Let Clients Book Instagram Appointments and Pay With UPI
Clients can book and pay with UPI in one flow when the booking page treats payment as the final step of booking, not a separate request afterwards. The client chooses a service, picks a free slot, taps pay, approves the amount in GPay, PhonePe or any UPI app, and only then is the slot confirmed. Viralyze runs this flow with UPI, cards and net banking through an RBI-authorised aggregator, with 0% platform fee, and sends a WhatsApp reminder before the appointment.
Upfront UPI payment solves the no-show problem more than any reminder does. A client who has paid ₹800 shows up.
Why take payment before the appointment?
Because an unpaid booking is a hope, not a commitment. Salons, clinics and coaches all know the pattern: a slot is reserved by DM, the client forgets, the slot is lost, and someone who would have paid was turned away.
Prepaid bookings also remove the awkward "please send the amount" message after the session, which many creators dislike sending.
Step by step: booking with UPI payment
1. In Viralyze, create your service menu. A nail studio might list Gel manicure (60 min, ₹1,200), Classic pedicure (45 min, ₹900) and add-ons like Nail art (20 min, ₹400) and Removal (15 min, ₹200). 2. Set the format to in person and connect Google Calendar so the page shows only free slots, respecting buffers and days off. 3. Turn on payment upfront. UPI, cards and net banking are offered to the client automatically. 4. Decide on cancellation: allow it up to, say, 12 hours before the slot, with the refund returning automatically, or disallow it. 5. Share the page in your bio and by Auto-DM with a keyword such as SLOT.
The client who picks Gel manicure plus Nail art sees 80 minutes and ₹1,600 combined, chooses Thursday 4 PM, and pays in their UPI app. The slot is theirs only when the payment confirms.
What the client experiences
They tap the link, see the menu with prices, pick what they want and a time, and reach the payment step. The UPI option opens their banking app with the amount filled in. After approval, the confirmation page offers add-to-calendar, reschedule and, if allowed, cancel.
A WhatsApp reminder arrives before the appointment. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
What happens if a client cancels?
Your cancellation rule decides, and with upfront payment it works automatically. If you allow self-cancellation until 12 hours before, a client who cancels at that point gets the refund back to their UPI account automatically, and the slot reopens on the page. After the cutoff, the cancel button is not shown, and any exception is a manual decision.
Reschedules keep the payment and move the slot, which is usually the better outcome for both sides. Encourage it in your confirmation note: "Can't make it? Reschedule from this page instead of cancelling."
Reconciling your week
Each booking appears in your contacts list tagged as a booking, and revenue shows on the Viralyze home screen for 7, 30 or 90 days. Payouts reach your bank weekly, less only the aggregator's transaction charge, because there is no platform fee.
A studio doing 40 bookings a week can match the payout to the calendar in a few minutes. Export contacts to CSV at month end if your accountant wants the detail.
Frequently asked questions
**Can I take a partial advance instead of the full amount?** List the advance as the service price and collect the balance in person. The page charges whatever price you set per service.
**What if the client's UPI payment fails midway?** The slot is not confirmed until payment succeeds, so nothing is blocked. The client can retry from the same page.
**Does UPI work for clients outside India?** No, UPI is for Indian bank accounts. International clients pay by card on the same page.
Start your 7-day free trial of Viralyze, no card needed, and take your first prepaid UPI booking this week.