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Overview

Prepayment settings let you control when customers pay. You can require a deposit, demand full payment upfront, or let orders proceed without any prepayment. This protects your time and ingredients by ensuring commitment before you start baking.

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Where to Find Prepayment Settings

  1. Tap Settings in the main navigation.
  2. Tap Payments.
  3. Scroll to the Prepayment section.

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Your Three Options

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No Prepayment

Orders proceed without upfront payment. You send an invoice after the order is complete, or collect payment at pickup or delivery. This is the simplest option. It works well if you have established trust with your customers or prefer to invoice after the fact.

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Require Deposit

Customers pay a percentage of the order total upfront. You set the deposit percentage (for example, 50%). When you confirm an order or a customer approves a quote, Knead sends a payment link for the deposit amount. The remaining balance is due later — you control when to invoice for it. This is the most popular option. It secures commitment while keeping the barrier low for new customers.

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Require Full Payment

Customers must pay the entire order total before the order is confirmed. No partial payments, no invoicing later. When you confirm an order, Knead sends a payment link for the full amount. The order status does not advance until payment is received. This is the safest option for high-value orders, custom cakes, or customers you have not worked with before.

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How the Payment Gate Works

When prepayment is enabled (deposit or full), here is what happens:
  1. You confirm an order or a customer approves a quote.
  2. Knead sends the customer an email with a secure payment link.
  3. The customer taps the link, enters their payment details, and pays.
  4. Knead receives confirmation from Stripe and updates the order status.
  5. You get notified that payment is received.
The order sits in a “waiting for payment” state until the customer completes the payment. You do not need to follow up manually — Knead handles the payment link and status tracking.
Good to know: Payment reminders can be sent automatically if the customer has not paid within a set period. See Payment Reminders for details.

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Changing Your Prepayment Setting

You can switch between options anytime. The change affects new orders only. Existing orders keep the prepayment terms they were created with.
Pro tip: Start with a 50% deposit requirement. It balances customer convenience with protecting your costs. You can tighten to full prepayment for specialty or high-value orders on a case-by-case basis by adjusting the individual order.
Still need help? Contact us