Suddenly Sorted
No-shows & depositsAll plansOwner & managers

How do I hold a slot until the customer confirms, without a deposit?

Turn on Hold the slot until they tap to confirm, choose how long to hold for, and every new booking is held rather than instantly confirmed. One tap on the link locks it in. No tap, and the time quietly goes back on sale.

3-minute read Checked against the app · 6 Sep 2026 Desktop and phone

Where it lives

Open SettingsBooking settingsDeposits & no-shows. Confirm to hold is the second card, Hold the slot until they tap to confirm, right under the deposit controls. It needs no Stripe account and no payment setup. On your phone, Settings is under the More tab.

Your dashboard · Settings › Booking settings › Deposits & no-showsDrawn from the live UI · sample salon
1: Settings in the left menu. 2: the confirm-to-hold card, with the hold length beside it.

Turn it on

  1. Set Holding new bookings to Hold until they tap to confirm

    The default is Don't hold, so nothing changes until you choose this.

  2. Choose how long to hold for

    The Hold for box takes anything from half an hour to 72 hours. 24 hours suits most salons. Click Save changes.

    You'll see: a short note on your booking page, before the customer books, saying the slot is held until they confirm.
  3. Watch the Bookings list

    Held bookings show as Pending with a held-until time. When the customer taps the link they flip to Confirmed on their own.

How a hold plays out

The moment someone books, on your booking page or in the chat, the slot is blocked on your calendar so nobody else can take it. The customer is told plainly that it's held, not confirmed, and the one-tap link goes out straight away by email, or by text as well if that's your reminder channel. One tap and the booking is confirmed; for a group booking, one tap confirms the whole party.

Sally
Lovely, I've held Friday 3:00pm with Liv for you. Tap the link I've just sent within 24 hours to keep your spot.
Customer
Done!
Sally
You're confirmed. See you Friday at 3.

If the deadline passes with no tap, the hold expires on its own, the time goes back on sale, and anyone on your waitlist for that service is offered it. You do nothing.

The hold window

  • Booked well aheadFull hold window applies
  • Booked close to the timeDeadline moves to 30 min before start
  • Booked within about an hourNo hold, confirmed straight away
Honest by designConfirm to hold never charges anyone and never cancels a booking you made yourself. If a service also has a deposit set, the deposit wins and the hold step is skipped for that service.
Plan noteConfirm to hold is on every plan, including Free.

Common questions

Can I confirm a held booking myself?

Yes. Open it in Bookings and set the status to Confirmed, for instance when the customer rings to say they're coming. The link then does nothing extra.

Does the customer need the app or an account?

No. The link opens a plain page in their browser with one button. It works on any phone.

Will they still get the normal reminder?

Yes. Once confirmed, the booking gets whatever reminders you've set, on the same channel.

Still stuck on this?

Send us the booking time and the customer's first name. We'll check when the hold was set, when the link went out and whether it was tapped.

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