $0.00. When you select this service and proceed to the checkout flow, you won't be prompted to enter card details, even with the 'Require full prepayment' option selected.

Are you seeing something different on your side when trying this?

Let me know!

[Lindi_TPAO]

Hi @Laurie_ 

Thanks for taking a look at this. Yes, I'm afraid we're seeing something different. Take a look at the screenshot below from https://www.thepowerasone.com/s/appointments and selecting a free consult service.

As you can see the, the card on file box has appeared. Should we try and remove the service and start again?

Thanks

[Laurie_]

Thanks for sending back the screenshot, @Lindi_TPAO.

I've had a look at your link, and like you, I'm still prompted to enter card information. I initially thought this could be due to the Cancellation Policy, but the $0.00 price point should also negate the need for a customer to input card details for this service, as it does on my own account.

To resolve this, let's get you to try deleting and creating the service again for $0.00 under fixed price. If this fails, we can check in with the Appointments Team for a second opinion.

[Lindi_TPAO]

Hi @Laurie_ , 

We've removed and re-added a free consult service with a fixed $0.00 price point. It's still requiring a credit card for the booking when we tested the form.

Please could you ask the Appointments Team if they have any further suggestions to help us with this issue?

Thanks!