Saving a card on file

A card on file lets a client add their card once, so you can charge a deposit now and the balance later without asking for the number again. The client enters their details on a secure page, 1pm never sees or stores the full card number, and you get a stored card you can charge against a booking whenever a payment falls due. It is the difference between chasing a card detail every time and taking payment in a click.

Before you can use it

Card on file runs on your Stripe connection, the same one that powers online invoice payments. You need Stripe online payments switched on first (Account, then Online payments, covered in Getting paid). Until that is connected, the card on file options do not appear anywhere, because there is nowhere for the card to be stored or charged.

Money goes to your own Stripe balance, exactly like an online invoice payment. 1pm does not sit in the middle of it.

Asking a client to add a card

There are two places to start, depending on where you are:

• On a contact. Open the contact in Contacts, find the Card on file section, and click Request card on file. 1pm mints a secure link. Copy it and send it to the client however you like. The link stays valid until it is used.
• On an invoice. On an issued invoice, click Request card on file and 1pm emails the client a secure link straight away. This needs a billing email on the invoice.

Either way, the client gets a link that takes them to a secure Stripe card form. They enter their card and confirm. Nothing is charged at this point: adding a card and charging it are two separate steps.

What the client sees, and what you store

The client lands on a short page branded to your business, then goes to Stripe's own secure card form to enter their details. When they are done, they see a simple confirmation.

You never handle the raw card number. 1pm stores only what you need to recognise and charge the card later: the brand, last four digits, and expiry. The card itself is held securely by Stripe. When the card is saved, you get a notification that a card on file has been added for that contact.

Charging a card on file

Once a card is stored, open an issued invoice for that client. In the payments area you will see a Charge button showing the card and the amount due next (a deposit, a balance, or the full amount, depending on how the invoice is set up). Click it, confirm, and Stripe charges the stored card. Part payments work the same way: charge the deposit now, come back and charge the balance when it is due. Each charge is recorded against the invoice like any other payment, and the invoice marks itself paid once the balance reaches zero.

Because you are charging a card the client has already added and consented to, there is no need to send them back to a payment page for each charge.

Removing a card

To remove a stored card, open the contact, find the Card on file section, and choose Remove. Once removed, you cannot charge it again until the client adds a new one through a fresh link. Remove a card when a client asks you to, or when the card has expired and you want a current one on file.

Good practice

A card on file is a trust arrangement. The client is agreeing to let you charge their card for this booking, so keep to that: charge for the deposit, balance, and agreed extras, and make clear up front what you will charge and when. Used well, it takes the friction out of getting paid and means a booking is never held up waiting on a payment detail.

For the wider picture on payments, invoices, and what the client sees on a public invoice, see Getting paid and Deposits and balances.