LatePoint Payments MercadoPago

Charging for an appointment means booking twice: the hour and the money

Two clients pick Thursday at ten. One reaches the payment step first, the other takes a minute longer. In a shop, that gap is settled with stock; in a calendar, each hour sells only once, and what is at stake is who ends up with it.

Payments Mercado Pago is the official add-on that lets LatePoint accept payments through that processor. Since version 2.0.3, before generating the payment intent, it runs an extra check that the slot is still available.

The underlying idea applies to everything else you will configure: in a booking, the hour and the money are two separate operations. Every setting answers the same question: what happens to that hour while the money has not arrived yet.

What Mercado Pago adds to LatePoint

• Mercado Pago as a payment processor inside LatePoint.
• Invoice payments and payment links, added in version 2.0.0.
• Extra availability check before generating the payment intent, since 2.0.3.

When the appointment is agreed over WhatsApp or by phone: the payment link

Not every booking goes through the form. If you agree the appointment by talking to the client, LatePoint lets you create it yourself and send the charge afterwards.

First, once only, the notice has to be set up. Without this workflow the request is created, but the client does not receive the email.

1. In LatePoint, go to Automation and then Workflows, and add a workflow.
2. Choose the Payment Request Created event.
3. Add the action that sends an email to the customer, adapt the template and save.

Then, for each appointment:

1. In Orders, click Add New and enter service, agent, customer, date and time.
2. In Balance & Payments, enable Create a Payment Request.
3. Choose full price, deposit only or a custom amount, and set the due date.
4. Create the order: the workflow sends the link by email.

LatePoint also generates an invoice automatically with each request and lets you track its status from the dashboard. Requests can only be created when adding a new booking from the admin dashboard.

What stays in your hands when charging with Mercado Pago

It does not work alone. It is a LatePoint piece: services, calendar and form come from the booking plugin.

It does not replace your Mercado Pago account. The money comes in through there, and it has to be up and running.

Checking the slot is not charging for the hour. The check happens before the payment is generated. If a method paid outside the website appears on your form, such as OXXO in Mexico, decide beforehand what you will do with that hour until you receive confirmation.

Check what happens when a link expires. Create a test request with a close due date, let it expire and look at the status of the appointment and the invoice on the dashboard.

Requirements and setup with your account

You need LatePoint and a Mercado Pago account. Mercado Pago offers its Checkout Pro in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

1. Install LatePoint and add this add-on.
2. In the LatePoint payment settings, enable Mercado Pago and connect your account.
3. Make a booking from the public form, without logging in.
4. Confirm that the payment appears on the LatePoint order.

More pieces for charging appointments in the catalogue

The starting point is LatePoint. If your problem is no-shows, LatePoint PRO Features can require advance payment from those who have already missed one. If you want to offer another way to pay, PayPal for LatePoint adds that gateway to the same form.

If you have not chosen a booking system yet, BookingPress Mercado Pago does this same job in BookingPress, with Pix, SPEI, OXXO and Boleto among its methods.

Questions about Mercado Pago in LatePoint

Can it charge a deposit only?

On payment links, yes: when creating the request you choose full price, deposit only or a custom amount.

Can I send the link by SMS?

LatePoint supports requests by email or text message. The steps above cover email; test SMS on your install.

Can clients without an account on my site pay?

Run that test without logging in: version 2.0.2 fixed a bug with non-authenticated customers.