ScheduleDrop gives you several ways to add a payment card to a booking and collect payment — including automatic payments with a hold-and-capture flow, manual charges, and add-card links sent directly to the customer. This Option walks through how to configure payments and how to add cards to bookings.
Option 1: Adding a Card on File and Collecting Payments
Configuring Payment Settings
Before collecting payments, configure your payment settings.
Go to Settings.
Click Application Settings.
Find the Enable Automatic Payment toggle.
How Automatic Payments Work
When automatic payments are turned ON:
The payment is placed on hold before the booking begins.
After the booking is completed, the hold is automatically captured.
At the top of this section, you'll see the Payment Hold Time. The default is 24 hours, meaning the payment is placed on hold 24 hours before the booking begins. You can adjust this to fit your workflow.
When automatic payments are turned OFF:
No hold is placed.
No payment is automatically captured.
You'll need to manually charge the booking from inside the booking itself.
Adding a Card to a Booking
There are a few different ways to attach a card to a booking depending on how the customer wants to share their card information.
Option 1: Add the Card During Booking Creation
If the customer is comfortable giving the card over the phone:
Click Create Booking.
Fill out the booking details.
Scroll to the Payment Information section at the bottom.
Set the payment method to Credit Card (debit cards work here too).
Enter the card number and save the booking.
Option 2: Send an Add Card Link
If the customer prefers to add the card themselves through a secure link:
Save the booking as a cash booking first.
Go to View Bookings and open the booking.
Click Actions.
Click Send Add Card Link.
The customer can use the link to add their card, and it will be attached to the booking automatically.
Option 3: Add a Card After the Booking Is Saved
If the customer wants to give you the card over the phone but needs to call back later:
Save the booking as a cash booking initially.
Once you have the card information, open the booking.
Change the payment method to Credit Card.
Add the card on file.
Charging the Booking
Once a card is on file, how the booking is charged depends on your payment settings.
With Automatic Payments On
The payment will be placed on hold and automatically charged based on your hold time and booking completion.
With Automatic Payments Off (Manual Charging)
You'll need to charge the booking yourself. At the top of the booking, in the Payment Status section, you'll have two options:
Place a Hold — places a hold on the card. If you place a hold, you'll need to click Charge Booking afterward to fully capture the payment.
Charge Booking — charges the booking in full immediately.
Tip: If you don't need to place a hold first, you can skip straight to Charge Booking to collect the full payment right away.
Option 2: Send an Invoice (Manual Payment Collection)
Where to Find Invoices
Go to Service Tools.
Click Invoices.
At the top of the page you'll see tracking data for:
Outstanding invoices
Paid this month
Invoices overdue
Creating an Invoice
Click Create Invoice. You'll have the option to start with a blank invoice or use a template. This section covers a blank invoice — templates are covered later in the article.
Edit Your Business Info
You can edit the business information that appears on the invoice. This is helpful when a commercial client needs a specific business name shown (for example, your LLC name instead of your DBA). Updating it here changes what's displayed on the invoice sent to the customer.
Invoice Number, Date, and Due Date
Invoice Number (top right): An invoice number is generated automatically, but you can edit it to whatever you'd like.
Date: The date the invoice was sent.
Due Date: The actual due date for the invoice.
Invoice Title
Enter a title for the invoice (for example, "April Cleaning Services").
Bill To
In the Bill To section, search for and select the customer the invoice should be sent to.
Adding Line Items
There are two ways to add line items to an invoice.
Option 1: Add a Standard Line Item
Click Add Line Item.
Enter a name for the item.
Set the rate/amount.
Option 2: Add From Bookings This option is especially useful for commercial clients who are invoiced at the end of the month.
Click Add From Bookings.
Select the bookings you want to include — you can select a single booking or an entire month's worth.
Add them to the invoice.
The selected bookings will be added as line items with their booking dates included automatically.
Discounts and Additional Fees
Discount: Click the discount tool and enter the discount percentage.
Additional Fee: Use the additional fee option to apply fees.
Note: Additional fees must be set up in the Additional Fees section beforehand in order to appear as options here.
Notes
Add any notes you'd like to include on the invoice.
Invoice Settings
In the top right of the invoice, you can choose between One Time and Recurring settings.
One Time
A one-time invoice that sends once.
Recurring
A recurring invoice that sends on a schedule. Choose the frequency:
Monthly
Select a start date — this is when the first invoice will send.
Optionally set a billing day for future invoices.
Example: If your start date is May 4th and the billing day is the 1st, the first invoice sends on May 4th, and every invoice after that sends on the 1st of the month.
Weekly, Bi-Weekly, or Quarterly
Select your start date — the first invoice sends on this date.
Select the day of the week for future invoices.
Example: With a start date of the 1st and a day-of-the-week of Friday, the first invoice sends on the 1st, then every Friday after that.
Payment Methods
You can now choose which payment methods the customer can use:
Card
ACH
Both (at the same time)
Select whichever options you want to allow.
CC Emails
Add any email addresses you'd like to CC on the invoice. You can add as many as you need.
Due Date
The due date defaults to 30 days out, but you can change it to fit your net pay terms.
Attachments
You can attach PDFs or images to the invoice — they'll be sent along with it.
Saving or Sending
At the top of the invoice, you can:
Save Draft — save the invoice without sending it.
Send Invoice — send the invoice to the customer.
Once sent, the invoice status updates to Sent, along with the issue date, due date, and recurrence. When the customer pays online, the status changes to Paid.
Invoice Actions
Click the three dots under Actions for any invoice to access these options:
Void — void the invoice (useful if you need to send a new one).
Mark as Paid — manually mark the invoice as paid if the customer paid outside of the invoice (e.g., cash or check).
Duplicate — create a duplicate of the invoice.
Download PDF — download the invoice as a PDF.
Edit — edit the invoice and resend it.
Resend Invoice — resend the invoice to the customer.
Get Invoice Link — copy a direct link to the invoice.
Using Invoice Templates
Templates are useful when you send the same invoice repeatedly — for example, a monthly charge to the same commercial client.
Creating a Template
Click Manage Templates.
Create a new template with a descriptive name (e.g., "Monthly invoice for Jerry's doctor office").
Add the line items and amounts that should be on the template (e.g., $1,000 for monthly office cleaning).
Save the template.
Using a Template
Click Create Invoice.
Choose Use a Template.
Select your saved template — the line items will be pre-filled.
Fill in the remaining details: select the customer in the Bill To section, set the invoice number, and configure the rest of the invoice parameters.
Click Save Draft or Send Invoice.
Templates save time when the line items stay the same month over month.
Option 3: Mark a Job as Paid (Cash or Check)
If the customer pays in person (cash, check, Venmo, etc.), you can manually record the payment.
When saving a booking make sure you select cash or check at the bottom of the form in the payment section
When payment is completed, click on the booking, and mark it as charged — it will now appear as a completed transaction (The booking will turn green)
Need Help?
If you have questions about Stripe setup or a failed transaction, contact in the chat widget or email us at support@scheduledrop.com.