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Why and how do I pay a deposit?

The deposit confirms your appointment and commits your artist to reserving their time for you. You pay it online through a secure link sent by email.

Updated on July 3, 2026

A deposit is a sum paid upfront to confirm your appointment. It commits your artist to reserving their time for you, and commits you to showing up for the session. You pay it online, securely, through a link sent by email.

Why a deposit

A tattoo needs a real block of working time, sometimes several hours set aside just for you. The deposit protects your artist's time: without it, a missed appointment costs them a slot they could have given to someone else. It's a common and normal practice in the tattoo world.

The deposit amount is set by each of your artists individually: sometimes a fixed amount, sometimes a percentage of the estimated price of your service.

How you receive the payment request

Once your slot is confirmed by the artist, you'll receive an email with a secure payment link. That's how you pay your deposit, no account to create and no app to download.

How to pay

  1. Open the payment link you received by email.
  2. Enter your card details on the secure payment page.
  3. Confirm the payment.

You'll then be redirected to a confirmation page letting you know the payment went through. If you drop off partway through, you can reopen the same link to try again.

What happens to the deposit

Once paid, your deposit is held by the artist until the day of your session. On the day, its amount is deducted from the final price of your service: you never pay it twice. You only settle the remaining balance at the end of the session.

If the payment doesn't go through

If your card is declined or the page shows an error, try again with the same card or a different one. The payment link stays valid, you can reopen it at any time until your artist sends you a new one. If the problem continues, contact your artist directly: only they can send you an up-to-date link.

A question about refunds

If you think you might need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, it's worth checking before you pay: see Is my deposit refundable if I cancel? for the general principles, then confirm the exact terms with your artist.

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