Customer Deposits & Debt — Paloma POS 2

This article is about Paloma POS 2, the new Paloma register app. It covers working with a customer's deposit (topping up and paying from it), selling on credit and settling debt, and the reception wristband flow: issue a wristband with a deposit on entry and settle the guest on exit. If you're not sure which product you have, start with «How to tell you have Paloma POS 2».

Overview

A deposit is a customer's prepaid money that the register keeps on their balance and draws down at payment. Debt is the opposite: the order is handed over now and the payment is recorded against the customer as an amount owed.

• Deposit and debt are tied to a customer. To top up a deposit, pay from it, sell on credit, or settle debt, the operation needs a customer attached (see «Customers»).
• The balance is visible in the customer card. It shows a «Deposit balance» line and a «Debt» card — how much is prepaid and how much the customer owes.
• Paying from a deposit and selling on credit are payment methods on the payment screen. An administrator sets them up in the back office; on the register they appear next to «Cash» and «Card» (see «Taking payment»).
• The reception wristband flow combines the deposit with guest identification: on entry the guest gets a wristband with a deposit on it; on exit the band is scanned and the unspent remainder is refunded.
• The register does all the math exactly, to the cent. It calculates the deposit remainder, change, and refund amount itself — no manual rounding.

Topping up a customer deposit

1. Open the customer card (see «Customers»). It has a «Deposit balance» line and a «Top up» button.
2. Tap «Top up» — the «Top up deposit» dialog opens.
3. Enter the amount in «Top-up amount» and confirm.
4. The register shows «Deposit topped up» and updates «Deposit balance».

A top-up puts money into the register, so it's done by an employee who has the deposit top-up right. If the amount is missing or zero, the register prompts «Enter an amount greater than zero».

Paying from a deposit

Paying from a deposit is a separate payment method on the payment screen (set up by an administrator). It draws money down from the attached customer's balance.

1. Attach a customer to the order (see «Customers»).
2. Tap «Pay the check» and choose the deposit payment method (see «Taking payment»).
3. The register draws the amount from «Deposit balance» and closes the check (or part of it — deposit payment can be combined with cash and card).

If the deposit isn't enough for the whole check, the register warns: «Deposit balance is {balance}, but {amount} is being charged. Continue?» — tap «Continue» to draw down what's there and close the rest another way, or «OK» to go back and pick a different method.

Selling on credit

A sale on credit closes the check without payment now and records the amount against the customer as debt. This is also a payment method set up by an administrator.

1. Attach a customer to the order — debt can't be recorded without a customer.
2. Tap «Pay the check» and choose the credit payment method.
3. The register closes the order and increases the customer's debt. Their card's «Debt» section then shows the current amount owed.

If no customer is attached, the register shows the «Sale on credit» dialog with the hint «Attach a customer to record this sale as their debt.» — attach a customer and try again.

Settling debt

1. Open the customer card. If they owe money, the «Debt» card shows the amount and a «Settle debt» button (if there's no debt, the card shows «No debt»).
2. Tap «Settle debt» and take the payment — the register reduces the amount owed by the amount paid.

Reception: issue a wristband

The entry flow combines three actions: create or find a guest, bind a wristband to them, and load a starting deposit — with an entry slip printed. The screen opens from the «Issue wristband» tile in the register menu.

1. On the home screen tap the «Issue wristband» tile — a screen titled «Issue wristband» opens.
2. Scan the wristband or type its code into «Wristband code».
3. Choose the guest type: «Anonymous» — a quick nameless guest, or «Registered» — an existing customer from the database. For a registered guest, find them in «Search by name or phone» (if there's no match, the register shows «No guests found»).
4. In «Deposit amount», enter the starting sum the guest puts on the band.
5. Tap the «Issue wristband» button. The register binds the wristband to the guest, tops up the deposit, and prints the entry slip.
6. A «Wristband issued» banner appears with the resulting balance.

Inside the venue the guest pays by band: on the payment screen the band is scanned and the order attaches to the right guest (see «Taking payment»). Discounts on these sales work as usual (see «Discounts»).

