How payments work in Salonist
Salonist's integrations page lists payment gateways and card terminals. The online gateways it names include Stripe, PayPal and Authorize.Net. The card terminals it names are Stripe Reader, Clover Terminal and Pine Labs Terminal. This guide does not cover those terminals.
The page does not say which payments are online and which are in person. We read the three named terminals as the in-person side, and those stay as they are.
Salonist is booking and point-of-sale software for salons and spas.
This guide says what Salonist's own page describes and what we have not confirmed. It does not promise that a different processor works.
Who this suits
Best fit
- A salon that takes deposits or prepayment online and wants to see what those payments cost.
- Your processing contract is near its end, or you can time a change around it.
- You have not looked at your statement in a while and want a person to read it with you.
Not a fit
- A salon that takes nearly all payments at the front desk on a terminal. That part stays as it is, so this guide would touch very little of your sales.
- Your statement is already clear and you are happy with it. Then the honest answer may be to stay where you are.
- You are in the middle of a contract with a large early cancellation fee and cannot time a change.
What we are checking for you
- Which of Salonist's listed gateways are for online payments and which are for the front desk, since the page does not say.
- Whether the terminals Salonist names would work with a different processor.
- What share of your sales happen online.
- Your contract end date and any early cancellation fee.
What to watch
- Your in-person card readers are tied to the terminals Salonist lists. A change to online payments does not change them.
- Cards your customers have saved on file. Ask whether they can be moved to the new setup, or whether customers would need to enter them again.
- Recurring billing and subscriptions, which are tied to those saved cards.
- Gift card balances, if you sell gift cards.
- Card surcharges. Card network rules and some state laws limit them, so check before you add or keep one.
- Your current contract end date and any early cancellation fee.
Questions merchants ask
Which online gateways does Salonist list?
Its integrations page names Stripe, PayPal and Authorize.Net among others.
What about my card reader at the front desk?
Salonist names Stripe Reader, Clover Terminal and Pine Labs Terminal. We have not confirmed that those would work with a different processor, so the in-person side stays as it is.
Is the online side a big share of my sales?
Only you can tell. Your statement splits card sales by how the card was taken, and we can read that with you.
How do I see what I pay now?
Open your monthly processing statement and add up every fee. Divide that total by your card sales for the month. The result is your effective rate, the real percentage you pay after every fee. Our free statement review walks you through it.
See what you pay, for free
A person reads your statement with you and tells you what each fee means and whether a different processor is even possible with Salonist. There is no pressure to switch.