Saving a card on file | 1pm Portal Help

Some businesses ask you to keep a card on file for your booking, so they can take later payments without asking you for the card number each time. They send you a link, you add your card on Stripe's secure page, and nothing is charged when you do.

This article covers the link you are sent, what you see when you open it, who holds your card, when it might be charged, how to change or remove it, and the messages you might meet.

The link

The business sends you the link. It may arrive as an email headed Add a card on file with an Add my card button, or they may send the link to you themselves by text or email. Either way it opens a short page with the business's name on it.

There is no account to create and no password. The link is private to you, so do not forward it to anyone you would not want adding a card to your booking.

Adding your card

Open the link. The page is headed Add a card on file and says the business has asked you to keep a card on file for your booking. It also says Nothing is charged now.
Click Add your card. You are taken to Stripe's secure page.
Enter your card details and your billing address, then confirm.
Stripe brings you back to a page headed Card saved, confirming your card is on file with the business for this booking.

If you change your mind on Stripe's page, go back. You return to the Add your card button and nothing has been saved.

The business is told as soon as your card is saved, so you do not need to let them know.

Nothing is charged

Adding a card stores it. It does not take a payment, and it does not place a hold on any amount. Charging the card is a separate step the business takes later, against an invoice on your booking.

Who holds your card

You type your card number into Stripe's page, not into a page run by the business. Stripe is the payment provider that stores the card. The business never sees your full card number. What they see is enough to recognise the card: its type, the last four digits and the expiry date.

When it might be charged

The business can charge the saved card for amounts due on your booking, such as a deposit, a progress payment or the balance. Each charge is recorded as a payment against an invoice for your booking.

If you are not sure what they will charge and when, ask them before you add the card. Where your booking is paid in stages, your booking page lists each payment with its amount and due date, which is a good place to start. See paying your deposit or balance.

Changing or removing your card

You cannot change or remove the card yourself. Ask the business:

To remove it, ask them to take it off. Once they do, it cannot be charged again unless you add a card through a fresh link.
To use a different card, ask them for a fresh link and add the new card. Ask them to remove the old one at the same time.

Each link adds one card and then closes, so opening the same link again does not let you add another.

Messages you might meet

"All done", saying a card is already on file: this link has already been used to add a card. There is nothing more to do. To add a different card, ask for a fresh link.
"This link has expired": ask the business to send you a fresh link.
"Something went wrong": the card setup could not start, often because the business's card payments are not available at that moment. Try again a little later, or ask them to resend the link.
A page not found: the link is incomplete or no longer valid. Check you copied the whole link, or ask the business to send it again.

If you saw Something went wrong after entering your card on Stripe's page, your card may still have been saved. Check with the business before adding it a second time.

Keeping a card while you pay

You do not always need a separate link. When you pay a deposit or balance by card on your booking page, there is an unticked option to keep the card on file for later amounts. It is off unless you tick it. See paying your deposit or balance.