Reception: exit and settlement

On exit the register scans the band, shows the guest's totals (deposit remainder and debt), refunds the unspent remainder, and frees the band for re-issue. The screen opens from the «Wristband checkout» tile.

1. Tap the «Wristband checkout» tile — a screen titled «Wristband checkout» opens.
2. Scan the band and tap «Show settlement».
3. The register shows the «Settlement» block with the guest's totals:
   • «Deposit balance» — how much money is left on the band.
   • «Debt» — the guest's amount owed (or «No debt» if there is none).
   • «To refund» — the amount to hand back to the guest from the drawer.
4. The next action depends on the totals:
   • There's a remainder to refund — tap «Refund remainder & free band». The register pays the remainder from the drawer and frees the band.
   • Nothing to refund — tap «Free wristband».
   • There's debt — first tap «Collect debt» and take the payment, then free the band.
5. The register shows «Settlement complete». For the next guest, tap «Next guest».

While the register is offline, some amounts may show a «(unverified)» tag — this is expected: exact figures confirm on sync, and the refund is capped to the actual sum on the band so nothing is over-refunded.

Common problems

• «Enter an amount greater than zero» — the top-up amount is empty or zero. Enter an amount above zero.
• «No customer selected» — the top-up was started with no customer. Open the customer card and try again.
• «Could not top up the deposit» — the top-up failed. Retry; if it keeps failing, message us here — a specialist will join.
• «Attach a customer to pay from their deposit.» — you chose deposit payment with no customer. Attach a customer (see «Customers») and try again.
• «You do not have permission to spend from a deposit.» — the employee lacks the deposit-payment right. Contact an administrator.
• «Attach a customer to record this sale as their debt.» — a credit sale was started with no customer. Attach a customer and try again.
• «Couldn't verify the credit settings. Please try again.» — the register couldn't check the settings. Retry; if it doesn't help, message us here — a specialist will join.
• «Enter or scan a wristband code» — no code was entered when issuing a band. Scan the band or type the code into «Wristband code».
• «Enter a deposit amount» — no starting sum was entered when issuing a band. Fill in «Deposit amount».
• «This code is already bound to another guest» — the band's code is taken. Use a different band, or first settle the previous guest on «Wristband checkout» to free the code.
• «The wristband was bound, but the deposit top-up failed» — the band bound but the top-up didn't go through. Top up the guest's deposit manually from their card with «Top up».
• «The slip did not print — try reprinting» — the operation went through but the entry slip didn't print. Retry printing; check the printer if it keeps failing.
• «No guest is bound to this wristband» at checkout — the code wasn't found. Make sure you're scanning the right band.
• «Couldn't process the refund — nothing was recorded, try again» — the refund failed and nothing was drawn down. Retry the settlement.
• «Refund done, but the band wasn't freed — retry freeing it» (or the «Settled — wristband not yet freed» banner) — the money was refunded but the code is still taken. Tap «Retry freeing the band».
• «Refund not confirmed (write failed) — contact an administrator» — a rare write failure. Contact an administrator; don't re-issue the band.

FAQ

How is a deposit different from debt?

A deposit is the customer's money paid in advance: the register holds it on their balance and draws it down at payment. Debt is the reverse: the customer gets the order now and defers payment, and the register records the amount as owed.

Can I pay part of a check from a deposit and the rest by card?

Yes. Deposit payment is an ordinary payment method and can be combined with cash and card as a partial payment (see «Taking payment»). If the deposit isn't enough for the whole check, the register draws down what's available and offers to close the rest another way.

What if a wristband with this code is already taken?

You'll see «This code is already bound to another guest». Use a free band, or settle the previous guest on «Wristband checkout» — once the code is freed it can be issued again.

Why are amounts tagged «(unverified)» on the settlement screen?

That's the register telling you it's offline and the exact figures will confirm on sync. The refund is still capped to the actual sum on the band, so nothing gets over-refunded.

The guest was refunded but the band is still taken. What do I do?

Tap «Retry freeing the band» (the «Settled — wristband not yet freed» banner). The money is already refunded — freeing the band again only releases the code and won't draw anything down twice.