Payments & Reschedules - Client Guide
Everything you need to know about deposits, payments, and rescheduling your tattoo appointment
- Understanding Deposits
- Payment Process
- Payment Methods
- Rescheduling Your Appointment
- Reschedule Policies
- Deposit Refund Policies
- Final Payment at Appointment
- Canceling an Appointment
- No-Show Policy
- Payment Issues & Support
- Flash Tattoo Payment Notes
- Best Practices
- Payment FAQ
- Next Steps
- Need Help?
Payments & Reschedules
Understand how payments work on TattooReserve and learn how to reschedule your appointment if needed.
Understanding Deposits
When you book a tattoo appointment on TattooReserve, you pay a deposit to secure your session. The remaining balance is paid directly to the artist at your appointment.
Why Deposits Are Required
Deposits serve several important purposes:
- Reserve your time slot - Guarantee your appointment on the artist's calendar
- Commitment from both parties - Shows you're serious about the booking
- Protect artist's time - Compensates for blocked schedule if you cancel late
- Reduce no-shows - Financial commitment encourages attendance
Typical Deposit Amounts
Most artists require:
- 25-50% of estimated total for custom tattoo sessions
- Fixed amount for flash designs (often the full price)
- Varies by artist - Each artist sets their own deposit policy
The deposit amount is clearly displayed before you pay.
Payment Process
After your artist approves your booking request, you'll schedule your appointment and pay your deposit through Square's secure checkout.
Reviewing Your Booking
Before payment, review:
- Tattoo request details - Your design description
- Selected date and time - Confirmed appointment slot
- Calendar view - Visual confirmation of your booking date
Understanding Costs
Time Slot Selection:
- Available times shown in 30-minute increments
- Selected time highlighted in blue
- Booking summary updates when time is chosen
Payment Summary
Your booking summary includes:
Appointment Details:
- Full date (e.g., Thursday, October 30, 2025)
- Start time and session duration
- Session length in hours
Payment Due Today:
- Deposit Required - Amount to secure booking
Estimated Final Cost:
- Booked Rate (Locked) - Your guaranteed hourly rate
- Estimated Total - Session length × booked rate
- Less Deposit - Amount being paid today
- Estimated Balance Due - Remaining payment at appointment
Important: Final price may vary based on actual session duration. The estimated total is based on the planned session length.
Payment Methods
TattooReserve uses Square for all payment processing.
Accepted Payment Types
Through Square checkout, you can pay with:
- Credit cards - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
- Debit cards - Most major bank debit cards
- Digital wallets - Apple Pay, Google Pay (where available)
Payment Security
Your payment information is protected by:
- PCI Compliance - Industry-standard payment security
- SSL Encryption - Secure data transmission
- Square's Security - Bank-level encryption and fraud protection
- No stored card info - TattooReserve never stores your payment details
Security badges you'll see:
- SSL encrypted
- PCI compliant
- Your data is protected
Rescheduling Your Appointment
Life happens - if you need to change your appointment date or time, TattooReserve makes rescheduling straightforward.
When Reschedule is Required
Your booking may show Reschedule Required status when:
- Artist needs to change the date
- Original time slot is no longer available
- Studio schedule changes
- Emergency situations
Reschedule Required badge (orange) indicates action needed.
Your request shows:
- No confirmed date - Appointment date displays "—"
- Deposit: Paid - Your deposit is secure and protected
- All other details - Session length, rate, and total remain locked
Action:
- Reschedule Now - Blue button opens the scheduling calendar
Important: Your deposit remains valid - no additional payment required when rescheduling.
Starting a Reschedule
Click Reschedule Now or Request Reschedule to begin.
Reschedule banner (orange highlight):
- Calendar icon with original date
- "Reschedule Appointment" heading
- Reassurance: "Select a new date and time for your appointment. Your deposit is safe and no additional payment is required."
Tattoo Request Summary:
- Your original request details remain visible
- Title and description for reference
Calendar View:
- Navigate between months with arrows
- Green dots indicate days with available slots
- Select new date to view time options
Available Time Slots:
- Shows options for selected date
- "No available slots for this date" if day is fully booked
Booking Summary:
- Updates when you select a new time
- Shows new appointment details
Action:
- Confirm New Time - Disabled until valid slot selected, then becomes active
Rescheduled and Confirmed
After selecting a new date and time, your booking returns to Booked status.
