Deposits

You can set a uniform Deposit requirement for all orders, or require different Deposit amounts based on different variables. You can combine the features discussed in the various Deposits sections below if you wish. Please feel free to use the menu below to learn how to set up your Deposit Rules according to your preferences:

• Basic Deposit Rules: Set up a basic, uniform Deposit (either a flat dollar amount or a percentage) which is required for all orders
• Order Option Based Deposit Rules: Set up different Deposit requirements based on the customer's answer to an Order Option
• Order Subtotal Based Deposit Rules: Set up different Deposit requirements based on the Subtotal of the order being placed
• Product Based Deposit Rules: Set up different Deposit requirements based on the product(s) in the order
• Editing the Deposit Phrase: Change the phrase that displays on the Payment Page that describes the Deposit due for the order (by default it says "Min Payment Req'd")
• Last Minute Booking Deposit Rules: Change the Deposit requirements for last minute orders

NOTE: For information on how to establish Minimum Order Requirements (i.e., the minimum amount a customer must spend in order to check out online), please feel free to view the Knowledge Base tutorial here: Minimum Order Requirements

BASIC DEPOSIT RULES

By default, the system will require the same Deposit for all orders across the board. 

Please feel free to watch the video below to learn how to set up a uniform Deposit requirement for all orders across the board. You may also follow the step-by-step instructions below the video.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• First, navigate to Admin>Rules>General Rule Sets and click into "Deposit Rules."
• You should see a Rule called "Set Deposit To." If you don't, click on "Add More" and select "Set Deposit To" from the dropdown menu. IMPORTANT: make sure to move "Set Deposit To" above "Apply Deposit Override" by clicking and dragging the blue and white cross icon that sits to the left of each Rule. Otherwise, you and other administrators and managers will not be able to override Deposit requirements while placing an order in the Control Panel. "Apply Deposit Override" should always be present in these rules, and it should always be at the bottom of the Rules in this area. "Apply Deposit Override" enables you to override deposit requirements while placing an order in the back end/Control Panel.
• Enter the required Deposit Amount in dollars without the dollar symbol, or, if you'd like to require a percentage of the order total rather than a flat dollar amount, enter in the percentage here. For example, you can enter in "50" if you'd like to require a flat $50 Deposit for all orders, or "20%" if you'd like to require a Deposit of 20% of the Order Total for all orders. Make sure to Submit your changes.
• Go to "Scheduling" and begin to place a test Order. When you get to the Payment Screen, double-check that your new Deposit Rules are working correctly. If you wish, you can edit the Deposit Phrase (by default it says "Min Payment Req'd") by following the instructions here: Deposit Phrase.

ORDER OPTION BASED DEPOSIT RULES

See the screenshot below the Step-by Step Instructions for reference.

1. First, navigate to Admin>Rules>General Rule Sets and click into "Deposit Rules."
2. Click "Add New" near the bottom and choose "Set Deposit For Order Option."
3. Under Deposit Amount, enter in the amount you'd like to charge for this Order Option. Flat amounts can be entered as a simple number, and percentages with the percent symbol (for example, enter in "50" for a flat $50 deposit requirement, and "50%" for a 50% deposit requirement).
4. Under Order Option Name, enter in the Name of the Order Option you'd like to trigger this deposit requirement. Make sure to match spelling, capitalization, and punctuation exactly! Even an extra space at the end of the Order Option Name field, if it's not also included in the Order Option Name field, will cause the feature not to work.
5. Under Order Option Value, enter in the Value you'd like to trigger the deposit requirement. Again, make sure to match spelling, capitalization, and punctuation exactly!
6. IMPORTANT: make sure to move the "Set Deposit For Order Option" rule above "Apply Deposit Override" using the blue and white cross icons! Otherwise you won't be able to override deposit requirements in the back end for orders using this rule.

