Guide · Updated
Booking fees in Ireland, explained.
Every online booking system is paid for somehow: by a monthly subscription, a commission, a fee added to your customer’s bill, or a mix. Here’s how each model works, what it costs on a real booking, and what Irish rules say about charging customers extra.
The three ways booking software charges
- Monthly subscription. You pay a fixed amount each month per location, whether you take ten bookings or a thousand. Published plans for widely used studio software start from about €70 a month and go up with features and customer numbers, sometimes on annual contracts.
- Commission or percentage paid by the business. You pay a small share of each paid booking, and nothing when you take none. Some marketplaces charge much more, around 20%, on new customers they send you.
- Booking fee paid by the customer. The platform adds its fee, often 2%, on top of your price at checkout. You pay nothing to the platform, but your customer sees a higher total at the last step.
Card processing is separate in every model. Stripe’s published rate for standard EEA cards in Ireland is 1.5% + €0.25 per payment (Stripe pricing).
What a €40 class costs under each model
| Model | Customer pays | Platform cost to you |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription (€79/month) | €40.00 | €79 a month, however many bookings |
| 2% paid by the business | €40.00 | €0.80 |
| 2% booking fee paid by the customer | €40.80 | €0.00 |
Card processing comes on top in all three. A €79 subscription costs the same as a 2% fee on €3,950 of bookings a month.
Is it legal to add a fee for your customers in Ireland?
Two different things get called a “fee”, and the rules differ:
- Card surcharges are banned on consumer cards. Since January 2018 businesses in Ireland can’t charge consumers extra for paying with most personal debit and credit cards. The National Transport Authority’s guidance says: “Surcharges will no longer be permitted on personal Visa/MasterCard credit or debit transactions” (NTA). This comes from the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2).
- Booking or service fees must be shown up front. A booking fee that is the same whatever card the customer uses isn’t a card surcharge, but it still has to be disclosed. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s guidance for businesses says “There should be no hidden charges” and that you “must also inform the consumer of any additional charges that may apply” when selling at a distance (CCPC). Fees that only appear at the last step of checkout are what regulators call drip pricing.
If you use a platform that adds a customer fee, check how and when it is shown. If you want to avoid the question altogether, choose a model where the customer pays your advertised price.
Which model suits you?
- Small or seasonal businesses usually pay least with a percentage: nothing in quiet months, and no contract to cancel.
- Very busy venues taking well over €4,000 a month online may pay less on a flat subscription, if the features fit and the contract terms are fair.
- Businesses with price-sensitive customers should avoid fees added at checkout. A customer comparing a €40 class with a €40.80 total notices.
Questions to ask any booking provider
- What is the total cost per booking, including card processing?
- Does my customer pay anything on top of my price, and where is it shown?
- Is there a contract, a minimum term or an exit fee?
- Can I export my customers and bookings for free, at any time?
- Who answers support, when, and how?
How Olladay charges
Olladay’s proposed launch pricing is a 2% platform fee on each paid booking, paid by the business, with no monthly subscription, no setup fee and no booking fee for your customers. Card processing by Stripe is separate. See pricing for worked examples.