Confirmed rescheduled booking shows:
- Booked badge - Green status indicator
- New appointment date/time - Updated schedule (e.g., Wednesday, October 29, 2025 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
- Session length - Duration unchanged
- Booked rate - Still locked at original rate
- Deposit: Paid - Original deposit still applies
- Estimated total - Remains the same
Actions:
- Edit - Modify request details
- Request Reschedule - Orange button if another change needed
Communication During Reschedule
The Comments section remains active throughout rescheduling.
Discussion features:
- Comment count - Shows number of messages (e.g., Comments (1))
- Write a comment - Text input field
- Post comment - Blue button to send message
- Artist messages - Communication from your artist
- Timestamp showing when posted
- Like and Reply options
- Menu (⋯) for additional options
Why this matters: Artists often ask clarifying questions during reschedules:
- "What are you thinking for placement?"
- Confirming the new date works
- Discussing any design changes
Best practice: Respond promptly to artist questions to keep the reschedule process moving smoothly.
Reschedule Policies
Artist Reschedule Policies
Each artist sets their own rescheduling rules, typically including:
- Minimum advance notice - How far ahead you must reschedule (e.g., 24-48 hours)
- Number of reschedules - Some artists limit reschedule requests
- Deposit handling - Deposit usually transfers to new date
Where to find policy: Check the artist's profile or booking confirmation email.
Rescheduling Timeline
When you can reschedule:
- More than 48 hours before - Usually no penalty, deposit transfers
- 24-48 hours before - May be allowed at artist's discretion
- Less than 24 hours before - Often considered too late, deposit may be forfeit
Your booking shows: The reschedule policy the artist set in their working hours settings.
Deposit Refund Policies
When Deposits Are Refundable
Deposits are typically refundable when:
- You cancel 48+ hours in advance - Adequate notice for artist to rebook
- Artist cancels - You receive full refund if artist can't honor appointment
- Emergency situations - Medical emergencies, family emergencies (artist discretion)
- Artist policy allows it - Some artists have more flexible refund policies
When Deposits Are Non-Refundable
You may forfeit your deposit if:
- Late cancellation - Less than 48 hours before appointment
- No-show - Missing your appointment without notice
- Multiple reschedules - Exceeding artist's reschedule limit
- Booking violations - Breaking artist's booking policies
Refund Processing Time
If you're eligible for a refund:
- Processed through Square - Handled by same system that charged you
- 3-5 business days - Typical refund timeline to your account
- Notification sent - You'll receive confirmation email
- Artist initiates - Artist processes refund through their Square account
Final Payment at Appointment
Balance Due at Session
Remember that the deposit is only a portion of the total cost.
At your appointment, you'll pay:
- Remaining balance - Total cost minus deposit already paid
- Any adjustments - If session runs longer or design changes
- Tips (optional) - Gratuity for excellent work
Payment Methods at Studio
Most artists accept:
- Cash - Always accepted
- Credit/Debit cards - Through Square or artist's card reader
- Digital payments - Venmo, CashApp (artist dependent)
Ask your artist ahead of time about preferred payment methods.
Payment Receipts
You'll receive:
- Deposit receipt - Emailed after online payment
- Final payment receipt - From artist at appointment
- Combined record - Shows total paid (deposit + final payment)
Keep these for:
- Personal records
- Warranty/touch-up verification
- Tax purposes (if applicable)
Canceling an Appointment
If you need to cancel entirely rather than reschedule:
Cancellation Process
- Review cancellation deadline - Check artist's policy
- Navigate to your booking - Find in Booked Requests
- Contact artist - Use comments section or direct message
- Request cancellation - Be polite and provide reason if comfortable
- Confirm refund status - Clarify if deposit is refundable
Cancellation Timeline
More than 48 hours notice:
- Usually qualifies for deposit refund
- Artist has time to rebook slot
- Professional courtesy appreciated
24-48 hours notice:
- May receive partial refund
- Artist discretion applies
- Deposit might be retained
Less than 24 hours:
- Typically no refund
- Artist loses income opportunity
- Future bookings may be impacted
After Cancellation
If refund approved:
- Processed within 3-5 business days
- Returns to original payment method
- Confirmation email sent
If deposit retained:
- Payment stays with artist
- Compensates for blocked time
- May affect future booking ability
No-Show Policy
What Happens If You Miss Your Appointment
Missing your appointment without notice has serious consequences:
Immediate effects:
- Deposit forfeited - Full deposit amount is lost
- Session cancelled - Appointment slot is released
- Artist compensated - Deposit covers wasted time
Future booking impacts:
- May be blocked - Artist may decline future requests
- Higher deposits - Some artists require larger deposits from previous no-shows
- Reputation - Impacts your reliability as a client
Emergency Situations
If genuine emergency prevents attendance:
- Contact artist immediately - Call or text, don't rely on app messages
- Explain situation - Medical, family, or transportation emergency
- Provide evidence if requested - Doctor's note, proof of emergency
- Most artists are understanding - Genuine emergencies often result in deposit preservation
Best practice: Communication is key - let your artist know as soon as possible.
