# Take payment at checkout

> To take payment in Velarya, open the visit's checkout from the Front Desk, the Calendar or its transaction. Check the Total due, choose Card on file, Card, Card reader, Cash or Other under Payment Method, then take the payment. Checked out confirms it, with buttons to email or print the receipt.

- Source: https://velarya.com/help/take-payment-at-checkout
- Who can do this: Admins, Location Managers and Front Desk (Transactions / orders at Edit), at the visit's location. Charging a saved card also takes Cards on file at View, and saving a new card takes Add, which all three roles hold
- Plans: Basic, Scale, Branded, Connected
- Time: 2 minutes
- Last verified: 2026-10-01

## Before you begin

- The visit is booked: Book an appointment for a patient.
- To take cards, your practice has a payment account: Connect your payment account. Cash and Other work with or without one.

## Take a payment at checkout

The Velarya **Checkout** panel is where your front desk takes payment for a visit. It opens from four places, all to the same panel:

- **Front Desk**: move the card to **Completed**, or select **Mark Completed** or **Open Checkout** in the appointment's panel.
- **Calendar**: open the appointment and select **Open Checkout** once it is completed.
- **Transactions**: open the sale and select **Collect payment**.
- Before the visit ends: **Apply payment** in the **⋯** menu of the appointment's panel.

1. Open the visit's checkout. The panel shows the patient, the treatments and the provider, with the **Total due** at the top.
2. Check the **Transaction Summary**: each treatment, the **Subtotal** and the **Total due**. Vouchers and wallet credit go on here before you take payment, as [Redeem a voucher at checkout](https://velarya.com/help/redeem-a-voucher-at-checkout) shows. A discount on the visit shows as its own line, as [Apply a discount at checkout](https://velarya.com/help/apply-a-discount-at-checkout) explains.

![Checkout Transaction Summary for a $450 Hydrafacial, with the Subtotal and the Total due outlined](https://velarya.com/assets/help/take-payment-at-checkout/checkout-summary-ce7af8bf.webp)

3. Under **Payment Method**, choose how the patient pays:
   - **Card on file**: select one of the patient's saved cards. The tab is grayed out when they have none.
   - **Card**: select **Enter new card details** and type the patient's card.
   - **Card reader**: choose a reader that shows **Online**. To keep the card for later, select **Save this card for later charges** and read the patient the terms that appear under it. Then select **The client agreed to these terms out loud or in writing**.
   - **Cash**: add a reference note if you like, such as a receipt number.
   - **Other**: note how the money came in, such as a check or a bank transfer.

4. Select the button at the bottom, which shows the amount. It reads **Mark paid (Cash)** or **Mark paid (Other)**, **Charge on reader**, or **Charge** with the card's last four digits. For a saved card, select it again when it reads **Confirm charge**. For a new card, select the button under the card form, for example "Pay $450 with new card".

![Checkout panel footer with the Mark paid (Cash) button for $450 outlined, above Save for Later](https://velarya.com/assets/help/take-payment-at-checkout/checkout-mark-paid-cash-9967e83f.webp)

5. "Payment successful!" appears, then **Checked out** with the patient's name and the amount settled. Select **Email receipt** or **Print receipt**, then **Done**.

![Checked out screen buttons after a cash payment: Email receipt outlined, above Print receipt and Done](https://velarya.com/assets/help/take-payment-at-checkout/checkout-checked-out-027e1f65.webp)

On the **Front Desk**, the visit's card shows a check mark in **Completed**, and in **Transactions** the sale reads **Paid**. To sell without a booking, use **Transactions** > **New Transaction** instead.

## Split a payment across methods

**Split payment** in the Velarya checkout panel takes one visit's total in parts, for example some in cash and the rest on the patient's card on file.

1. Select **Split payment** next to **Payment Method**.
2. For each part, choose **Card on file**, **Cash** or **Other**, and enter its amount.
3. Check the line under the amounts. It reads "Amounts match the total due." once they add up to the **Total due**, and shows how much you have entered until then.
4. Select **Charge split** with the total. Velarya charges any card on file part right away and records the rest.

![Checkout Split payment with $200 in Cash and $250 in Other, the first method outlined, and Amounts match the total due.](https://velarya.com/assets/help/take-payment-at-checkout/checkout-split-a395c649.webp)

**Single payment** returns to one method. With a card on file part, select the card from the list that appears under the amounts.

## Collect the balance after a deposit

When a patient paid a deposit as they booked, the Velarya checkout panel collects only what is left. A note reads "Deposit … paid at booking", followed by the balance it is collecting, and the **Total due** is the balance. A discount you apply before collecting lowers the balance, as long as the total stays at or above the deposit already paid, as [Apply a discount at checkout](https://velarya.com/help/apply-a-discount-at-checkout) explains. Take it by **Card on file**, **Card reader**, **Cash** or **Other**. "Balance collected" confirms it, or "Payment successful!" at a card reader, and the sale moves from **Balance due** to **Paid in full** in **Transactions**.

You can also collect a balance without opening checkout:

- In the appointment's panel, open the **⋯** menu and choose the collect item that shows the balance, such as "Collect $90.00 balance". Pick **Charge card on file**, **Cash collected at venue** or **Other (terminal / check)** as the **Payment method**, then select the **Collect** button with the amount.
- In **Transactions**, open the sale and select **Collect balance**, or use the row's menu: **Charge balance to card on file**, **Mark balance collected (cash)** or **Mark balance collected (other)**.

