A Guide to Modern Point of Sale: QR Payments, OneLink, and Flexible Booking Workflows
Take advance bookings, walk-ins and manual payments under one roof — no card machine required. Now with live Stripe payment status on your dashboard and refunds you can action directly in GetaBooking.
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Managing payments for a service-based business used to require a trade-off: either rely entirely on online advance bookings, or invest in physical card terminals to handle walk-ins and in-person appointments.
Modern scheduling platforms have rendered dedicated card hardware unnecessary. By combining flexible booking rules with software-driven Point of Sale (POS) capabilities, business owners can handle advance bookings, walk-ins, and manual payment methods under a single system.
Online Advance Bookings vs. In-Person Manual Payments
Every service business operates differently. Some require strict upfront payment to reduce no-shows, while others prefer collecting fees after delivering a service. A flexible booking workflow supports both models:
- Automated Upfront Payments: Customers select a service on your website, choose an available time slot, and pay instantly at checkout. The appointment is logged and confirmed automatically.
- Manual / Pay-Later Settings: Disable mandatory upfront payment online, or create custom bookings manually for walk-in clients. The booking is added to your schedule immediately, leaving the payment status open until you process it in person.
Software POS: Handling Walk-Ins Without Card Hardware
When a walk-in client arrives or an existing customer reaches the end of their appointment, you can process the transaction through your admin dashboard using software-only POS functionality. Rather than handing the customer a physical card reader, you open the booking from your received bookings list and select an on-the-spot checkout method.
1. Scan to Pay via QR Codes
Scan-to-Pay leverages the native camera and digital wallet features built into modern smartphones. When you select the QR payment option on your screen, the system generates a dynamic, transaction-specific QR code.
- How it works: The customer points their smartphone camera at your screen to scan the code, opening a secure, web-based payment page with your branding and the exact charge amount.
- Native mobile checkout: Because the page opens on the customer's own device, it connects to their digital wallet. Instead of typing 16-digit card numbers, they authenticate with Apple Pay, Google Pay or saved credentials in a single tap (Face ID or fingerprint).
2. Accelerated Checkout with Stripe OneLink (Link by Stripe)
For integrated digital payments, platforms use Stripe's accelerated checkout ecosystem — often referred to as OneLink or Link by Stripe. Link is a secure, cross-merchant payment tool that saves a customer's card details, billing address and phone number.
When a returning customer who has used Stripe Link before scans your QR code or opens your booking link, the system recognises their email or phone, sends a one-time SMS code, and instantly auto-fills their saved card. This eliminates friction, making checkout as fast as a card tap.
3. Remote Email Tickets
If a customer needs to pay remotely — or you prefer not to display a screen — choose the Email Ticket option. This dispatches a secure payment link to the client's inbox, letting them complete the transaction on their own device at their convenience.
New: Live Payment Status on Your Dashboard
We've built Scan-to-Pay to be far more transparent. Before, a scan-to-pay (QR or payment-link) booking just showed Pending until it either became Paid or, quietly, nothing happened — so the only way to know what a customer's payment was actually doing was to log into Stripe. Now the dashboard reflects the live Stripe state itself, in real time.
The customer needs to complete authentication — Clearpay/Afterpay approval or a 3D Secure check. The ball's in their court.
Payment submitted and settling.
The attempt was declined or expired.
Done — exactly as before.
These show everywhere a status appears: the Customer Details modal, the Calendar, Bookings & Tasks, and Bookings Received. One glance tells you whether a payment is waiting on the customer, settling, or needs a nudge — no more jumping into Stripe to check.
Behaviour that protects you
- Read-only reflections of Stripe: the three new states can't be set by hand — they simply mirror what Stripe reports. The one exception is Payment failed, which stays a working dropdown so you can mark it Paid or Cash if the customer pays another way.
- Paid stays paid: a paid booking can never be flipped back to failed by a late Stripe event arriving after the fact.
