Not every booking needs a price. In CaliDiary a service with no price simply books straight through, with no payment step. Paid services can be paid on the day, by bank transfer with your own details, through a payment link, or by card online, and you choose this for each booking set-up.
Volunteer shifts, free first calls and council appointments book straight through.
Choose for each booking set-up how and when customers pay, with your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie account.
Paid, part paid or not paid yet, with refunds, tax and a To be paid list.
Leave it empty for a free booking.
Before, on the day, or nothing to pay.
Stripe, PayPal or Mollie, or your bank details.
Every booking shows its payment status.
Most booking tools assume every appointment is a sale. Plenty are not: a volunteer choosing a shift, a resident booking a council appointment, a student seeing a careers adviser, parents booking a slot at a school evening, or a prospective client taking a free first call. For these, a payment step is a barrier that stops people booking at all.
In CaliDiary, price is simply one of the details of a service. If there is no price, there is no payment step: the visitor picks a time, answers your questions, and is booked. If there is a price, you decide how and when it is paid.
| How | What the customer sees | Plans | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| No price | No payment step at all | Free, Solo, Pro | Available |
| Pay on the day | The price, and that payment is on the day | Free, Solo, Pro | Available |
| Bank transfer | Your bank details with their booking reference filled in | Free, Solo, Pro | Available |
| Payment link per service | A "Pay now" button that opens your own link (such as a Stripe Payment Link) | Solo, Pro | Available |
| Card online | Pay by card through your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie account | Solo, Pro | Available |
| Deposit now, balance later | Part now, the rest on the day or before | Solo, Pro | Available |
You choose "when customers pay" for each booking set-up: before the appointment, on the day, or nothing to pay. Payment instructions can be set once in Settings, or differently for a booking set-up (for example, a different bank account for a training course).
When payment is due before the appointment, the confirmation screen shows the amount and your instructions, with the customer's own booking reference in place of {reference}. The same details go into the confirmation, accepted, moved and reminder emails, and onto the customer's booking page, so nobody has to search for them.
For requests you approve, the customer is told that payment details will follow once you accept, so nobody pays for a time that might be declined.
On your side, every booking carries a payment status: nothing to pay, not paid yet, part paid, paid or refunded. Mark as paid records the amount, how it arrived (bank transfer, payment link, cash, card or other), the date, a reference and a note. Part payments add up, refunds are recorded against the booking, and a mistake can be removed. A To be paid tab lists everything outstanding.
If you charge VAT or another sales tax, switch tax on and choose whether your prices include it. The booking form shows "+ VAT" when tax is added on top, and totals read, for example, "£120.00 (includes VAT £20.00)". Every booking keeps the tax rate and amounts it was charged, so changing your settings later never rewrites past bookings. Solo and Pro add named rates per service and numbered invoices and credit notes.
The Bookings and Customers screens download as spreadsheets with the amount, tax, paid so far and still to pay, ready for your bookkeeping.
CaliDiary never handles your money. Bank transfers go to your account, payment links are your own, and card payments connect to your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie account. We take no cut and add no platform fee. Your bookings and payment records stay in your own WordPress database.
{reference} where the booking reference should appear.Shifts with several places each, free sign-up, reminders and a link to cancel.
Free advice appointments and call-backs, with sensitive details kept on your own site.
Free resident appointments, information sessions and requests checked before they are confirmed.
Office hours, careers and advice appointments, and workshops with a set number of places.
Free first calls, paid consultations and conflict checks before you confirm.
Introductory calls, weekly sessions and requests you approve.
Show your bank details with a reference, or a payment link per service, then mark as paid.
Paid up front, in full or by deposit, into your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie. No commission.
Numbered invoices with VAT lines and credit notes, made on your own site. No add-on to buy.
Prices with or without tax, the rate kept with every booking, and named rates per service.
Hold the time and decide yourself whether to accept or decline each booking.
Several people book the same appointment time, up to the limit you set.
Start on the free plan, with no booking limit. Upgrade only when you need to.