ORDER SUBTOTAL BASED DEPOSIT RULES

Please feel free to watch the following video to learn how to set up Deposit requirements that vary based on the Subtotal of the Customer's Order. You may also follow the step-by-step instructions below the video.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, navigate to Admin>Rules>General Rule Sets and click into "Deposit Rules."
2. There will likely be a Rule in place called "Set Deposit To." If so, click on it and and replace it with "Set Deposit with Range" from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter in the Deposit Amount you'd like to require for your smallest Orders. For example, if you'd like to require a $50 Deposit for your smallest orders, you'd enter in "50" and if you'd like to require a 20% Deposit for such orders you'd enter in "20%"
4. Leave the Min Total field blank. This ensures that the system will require a Deposit for all orders, no matter how small.
5. In the Max Total field, enter in the Maximum Order Total you'd like to apply this base Deposit requirement. For instance, if you'd like to require a $50 Deposit for all orders up to $500, you'd enter "50" into the Deposit Amount field, leave the Min Total field blank, and enter "500" in the Max Total field.
6. Click on Add New, then add another "Set Deposit with Range" Rule.
7. IMPORTANT: make sure to move all "Set Deposit with Range" Rules above "Apply Deposit Override" by clicking and dragging the blue and white cross icon that sits to the left of each Rule. Otherwise, you and other administrators and managers will not be able to override Deposit requirements while placing an order in the Control Panel. "Apply Deposit Override" should always be at the bottom of the Rules in this area. Also, make sure your "Set Deposit with Range" Rules are always in ascending order, i.e., the Rules for your smallest Orders are above the Rules for your larger Orders. This ensures the system calculates and enforces your Deposit Rules correctly.
8. Repeat Step 3 for the next range of Order Totals.
9. In the Min Total field, enter in the Max Total from the previous "Set Deposit with Range" Rule, plus 1 cent. For example, if the previous "Set Deposit with Range" Rule had a Max Total of $500, you'd enter "500.01" into this Min Total field. This ensures the system always requires a Deposit for every order.
10. If this is your final Deposit range, you may leave the Max Total field blank. This ensures the system requires a Deposit for all orders, no matter how large.
11. Continue adding new "Set Deposit with Range" Rules, following the previous steps (again, make sure "Apply Deposit Override" is always at the bottom of the Rules) until you've established all your different Deposit requirements. Again, make sure to leave the Max Total field blank for your final "Set Deposit with Range" Rule, so the system will always require a Deposit for your largest orders. Make sure to Submit your changes when you've finished.
12. Go to Scheduling and begin to place a test Order. When you get to the Payment Screen, double-check that your new Deposit Rules are working correctly. If you wish, you can edit the Deposit Phrase (by default it says "Min Payment Req'd") by following the instructions here: Editing the Deposit Phrase.

