No-Show & Cancellation Fees
Don't eat the cost of an empty table — charge the card when the guest doesn't show
A no-show fee rule puts a hold on the guest's card at booking and captures it only if the reservation ends in a no-show — or is canceled after your deadline. Until then, nothing is charged.
This is different from a deposit. A deposit is collected upfront. A no-show fee is held in the background and appears on the guest's statement only if they fail to honor the booking. Guests feel less friction, you get the same protection.
You decide which slots carry a fee, how much, per-person or fixed, and how late is 'too late' to cancel. The rule attaches to a working-hours window so Friday dinner can have a stricter policy than Tuesday lunch.
When the reservation ends: if the guest was seated, the hold is released. If they no-showed or canceled past the deadline, the fee is captured. Everything happens automatically based on the reservation status — no manual card chasing.
Key benefits
Charged only when the guest doesn't honor the booking
Card is held at booking. If the guest shows, nothing is charged. If they no-show or cancel past the deadline, the fee is captured.
Per slot, not per venue
Saturday night has a 25 EUR fee. Tuesday lunch has none. Set the fee on the slots where it matters.
Fixed or per person
Charge one amount to hold the table, or scale the fee with party size. Large no-shows cost more to cover.
Cancellation deadline you control
Set how late a guest can cancel without being charged. Typical: 2 hours, 24 hours, or shift-close. After that, the fee is kept.
Automatic based on reservation status
You mark the reservation Seated, Completed, Expired, or Canceled — the system decides to release or capture. No card follow-up, no invoices to chase.
How it works
- 01
Activate a payment gateway with pre-auth
No-show fees run on pre-authorization, which Stripe supports. Make sure Stripe is connected to the venue.
- 02
Create a no-show fee rule
In the slot rule scheduler, add a no-show fee rule to a shift. Set amount, mode (fixed or per person), and cancellation deadline in minutes before the reservation.
- 03
Guest books — card is held
The booking form authorizes the card at the fee amount. The guest sees a pending charge, nothing is captured.
- 04
Reservation runs its course
Seated / Completed / Rejected → hold released. Expired (no-show) → fee captured. Canceled: in time → released; past deadline → captured.
- 05
Money lands in your gateway account
Captured fees settle into your Stripe or MyPOS account. The reservation shows the amount and transaction reference.
Stop paying for empty tables
Turn on no-show fees for the shifts where no-shows hurt. Frictionless for good guests, expensive for the rest.
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