Table ReservationsTapa TableDeposits

How do I set up compulsory deposits for reservations?

What are deposits?

Deposits are monetary amounts customers pay in advance to secure and confirm a reservation. They help reduce no-shows and are configured using service rules.

Before getting started

If deposits are required for online reservations, TapaPay must be set up first.

Set up a deposit rule

  1. Go to Settings > Tables > Services.
  2. Edit the required service.
  3. Open the Rules section.
  4. Click Add Rule.
  5. Tick Enabled.
  6. Enter a description, for example Require Deposit.
  7. Choose Require Deposit from the Type dropdown.
  8. Enter Trigger Covers.
  9. Use 1 if the deposit should apply to every booking, or a higher number if it should only apply from a certain party size upward.
  10. Select the relevant Time Profile.
  11. Tick Charge Per Cover if the amount should apply per guest.
  12. Enter the Charge Amount.
  13. Click Add, then Save.
  14. Use Update Tills and then Send Changes to apply the update to the reservations widget.

If you want the deposit to apply to all reservations, set Trigger Covers to 1. If you only want deposits for larger bookings, set the trigger to the minimum cover count where the rule should start.

Make sure your deposit cancellation policy is clearly stated in the online terms and conditions, and refresh the widget browser after sending changes. Allow up to two minutes for updates to apply.

Examples

  • All bookings: Set Trigger Covers to 1 with a charge amount such as 10.00.
  • Large groups only: Set Trigger Covers to 6 so smaller parties can book without a deposit.
  • Per guest: Tick Charge Per Cover if the amount should multiply by the number of covers on the booking.

FAQs

How do I make the deposit compulsory for every reservation?

Set Trigger Covers to 1 so the rule applies to every booking on that service and time profile.

Can I apply deposits only on busy days?

Yes. Use a rule with a matching time profile so the deposit requirement only applies on selected days or services.

What does Charge Per Cover do?

It applies the deposit amount for each guest instead of charging one fixed amount for the whole booking.