[Set up deposits and cancellation fees](https://velarya.com/help/set-up-deposits-and-cancellation-fees) covers when patients pay a deposit.

## Save a checkout for later

**Save for Later** at the bottom of the Velarya checkout panel keeps an unpaid checkout so you can finish it later, for example while the patient books their next visit. "Saved as draft" appears, and the visit's card on the **Front Desk** shows **Parked**.

- To pick it up from the **Front Desk**, select the card, then **Open Checkout**.
- In **Transactions**, find it under the **Drafts** status filter. The draft stays out of your revenue and totals until it is paid.

## What do patients see?

Patients see the payment in Velarya as a receipt from your practice and as a visit in the patient app.

- **The receipt email.** **Email receipt** at checkout, or **Send receipt** on the sale later, sends "Your receipt from" your practice's name, confirming the payment and its amount, with a **View your receipt** button. It goes to the email address on the patient's profile.
- **The printed receipt.** **Print receipt** opens a copy with your practice's details, each treatment, the payment method and the total.
- **The patient app.** The visit appears under **Recent activity** on the patient's Home tab. Opening it shows its services, the **Payment Method**, the **Total** and the **Points Earned**. Paying the sale is what earns the points, as [How points work](https://velarya.com/help/how-points-work) explains.

## How does checkout behave?

The Velarya checkout panel follows these rules:

| Situation | What Velarya does |
|---|---|
| The bill has a **Service fees** line | **Waive** takes it off this sale only, and **Undo** puts it back. [How payments work](https://velarya.com/help/how-payments-work) explains the fee |
| The visit was paid when the patient booked | Shows **Paid** with the method, and **Complete & Close** finishes the checkout |
| A voucher covers the whole visit | The button reads **Confirm redemption**, and nothing is charged |
| Nothing is left to pay | The button reads **Complete & Close** with a zero amount |
| A deposit was paid | Collects the balance only |
| Two people check out the same visit at once | The first payment goes through; the second person sees "Order is already paid", or "Order is already paid or a charge is in progress" while the first charge is still running |
| A reader charge is declined or cancelled | Nothing is charged and the visit stays due. Try another card or method |
| A completed visit is paid | The appointment moves to checked out, and its Front Desk card locks in **Completed** with a check mark |
| Your team booked the visit and it has not been paid | It stays on the calendar, unpaid, until checkout |

A card saved at one location belongs to that location's payment account, as [How payments work](https://velarya.com/help/how-payments-work) explains.

## If something goes wrong

**"This client has no saved card. Use Card, Cash, or Other."** The patient has no card on file with this location's payment account. Take the payment with **Card**, which saves the card for next time, or with a card reader, cash or another method.

**A saved card is refused with the bank's message, such as "Your card was declined.", or with "Card charge did not succeed" or "Card requires additional authentication".** The patient's bank declined the card, or wants the patient to confirm the payment themselves. Ask for another card and use **Card** or a card reader, or take another method.

**The Charge split button reads "Split must equal" and the total.** The amounts don't add up to the **Total due** yet. Change them until the line under them reads "Amounts match the total due."

**"Payment total … does not match amount due".** The total changed while the panel was open, for example after an edit at another desk. Close the panel, open checkout again and retry.

**"Order is already paid" or "Order is already paid or a charge is in progress".** Someone else has already taken this payment, or is charging the visit right now. Wait a moment, then open the sale in **Transactions** to check its status before charging again.

**The card reader button reads "Pair a card reader first" or "No reader is online".** No reader is paired with this location, or it is switched off or offline. An Admin or Location Manager pairs one in **Manage** > **Card Readers**. Otherwise, turn the reader on and wait for **Online**.

**"Client has no email on file".** The patient's profile has no email address. Select **Print receipt** instead, or add the email to their profile and send the receipt from the sale with **More actions** > **Send receipt**.

**"Link a client first to charge a new card."** The sale has no patient, so there is no one to save the card for. Take the payment by card reader, cash or another method.

**There is no Collect payment button on a sale.** The button shows on a sale with something left to pay, and not on a paid, reversed or draft sale. Your role also needs **Transactions / orders** at **edit** at the sale's location, which the Admin, Location Manager and Front Desk roles hold. Ask an Admin to update your role or locations.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I take payment before the treatment is finished?

Yes. Open the appointment's panel on the Front Desk or the Calendar and choose Apply payment in its ⋯ menu. The same Checkout panel opens, and the visit keeps its place on the board. When you later move the visit to Completed, the panel shows it as Paid, and Complete & Close finishes the checkout without taking payment twice.

### How do I save a patient's card for next time?

Take the payment with Card: Velarya saves the card you type to the patient's cards on file, so it appears under Card on file at their next visit. At a card reader, select Save this card for later charges and confirm the patient agreed to the terms that appear under it. Saved cards also appear on the patient's profile under Stored Methods.

### Can I send the receipt later?

Yes. Open the sale in Transactions, select More actions, then Send receipt, and Velarya emails the patient the same receipt as at checkout. Print Invoice at the top of the sale opens a printable copy. Send receipt appears once the sale is paid and the patient's profile has an email address, which is where the receipt goes.

### Where do checkout payments show up?

In Transactions. A paid visit reads Paid in the list, adds to Total Revenue, and its page lists each payment with its method and time, such as Cash or Card. The visit's card on the Front Desk shows a check mark in Completed.