Payment Issues & Support
Common Payment Problems
Payment declined:
- Verify card details are correct
- Check available balance/credit limit
- Try different payment method
- Contact your bank if issue persists
Refund not received:
- Wait full 3-5 business days
- Check original payment method
- Verify email for refund confirmation
- Contact artist if beyond timeline
Incorrect amount charged:
- Review booking summary from confirmation email
- Check if any adjustments were discussed
- Contact artist for clarification
- Dispute through Square if necessary
Getting Help
For payment questions:
- Review booking confirmation - Check original pricing
- Message your artist - Use comments section in booking
- Contact support - Email support with booking details
- Square support - For payment processing issues
Include when contacting support:
- Booking ID or reference number
- Artist name
- Payment amount and date
- Description of issue
Flash Tattoo Payment Notes
Flash tattoos often have different payment structures:
Flash Payment Differences
Deposit vs. Full Payment:
- Some flash requires full payment upfront - Reserves the design immediately
- Others use standard deposits - Similar to custom work
- Auto-booking - Payment often automatically confirms appointment
Pricing:
- Fixed price - Flash usually has set pricing, not hourly
- Less negotiable - Price is typically non-negotiable
- Includes design - Price covers both design and tattooing
Flash Refund Policies
Flash refunds may differ:
- 48+ hour cancellations - Usually refundable
- Design modifications - May void original agreement
- Size/placement changes - Artist may adjust pricing
- One-time designs - Some flash is exclusive/non-repeatable
Best Practices
Before Paying Deposit
- ✓ Confirm all details - Date, time, design, placement
- ✓ Read artist's policies - Understand cancellation and reschedule rules
- ✓ Save confirmation emails - Keep records of all communication
- ✓ Verify pricing - Ensure deposit and total match expectations
Managing Your Booking
- ✓ Add to calendar - Set reminders for appointment
- ✓ Respond to messages - Check comments section regularly
- ✓ Reschedule early - Give maximum notice if changes needed
- ✓ Communicate changes - Tell artist about any concerns immediately
At Your Appointment
- ✓ Bring deposit receipt - Proof of payment
- ✓ Have payment ready - Know balance due and payment method
- ✓ Arrive on time - Respect artist's schedule
- ✓ Tip appropriately - 15-20% is standard for excellent work
Payment FAQ
Can I pay the full amount upfront instead of just a deposit? Some artists allow this - message them to ask. Most prefer deposits to allow session flexibility.
What if my session runs longer than estimated? You'll pay the additional time at your locked hourly rate. Artists typically check with you before extending sessions.
Are deposits transferable to other artists? No - deposits are artist-specific and non-transferable.
What if I need to reschedule multiple times? Artists typically allow 1-2 reschedules. Multiple reschedules may result in deposit forfeiture.
Can I get a refund if I don't like the artist's work? Deposits are for reserving time, not guaranteeing satisfaction. Review portfolios carefully before booking.
How long until I receive a refund? 3-5 business days after artist processes the refund through Square.
What if the artist needs to reschedule? Your deposit remains valid for the new date, or you can request a full refund.
Next Steps
Need Help?
Payment questions or issues? Contact our support team.
Your deposit protects both you and your artist. Understanding payment policies ensures a smooth booking experience. 💳
Need help? Contact our support team