Can we use square messages to request a client’s credit card info for no-show protection?

[essentialnails]

Several of our new clients don’t use or don’t know about our online book and schedule with us directly. I’m curious if we can use square messages or email to request a client’s credit card info for no show protection.

Many of the clients that have scheduled with us directly, aren’t comfortable with sharing credit card info over the phone. I’m hoping we can use square to collect that info since it can layout out the terms and liabilities of placing their card on file and our customers feel safer when booking an appt with us.

[TheRealChipA]

Hi @essentialnails.  There is no mechanism, outside of online booking or online store sales, that Square  has for collecting and storing customer card information.  To answer your questions above, I would never recommend using text or email to collect sensitive customer information like this.  There is just too much that can go wrong, especially on the customers’ end of things.  Text and Email just aren’t that secure.

Having said that, I can recommend something.  There is an app/service called Jotform.  It has full SSL security built into the forms that you create with it.  You can use it to collect information which will be securely stored for you.  It will notify you when a customer submits information which you can then put into their Square customer record.  Basically, you would create a form for the customer to fill out.  Send them a link to your form (via text or email is safe since the customer would use their interface which is SSL compliant).

Regards, 

[essentialnails]

Hi @TheRealChipA! Thanks so much for the response! That makes complete sense.

I was thinking of an integration that’s similar to square’s current online booking/invoice card collection method. We could share a link where our clients can access and securely add their credit card information to their profile. They already do this for square invoices where clients fill out a form received through text/email with their credit card info and the business is notified when that information is completed. I was just wondering if that could be implemented for appointments in a similar way.

[TheRealChipA]

I don’t believe it can at this moment.  You can suggest it by going to this feature request board and putting a new post in the appropriate section.  That, of course, will not be an immediate solution, hence my short term workaround.