Package and credit software has to do five things: sell the package at the till, show the balance to whoever is serving, take each session off at the time, hold an expiry date per package, and keep the total unredeemed balance in view. FingerBooth does all five in its Credit & Member module, from $2,500 per branch, paid once.
Where hand-kept packages go wrong
A card in a drawer, a page in a notebook or a spreadsheet tab all work until the third person touches them. The same four things go wrong:
- The balance on the card and the balance the client remembers disagree, and the counter gives away the difference to avoid an argument.
- Sessions are redeemed by whoever is on shift, then written up later, or not at all.
- Nobody knows a package has expired until the client turns up with it.
- Nobody can say how much unredeemed value the shop is holding, which is the number you most need when planning cash, paying commission or selling the business.
What package and credit software has to do
- Sell a package at the till like any other item, with its session count and price.
- Show the balance on the client record before the client has to ask.
- Take each session off at the time of the treatment, against the client and the day.
- Hold an expiry date on every package, not one date for the whole shop.
- Keep the total unredeemed balance visible at any moment.
- Report on package sales, so you can see which ones sell.
- Handle stored-value credit as well as session packages, because most salons sell both.
Package, credit or membership: what is the difference
- Session package. A fixed number of treatments, such as six facials, paid for up front.
- Stored-value credit. A dollar amount the client spends on anything and draws down at the counter.
- Membership. A standing relationship, with groups, points and rules about what members get. Every salon's scheme is different, so the system should let you set the rules rather than impose a fixed one.
Prepaid revenue is treatment you still owe the client. Know the unredeemed total at any moment. It is the number that catches owners out when a good month turns out to be mostly prepayments. How it should appear in your accounts is a question for your accountant.
How it works in FingerBooth
- Packages and credits are sold at the cashier, next to services and products.
- The package balance sits on the client record, with their outstanding amount and history.
- Credits are spent at the counter, and each redemption comes off at the till.
- Each package has its own expiry date, and the unearned balance stays in view.
- Top sales by package are in the reports.
- Moving unused sessions to a spouse or friend is done by hand at the counter, against the client record. Write the rule down.
- With more than one branch, the branches sync live.
The features page covers the rest of the system. If you are changing systems, switching without closing the shop explains what carries over.
Notebook or spreadsheet, against a POS that tracks packages
| Notebook or spreadsheet | POS with package tracking FingerBooth | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees a client's balance | Whoever has the notebook open | Anyone serving, on the client record |
| When a session is recorded | Often written up later | At the till, at the time |
| Expiry dates | One policy, checked from memory | One per package, tracked |
| Total unredeemed balance | Added up by hand | Kept in view |
| Which packages sell | Counted from receipts | Top sales by package in the reports |
| A second branch | A second notebook | Branches sync live |
What it costs
FingerBooth is $2,500 per branch as a one-time purchase, or $3,500 with a laptop, thermal receipt printer, cash drawer, setup and installation. Maintenance is about $57 a month, $688 a year, from the second year; the first year is included. No GST is added. The pricing page has the detail.
Questions we get asked
Do I need separate software to track packages?
Not if your point-of-sale does it. A package sold at the till should create the balance, and each session redeemed at the till should reduce it. A separate spreadsheet gives you two sources of truth that drift apart.
Can the system track an expiry date for every package?
In FingerBooth each package carries its own expiry date, so an old package can be told apart from one sold last week.
What is the difference between a package and stored-value credit?
A package is a fixed number of treatments paid for up front, such as six facials. Stored-value credit is a dollar amount the client spends on anything and draws down at the counter. Most salons sell both, so the system should handle both.
How do I know how much unredeemed package value the shop is holding?
In FingerBooth the unearned balance stays in view in the Credit & Member module. How that balance should appear in your accounts is a question for your accountant.
Can a client transfer unused sessions to someone else?
Where you allow it, the counter moves the sessions by hand against the client record. FingerBooth does not apply a transfer rule by itself, so write your rule down and apply it the same way every time.
Can I bring existing package balances across from my old system?
Package balances transfer along with outstanding balances and client history when you switch. Check the complicated ones by hand before go-live, not after.
Does it work across several branches?
Each branch is its own licence, and the branches sync live.