Quick answer
Salons and beauty businesses should model payment costs across appointment deposits, in-salon card payments, online booking fees and retail add-ons. Small average transactions can make fixed per-transaction fees meaningful.
Salon worked example
A salon with frequent $60–$180 appointments, deposits and retail products may need to compare card-present terminal costs with booking-platform or card-not-present costs. If surcharges are removed, pricing and package margins should be reviewed before staff scripts and menus are updated.
Appointment checks
- Deposit and cancellation payment costs.
- Average ticket by service type.
- Membership/package payment assumptions.
Retail checks
- Retail product margins.
- Low-value add-on transactions.
- Bundled service and product pricing.
Preparation checklist
- Export a month of appointments and retail card sales.
- Check whether online booking payments cost more than terminal payments.
- Model a price adjustment for low-margin services and packages.
- Prepare staff wording for customer questions.
- Update website, booking platform and in-store signage together.