- No stale overwrites: if a customer abandons one payment link and you issue a new one, an old event from the first link can't overwrite the current payment's status.
- Scoped to POS only: the system only touches scan-to-pay (POS) bookings — subscriptions, wallet top-ups, and online bookings are untouched.
New: Process Refunds Directly in GetaBooking
We've also built refunds right into GetaBooking, so you no longer need to open Stripe to give money back. When a customer needs a refund, you have two clear options depending on what you're trying to do:
- Cancel and refund: cancel the booking and refund the customer in one action — the slot is freed and the payment is returned.
- Refund but keep the booking: issue a refund while leaving the booking in place — ideal for a goodwill gesture, a partial adjustment, or when the customer is still attending but you've agreed to return some or all of the fee.
Both run through your connected Stripe account with the money going straight back to the customer's original payment method, and the booking's status updates to reflect it — so your records stay accurate without any manual reconciliation. It's the natural partner to the live payment status above: you can see exactly what a payment did, then act on it, all from one screen.
Completely Manual Payments: Operating Without Payment Gateways
Integrated card processing is entirely optional. If you prefer not to use Stripe or online gateways, GetaBooking lets you run a fully manual payment workflow at zero added transaction cost.
- Cash Payments: Take physical cash from walk-in or returning clients at the point of service.
- Direct Bank Transfers (BACS): Provide clients with your business account details to pay via online or mobile banking.
- Manual Reconciliations: You keep full control. When cash or a transfer arrives, open the customer's booking and update the status from Unpaid to Paid.
Summary of Payment Workflow Options
Whether you want a fully automated online booking engine, a hardware-free POS for walk-ins, or a simple manual ledger for cash, modern scheduling software adapts to your operational style.
| Payment Workflow | Hardware Required | Processing Method | Ideal Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Upfront | None | Stripe / Apple Pay / Google Pay | Standard website bookings and automated scheduling. |
| Scan to Pay (QR) | Smartphone or tablet screen | On-screen QR scanned by the customer's phone | In-person walk-ins; fast checkout without card machines. |
| Stripe OneLink | Smartphone or tablet screen | One-click auto-fill via SMS verification | Returning customers wanting instant mobile checkout. |
| Manual Cash / BACS | None | Physical cash or direct bank transfer | Businesses avoiding card fees or managing offline accounting. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I process refunds without logging into Stripe?
Yes. We've built refunds directly into GetaBooking. You can cancel the booking and refund the customer in one action, or issue a refund while keeping the booking in place. Both run through your connected Stripe account and the money goes straight back to the customer's original payment method.
What's the difference between 'cancel and refund' and 'refund but keep the booking'?
Cancel and refund removes the booking and frees the slot while returning the payment. Refund but keep the booking returns some or all of the money but leaves the appointment in place — useful for a goodwill gesture or a partial adjustment when the customer is still attending.
What do the new payment statuses mean?
Authenticating means the customer still needs to complete a check such as Clearpay/Afterpay approval or 3D Secure. Processing means the payment has been submitted and is settling. Payment failed means the attempt was declined or expired. Paid means it's complete. They reflect the live Stripe state in real time, so you don't have to log into Stripe to check.
Can I change these statuses by hand?
The three new states are read-only reflections of Stripe and can't be set manually — with one exception. Payment failed stays a working dropdown, so if the customer pays another way you can still mark it Paid or Cash. A paid booking can never be flipped back to failed by a late event, and a stale event from an abandoned payment link can't overwrite the current status.
Do these payment features affect my online or subscription payments?
No. The live payment status logic only applies to scan-to-pay (POS) bookings. Subscriptions, wallet top-ups, and standard online bookings are untouched.
Do I need a card machine to take in-person payments?
No. GetaBooking is hardware-free. You can take walk-in payments with a Scan-to-Pay QR code, Stripe Link one-click checkout, or an emailed payment ticket, and you can also record cash or bank transfers manually at no added transaction cost.
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