New Customer Fees for Businesses in the United Kingdom – Vagaro Support

Starting July 14, 2026, you'll pay a booking fee when Vagaro helps you acquire a new customer. A one-time 20% fee applies when a brand-new customer books your business through the Vagaro Marketplace and Partner Network.

What's changing?

Only pay when a new customer books through the Vagaro Marketplace.
Existing client bookings remain fee-free.*
Facebook, Instagram, Branded App, Booking Widget, and MySite bookings remain fee-free.*
No upfront advertising costs; you only pay when you acquire a new client.

*Unless an eligible Daily Deal or Vera Fill My Books applies.

Which Bookings Have a Fee?

Booking Type	Booking Fee?
New Customers via Vagaro Marketplace or Partner Network (Yelp, Google, Apple Maps)	Yes (20% one-time fee)
Existing customer	No*
Facebook Integration	No*
Instagram Integration	No*
Booking Widget	No*
MySite	No*
Branded App	No*

*Unless an eligible Daily Deal applies or Vera Fill My Books is turned on.

What is a New vs. Existing Customer?

An online booking incurs a 20% fee only when the customer has never visited your business before. Existing customers aren't charged this fee, with two exceptions: when they book a Daily Deal you created for your customer base, or when they use a Fill Last-Minute Calendar Openings deal.

If a customer's account isn't in your customer list, they're considered a new customer.
If their account is already in your customer list, they're considered an existing customer.

Sometimes a customer books using a different email or account, which causes them to be treated as a new customer. To prevent this, Vagaro asks whether they've visited your business before. If they confirm they have, the 20% fee won't be charged.

Note

When a customer fills out a form before booking or messages your business on Connect by Vagaro, a profile is created for them. But because they haven't actually visited your business yet, they're still treated as new customers when they book, and the 20% fee applies.

How is the Fee Collected?

The fee applies to all businesses, including those that don't use Vagaro Credit Card Processing. Vagaro collects the fee as a deposit when the customer books online.

Here's how it works:

When a customer books online, Vagaro collects a deposit equal to 20% of the customer's cart total.

Note

The deposit owed is based on the price the customer pays after any discounts. Taxes and tips are not included in the calculation either.
That deposit covers the booking fee.
You collect the remaining balance when you check out the customer.

If you already require a deposit, Vagaro works with the deposit you've set rather than adding a separate one:

Your current deposit	What happens
None, or lower than the fee	Vagaro collects a deposit equal to 20% of the cart and uses it to cover the fee.
Higher than the fee (for example, 50%)	Your deposit applies. The customer pays the amount you set, and Vagaro takes its fee from it.

Additional Information:

Customers can't use gift cards or points to cover the booking fee deposit.
Once a deal is used, Vagaro calculates the booking fee from all items in the cart, even if the customer adds other items that aren't included or books with employees who aren't included in the deal. For example, if a new customer uses your deal for a haircut but also adds a package and another service, the fee is calculated from all three items.

How Do Cancellations and Refunds Work?

Here's what happens to the 20% deposit, depending on when the customer cancels and whether you’ve already checked them out.

Situation	What happens to the deposit
The customer cancels at least 24 hours before the appointment	Vagaro refunds the deposit to the customer. You don't pay the fee.
The customer cancels more than 24 hours before the appointment	The customer doesn’t get the deposit back, and Vagaro keeps the booking fee.
The customer doesn't show up	The customer doesn’t get the deposit back, and Vagaro keeps the booking fee.
You refund the customer after checkout	You refund the customer the full amount, including the 20%. Vagaro doesn't return its fee to you.

If your cancellation policy requires more than 24 hours’ notice, for example, 36 hours, Vagaro uses your longer window instead.

For example, a new customer books a £60 cut and colour, and Vagaro collects a £12 deposit. If they cancel 2 days before, they get the £12 back. If you check them out and refund them the next day, you refund the full £60.

How Do I Opt Out?

You can opt out by removing your business listing from the Vagaro Marketplace.

Note

Opting out means your business will no longer appear on the Vagaro Marketplace, so new customers won't be able to discover it there. Your Facebook Integration, Instagram Integration, Branded App, Booking Widget, and MySite continue to work as normal, and those bookings are never charged the fee.

To remove your business from the Vagaro Marketplace:

Go to your Business Profile:
- Phone: Select More → Settings → Business Profile.
- Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Settings → Business Profile.
Turn off List Business on Vagaro.com.
Select Save.

I'm a Booth Renter. Am I Charged the Fee?

Yes. If a new customer books you through the Vagaro Marketplace or Partner Network, the 20% fee applies, just as it does for the business.

To avoid the fee, you can turn off online booking for your profile. Before you do, know that this stops all customers, new and existing, from booking you online. Your regulars won’t be able to book you through Vagaro, your Booking Widget, or MySite. They can still book with you by phone or in person, and you can turn online booking back on at any time.

To make this change, you need access to Employee Profiles. If you don’t see it in Settings, ask the business owner or a manager to turn off online booking for you.

On a Phone

To disable online booking:

Select More → Settings → Employee Profiles.
Select Employees to view all profiles, then select the employee's profile from the list.
In the employee's location, select Action → Disable Online Booking.
Select Disable to confirm.

On a Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro

To disable online booking:

Select Settings → Employee Profiles.
For the employee, select Action , then scroll down the list and select Disable Online Booking.
Select Disable to confirm.