A consistent setup can make your agreed payment process easier to manage. It also gives you a chance to spot booking friction and make sure patients know how to get help.
Before changing the rule
You need an active Jane Payments account and Full Access to change the booking rules. Decide whether you want the rule for first-time patients, returning patients or both. Agree on the cancellation policy, exceptions and who answers booking questions before turning it on.
This setting controls online booking. If your team books appointments by phone or at the front desk, agree on that workflow separately. Do not tell patients that every booking channel works the same way.
Set the online booking payment rule
Follow Jane's Online Booking Pre-Payments guide:
- Open Settings → Jane Payments → Online booking payment rules.
- In the First-time patient section, choose Yes to require a payment rule, then select Save a credit card on file.
- Check the returning-patient section separately and choose the rule that matches your clinic's policy.
- If you have multiple locations, confirm that the relevant Jane Payments account covers the location and staff you intend to include.
Choose card storage deliberately. Jane also offers full payment and deposit rules, which ask the patient to pay when booking. Those options have a different patient experience.
Jane treats a patient as first-time until their first appointment is marked Arrived. Someone with a cancelled or missed first appointment can therefore still be covered by the first-time rule.
For an individual exception, Jane documents Patient Profile → Edit/Settings → Online Booking Payment Policy. Use the patient's actual circumstances and your agreed policy to choose an exception; avoid changing the clinic-wide rule to solve one person's booking problem.
What if one card covers more than one patient?
For related patient accounts, Jane's Relationships feature can allow a saved card to be used across profiles through View and Pay permissions. Check the relationship and agreed permissions before assuming a family member's card covers another patient's booking. Use Jane's Patients Relationships guide for the setup; do not copy card details into notes.
Explain the rule in plain language
Adapt this wording to the patients and bookings your rule covers:
We ask you to save a card when you book online. Please read our cancellation policy so you know when a fee may apply. Call us if you have a question or need help booking.
Put the clinic's notice window, possible fee, contact method and exceptions in the actual policy patients see. Use your chosen terms rather than copying a generic notice period from another clinic.
A saved card does not establish permission for every charge. Check the applicable policy and agreement before taking payment. This setup guide does not tell staff to charge a missed-visit fee automatically.
Check the patient booking flow
Before relying on the change, walk through online booking with a permitted test account or Jane's approved testing process. Avoid a real patient charge or an unintended appointment while testing.
Check both the first-time and returning-patient paths that your policy covers:
- The correct card or payment request appears.
- Patients can read the policy before completing booking.
- The wording matches what the front desk will explain.
- Any agreed individual exception behaves as expected.
- Patients who cannot finish online have a clear way to contact the clinic.
If the screen differs from the policy, resolve that before directing patients to it. A staff-side setting alone is not a complete check.
Review questions and unfinished bookings
The setup is complete when the right patients see the right request and your team can help anyone who cannot finish online. After the change, note the booking questions your team receives and any reports of people stopping at the card step. Requiring a card adds work for patients; it can affect booking completion as well as attendance.
Compare missed visits over like periods with the no-show calculator, using the same attendance definition. A rate change alone does not prove that the card rule caused it. If the main problem is reminders or follow-up, use the four no-show checks to work on that instead.
Sources
Jane instructions checked October 2, 2026:
Setup details come from Jane. The sample wording and rollout checks are Caretrics' editorial guidance and must match your clinic's actual policy.
Rob SaricCo-founder & CEO at Caretrics