PRODUCT BASED DEPOSIT RULES

Product Based Deposit Rules allow you to require different Deposits based on the products in a customer's Order. Please feel free to watch the following video to learn how to set up Product Based Deposit Rules. You may also follow the step-by-step instructions below the video.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, navigate to Admin>Rules>General Rule Sets and click into "Deposit Rules."
2. There will likely be Rules in place such as "Set Deposit To," if you require a flat Deposit amount or percentage for all Orders across the board, or a few Rules such as "Set Deposit with Range" if you require different Deposits for Orders depending on the Order Subtotal. Click on "Add New" to add a new Deposit Rule, and choose either "Set Deposit with Category" or "Set Deposit with Item" if you'd like to require a different Deposit for a given Category(ies) or Item(s), or "Add Deposit with Item" if you'd like to add an amount to the already existing Deposit requirements for a given Item(s).
3. IMPORTANT: make sure to move all "Set Deposit with Category," "Set Deposit with Item," and "Add Deposit with Item" Rules above "Apply Deposit Override" by clicking and dragging the blue and white cross icon that sits to the left of each Rule. Otherwise, you and other administrators and managers will not be able to override Deposit requirements while placing an order in the Control Panel. "Apply Deposit Override" should always be at the bottom of the Rules in this area. Also, make sure your "Set Deposit with Category," "Set Deposit with Item," and "Add Deposit with Item" Rules are below your "Set Deposit To" or "Set Deposit with Range" Rules. This ensures the system calculates and enforces your Deposit Rules correctly.
4. If you chose "Set Deposit with Category" or "Set Deposit with Item," enter in the Deposit Amount you'd like to require for the Category or Item you're creating the Rule for. For example, if you'd like to require a $100 Deposit for the Category or Item, you'd enter in "100," but if you'd like to require a 50% Deposit for the Category or Item, you'd enter in "50%."
5. In Category Name, or Item Name, enter in the Name of the Category or Item you'd like to trigger the new Deposit requirement. Make sure to match spelling and capitalization of the Category or Item exactly as they appear under Admin>Products, otherwise the Deposit Rule will not work. For example, if you'd like to have a Category named "Combos & Slides" trigger a Deposit Requirement, you'd need to enter in "Combos & Slides" exactly as the Category is spelled in Admin>Products>Categories, making sure to use the ampersand rather than spelling out "and." You may include multiple Items and Categories in this field if you like; just separate them with a space and an "or." For instance, you could enter in "Slides & Combos or Obstacle Courses."
6. In Minimum Count, enter in the minimum number of Items or Items from the Category required to trigger the new Deposit Rule. For instance, if you'd like to require at least two Items from a Category called "Concessions" in order to trigger the new Deposit Rule, you'd enter 2 into the Minimum Count field.
7. In Minimum Value, enter the minimum total cost of Items in order to trigger the new Deposit Rule. For example, if you'd like to require at least $250 worth of Items from the Slides & Combos Category in order to trigger the new rule, you'd enter in "250."
8. Keep in mind that "Add Deposit with Item" will add the Deposit Amount to whatever other Deposit Rules are triggered, whereas "Set Deposit with Category" and "Set Deposit with Item" both replace any other Deposit requirement in place, ONLY if the order contains those Categories or Items. Typically you want "Add Deposit with Item" to be the last Rule above "Apply Deposit Override," and typically you want either "Set Deposit To" or some number of "Set Deposit with Range" Rules at the top, so that if an Order doesn't contain any of the Items or Categories you've set up for these conditional Deposit Rules, a Deposit will still be required.
9. Add as many of these Rules as you like, and make sure to Submit your edits when you've finished.
10. Go to "Scheduling" and begin to place a test Order. When you get to the Payment Screen, double-check that your new Deposit Rules are working correctly. If you wish, you can edit the Deposit Phrase (by default it says "Min Payment Req'd") by following the instructions here: Editing the Deposit Phrase.

EDITING THE DEPOSIT PHRASE

The Deposit Phrase is the text that displays on the Payment Screen of an order that informs the customer what is the required Deposit in order to place the order. It looks like this:

Please feel free to watch the following video to learn how to edit the Deposit Phrase. You may also follow the step-by-step instructions below the video.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• To begin editing the Deposit Phrase, navigate to Admin>Order Config>Misc Order Settings. Scroll down to the Setting "Phrase - Deposit Required" (see the picture below)

• Enter the Deposit Phrase you'd like to display on the Payment Screen, then don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click "Save"
• Feel free to click into any order and navigate to the Payment Screen to test your edits

LAST MINUTE BOOKING DEPOSIT RULES

You can set a different deposit requirement for last minute orders. Keep in mind this will not affect whether or not customers will be able to book last minute orders on your website; it will only affect the deposit requirement for last minute orders. To learn more about how to edit your timeframes for ordering, you can consult this tutorial: Minimum Advance for Booking.

To set up a Last Minute Booking Deposit requirement, follow the step by step instructions below, and please feel free to consult the picture below for reference:

• Navigate to Admin>Rules>General Rule Sets>Deposit Rules
• Click "Add New" and choose "Last Minute Booking Deposit"
• Enter in a number into the "Deposit" field. You can use a number with no symbols for a flat dollar amount, or a number with a percent symbol for a percentage. For example, if you'd like to require payment in full for last minute orders, you could enter in "100%"
• Enter a number into the "Hours Before" field. For example, if you enter "24" into this field, the deposit requirement will be triggered for any order to begin within 24 hours of the time the order is placed. *As mentioned above, this will not restrict people from booking online; it will only enforce a deposit requirement within that number of hours. Again, you can consult the Minimum Advance for Booking tutorial to learn more about how to customize online booking availability timeframes.
• IMPORTANT: use the blue and white cross icons to move the "Last Minute Booking Deposit" rule, along with all other deposit rules as necessary, above "Apply Deposit Override." You always want "Apply Deposit Override" to remain in your Deposit Rules, and always at the bottom, below all other rules. This rule allows you to override deposit requirements while placing an order in the back end. Your customers can never override deposit requirements on the front end.