# The Deposit Playbook

How to structure deposits, instalments and final balances for high-value bookings, so more customers say yes and you stop chasing money. Written from the payment schedules that retreat hosts, course providers and venues actually run.

## 1. The deposit percentage that converts

A deposit does two jobs: it makes the booking real, and it filters out people who were never going to pay. It does not need to cover your costs on day one.

| Booking type | Typical deposit | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Retreats | 25–30% | High price, booked months out. Enough commitment to hold a place without scaring off early bookers. |
| Workshops & courses | 20–30% | Shorter lead times. A lower deposit with monthly instalments beats one large upfront fee. |
| Venues & event suppliers | 30–50% | You turn away other bookings for that date. The deposit prices in that lost option. |
| Boutique stays | 25% | Matches what guests already expect from hotels, while securing the room far out. |

Below 20%, cancellations rise because walking away costs little. Above 50%, you are back to the big-upfront-payment problem the plan was meant to solve.

## 2. When to schedule the balance

- **The final payment lands before you deliver.** For retreats and stays, 14 days before arrival. For events, 14–30 days before the date. Never after.
- **Space instalments evenly** between the deposit and the final date. Two to four payments is the range customers accept without thinking.
- **Keep a buffer.** If a payment fails 14 days out, you have time for retries and a conversation.
- **Anchor dates to the booking, not the month.** "Half now, half six weeks before the retreat" reads fairer than arbitrary calendar dates.

## 3. Three schedules that work

- **£2,400 retreat, 4 months out**: £720 deposit (30%) today, £560 one month later, £560 two months later, £560 fourteen days before arrival.
- **£900 workshop, 3 months out**: £300 deposit today, £300 next month, £300 before the workshop.
- **£5,000 venue hire, 9 months out**: £2,000 deposit (40%) today, £1,500 at the halfway point, £1,500 thirty days before the event.

Work out your own dates and amounts with the free calculator: https://planpacer.com/retreat-payment-schedule-calculator

## 4. Cancellation wording that protects you

Put this next to the payment schedule, not buried in terms. A template to adapt:

> Your deposit secures your place and is non-refundable.
> If you cancel more than 60 days before [arrival/the event], any instalments paid beyond the deposit are refunded in full.
> If you cancel within 60 days, payments made are non-refundable, but you may transfer your place to another person or to a future date at no charge.
> If we cancel for any reason, everything you have paid is refunded in full within 5 working days.

The transfer option converts "I need my money back" conversations into "who can take my place" conversations.

## 5. Copy-paste emails

**Offering a payment plan:** state the total, the deposit, the exact instalment dates and amounts, and the payment link; confirm the place is secured the moment the deposit goes through.

**Nudge before an instalment:** a short heads-up with the amount, date and card ending; include a link to update the card.

**After a failed payment:** state what failed, when the retry runs, how to fix it now, and that their place is still safe.

(Full email templates are on the web page: https://planpacer.com/deposit-playbook)

## 6. The mistakes that cost money

- Invoicing each instalment by hand: every manual invoice is a decision point where the customer can stall.
- Bank transfers for the balance: you cannot retry a bank transfer.
- No schedule shown at checkout: later charges feel like surprises and disputes follow.
- Final payment on delivery day: a failed charge on arrival morning becomes a doorstep conversation.

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**PlanPacer** is payment-plan software that collects deposits, instalments and final balances through Stripe, on a schedule the business sets. It is not a lender and not buy-now-pay-later. Pricing: concierge launch from EUR 199, then 1% per successful payment-plan transaction plus standard Stripe processing fees.

Canonical page: https://planpacer.com/deposit-playbook
More: https://planpacer.com/llms.txt