A customer asks to use credit from an earlier booking. One colleague remembers the conversation, another finds a figure in a spreadsheet, and the customer is waiting to pay for their next service. Before taking payment, someone needs to establish how much credit remains and whether it has already been used.
Managing customer credit for pet businesses starts with a clear record of each adjustment and the bookings it affects. This guide shows what to record, how to explain the balance and what to check when bringing the process into TailPro.
First, be clear about what “credit” means
Several different arrangements can be called credit:
| Arrangement | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Money held on account | A monetary amount available towards a future eligible booking. |
| Prepaid session credit | An entitlement to a session under a package’s terms. |
| Permission to pay later | An amount the customer will owe after booking or receiving a service. |
This guide focuses on a positive monetary balance held for a customer. It does not mean lending the customer money or allowing an unpaid balance.
A £25 account balance and one prepaid daycare session are not automatically interchangeable. Keep the unit and any agreed restrictions clear.
Record the reason as well as the amount
Before adding credit, establish what happened and what has been agreed with the customer. A cancellation does not, by itself, tell you whether to issue credit, return money or retain a charge.
For each credit entry, record:
- The correct customer account.
- The amount and date.
- The original booking or payment reference.
- The reason for the adjustment.
- Who authorised it.
- Any agreed conditions on use.
- The resulting available balance.
For example, “£25 credit agreed following cancellation of booking DW-1042” is more useful than “customer owed money”.
Check that the amount has not already been refunded or credited elsewhere. Do not assume that offering account credit settles a refund request; resolve the appropriate arrangement before recording it.
A worked example: £25 credit against a £42 booking
Illustrative business scenario — not a customer case study.
An existing customer has an agreed £25 account credit following a cancelled walk. They later book a £42 daycare session, and the business agrees that the credit can be used for that service.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| New booking price | £42 |
| Available credit applied | £25 |
| Additional payment required | £17 |
| Credit remaining after successful application | £0 |
The arithmetic is £42 − £25 = £17. Applying the credit changes how the booking is settled; it does not turn the advertised £42 service into a £17 service.
Before payment, explain it plainly:
“Your daycare booking costs £42. We’ll apply your £25 account credit, leaving £17 to pay by card. Once the payment and credit have been applied, your remaining credit will be £0.”
After both parts have been successfully recorded, confirm:
“Your £42 daycare booking is fully paid: £25 from your account credit and £17 by card. Your remaining account credit is £0.”
These are example messages with complete figures, not automatic TailPro notification wording or advertised service prices.
Check the balance before taking the remaining payment
Use the current account record when processing a booking. An old message saying “you have £25 credit” may be out of date if the customer has since used some of it.
Check the service’s eligibility and the amount being applied. Then confirm the remaining charge before collecting payment.
If the customer has more credit than the booking costs, the unused amount should remain identifiable under the agreed arrangement. For example, £60 credit − £42 booking = £18 remaining.
If a card payment fails, inspect the booking, payment and credit records before retrying. Establish whether the credit is still available, reserved or already applied. Do not apply it again simply because the card payment needs another attempt.
Make changes traceable
Decide who can issue or correct credit and when a manager needs to review an exception. These are business controls to establish, whichever system you use.
If £25 was entered twice, record the reason for correcting the duplicate. Retain enough context to explain the change rather than replacing the balance with an unexplained number.
Similarly, if a booking paid with both credit and card is later cancelled, review each component. Do not automatically create £42 of fresh credit and return £17 to the card as well: that could give the customer more than the amount being reversed.
The correct outcome depends on the agreed cancellation arrangement and what has already happened. Make the record and customer explanation match that decision.
What to check in TailPro
TailPro’s Help Centre describes customer statements with itemised charges, payment entries and totals. Its daycare service page also describes prepaid packages and session credits redeemed against future bookings.
Those capabilities are relevant to keeping booking and payment information together. A monetary account-credit workflow needs a more specific check.
Use the £25-and-£42 example when assessing your setup. Ask the team to show you:
- Where the monetary credit balance is recorded.
- How it is applied to a booking and combined with a card payment.
- What staff and the customer see afterwards.
- What happens if payment fails or the booking is cancelled.
- Which roles can adjust the balance and what history is retained.
Also confirm plan availability and applicable fees. A session-credit feature alone does not establish how monetary credit or split payments work.
For daycare operations, explore TailPro’s booking and payment tools alongside those checks.
Move existing balances across carefully
A spreadsheet can work for a small number of adjustments if it is accurate and consistently maintained. The difficulty increases when several people issue credit, take payments or answer balance enquiries.
Before switching, reconcile each outstanding balance against its supporting records. Resolve duplicates and unexplained amounts first.
Choose a clear changeover date and test one agreed balance through the complete process. Compare the opening balance, booking allocation, payment and closing balance. Keep the old record as a reference, but make clear which system holds the current balance.
Do not assume historical balances can be imported automatically. Ask TailPro about the supported approach for your records.
TailPro offers an ongoing Free plan without a monthly software subscription. Transaction and off-app charges can still apply, and features differ by plan. Check the current pricing details and confirm your credit requirements before choosing.
Frequently asked questions
Is account credit the same as a discount?
No. Credit contributes towards settling a charge. A discount reduces the price. Keep them separate so the booking price and payment history remain understandable.
Does cancelling a booking automatically create credit?
Do not assume so. Check the agreed outcome and the system’s actual behaviour. Cancellation status, refunds and credit entries need to be checked separately.
Can monetary credit be used across different services?
That depends on the agreed conditions and your system configuration. Confirm eligibility before promising that walking credit can pay for daycare, grooming or boarding.
How often should balances be checked?
Check them when applying or adjusting credit and include outstanding balances in a regular reconciliation. Review more frequently if several staff handle payments or discrepancies appear.
Give every credit balance a clear explanation
Start with one customer balance you can trace from the original adjustment to the next booking. The aim is for staff and customers to understand the same figures without reconstructing old conversations.
Start free with TailPro to explore the booking and payment records.
For your specific credit process, talk to us about customer balances and payments.
