Who can do this: Owners and Managers. Where: Sidebar → Catalog & Pricing → Inventory → edit a tier → "Deposit per Player ($) (optional)"
The short version#
By default, a walk-on customer pays the full amount at checkout. Setting a deposit on a gear tier changes that: PBHQ charges the deposit now and shows the rest as a balance due on game day.
The field's own help text:
"Leave blank to charge the full price at checkout. Enter 0 to collect nothing today. Party packages use their own deposit instead."
Three settings, three behaviors#
This is the part to read twice. Blank and zero are not the same thing.
| What you enter | What happens at checkout |
|---|---|
| Blank (the default) | The customer pays this tier's full price. This is how every tier behaves until you touch this field. |
0 |
The customer pays nothing for this tier today. The whole amount becomes a balance due on game day. |
A number, e.g. 20 |
The customer pays $20 per player for this tier today. The rest becomes the balance. |
How it's calculated#
Per player, capped at the line. The deposit is deposit per player × number of players, and
it can never exceed what that tier's players are actually being charged. A $20 deposit against a
$15 line collects $15, not $20.
Mixed bookings add up. If a customer books 4 players on a tier with a $20 deposit and 2 on a
tier with no deposit set, PBHQ collects 4 × $20 for the first tier plus the full price of
the other two. Tiers without a deposit are always charged in full.
If no tier in the booking has a deposit set, nothing changes — the customer pays the whole thing at checkout, exactly as before.
Discounts come off the balance, not the deposit. The deposit is what it is; a discount reduces what's owed on game day. If the discount is bigger than the balance, the deposit is trimmed so the customer is never quoted a negative amount.
Per-game activities (laser tag and similar)#
The deposit is charged once per player, no matter how many games they book. The cap still applies per line.
So with a $20-per-player deposit:
- One $15 game → collects $15 (capped at the line total).
- Three games at $15 each ($45) → collects $20.
On the games step the running total updates live as the customer changes the game count, so what they see always matches what they're charged.
Party packages ignore gear deposits entirely#
A party package's own "Deposit Amount ($)" is the only thing that matters inside a party — even when it's $0.
If a package has a $0 deposit, that party collects nothing at checkout regardless of what deposits its gear tiers carry. Set party deposits on the package, not on the gear. See Party packages.
Validation#
The form refuses a deposit larger than the price:
"A deposit can't exceed the tier's price per player."
and negatives:
"A deposit can't be negative."
What the customer sees#
At checkout the summary reads:
Subtotal $180.00
Sales Tax $4.95
Fees $6.20
Total Due Today $71.15
Balance due on game day $120.00
The balance also appears on their confirmation email and in both reminder emails (24 hours and 2 hours before), so nobody arrives surprised.
What you see on game day#
The booking's "Amount Due" on the booking edit screen shows what's still owed. When you take that money at the counter, update "Amount Collected" so your records and your dashboard match. See Taking payment.
Should I use deposits?#
Yes if: your walk-on prices are high enough that full prepayment causes abandoned checkouts, or you'd rather sell the rest in person (upselling paint and air at the counter).
No if: you want money guaranteed before people show up. Full prepayment means no-shows still paid.
Deposits reduce no-show revenue protection while increasing conversion. Most fields prepay walk-ons in full and use deposits only on parties.