"What does online booking really cost me?" A fair question, especially if you want to collect deposits against no-shows. The answer has two layers: what you pay for reservation software, and what you pay per successful transaction when a guest pays a deposit.
In this article we make those costs transparent. No surprises, no fine print. You learn what a free reservation costs, what each payment method adds on a deposit of €20 or €50, and how that compares to commission platforms. Amounts are indicative and rounded; rates can vary slightly per payment provider and volume.
Booking without a deposit
If you let guests book for free via your own widget, there is no transaction cost per booking. The guest pays nothing when reserving; you only pay your fixed software cost. With Restotailor that is €65 per month all-in, with no percentage per reservation and no commission on tables that come in via your widget. Whether you get ten or a hundred reservations per month, the cost per booking drops as you fill up.
That is a different model from reservation platforms that charge commission per cover. With them you sometimes pay €1 to €3 per guest on top of software. Twenty tables of two on a busy Saturday can quickly cost tens of euros, separate from your system fee. With your own reservation widget on your site you keep that commission low. More context in our article on where guests book.
Where the cost of a deposit sits
If you ask for a deposit when booking, a payment is involved. Restotailor charges no extra percentage on that: the money goes straight to your account via your own payment provider. We do not sit in between. The only extra cost per successful payment is the transaction fee from your payment partner. You only pay when a guest actually pays, not on a failed attempt or a free reservation.
Most payment partners work without fixed monthly fees for online payments: you pay per successful transaction. The rate depends on the payment method chosen. In Belgium most guests choose Bancontact; international guests more often pay by credit card or iDEAL. The higher the percentage component, the heavier it weighs on small deposits. So it pays to know which methods you offer. More on when a deposit makes sense in our article on deposits when booking.
Difference per payment method
Broadly there are two types of rates: a fixed amount per payment (typical for Bancontact and iDEAL) and a percentage plus a small fixed amount (typical for credit cards). Fixed amount is advantageous on small deposits. Percentage weighs more as the deposit rises, but on amounts around €20 it often stays limited.
Indicative, rounded and for small to medium restaurants:
Bancontact: about €0.35 per successful payment. On a €20 deposit you pay less than 50 cents.
iDEAL (often Dutch guests): similar, around €0.30 to €0.40 per payment.
Credit card (Visa, Mastercard): around 2% plus a small fixed amount. On a €20 deposit that comes to about €1. On €50 it is closer to €1.50.
PayPal or other wallets: usually a bit more expensive than Bancontact, especially on small amounts. Expect €1 to €1.50 on a €20 deposit.
You do not need to offer every method. Many restaurants start with Bancontact and credit card, and add others when volume justifies it.
Worked examples
Say you ask for a €20 per person deposit on busy weekend evenings. A couple books online and pays €40 via Bancontact. Your transaction cost is then about €0.35: you keep well over €39. If the same guest pays by credit card, you pay about €1 transaction cost on that €40. Still a fraction of what one no-show costs you.
A group of six with €20 per cover (€120 total) via Bancontact? One payment, about €0.35 cost. Via credit card: around €2.50. With group reservations and per-person multiplication in Restotailor that runs automatically through one online payment, so you pay one transaction fee instead of six separate ones.
Refunds and the full picture
If a guest cancels on time and you refund the deposit, your payment provider may charge a small fee again. That varies per contract; sometimes a refund falls under the same rate as a payment. Factor that into your cancellation rules, but for most restaurants that cost is outweighed by fewer no-shows.
Add it up for a busy month: €65 for Restotailor, plus transaction fees on deposits you actually collect. No commission per reservation, no percentage Restotailor holds back. Compare that consciously with a model where you pay per cover and transaction fees on deposits. Long term, your own widget with targeted deposits is often cheaper and gives you more control over guest data and your CRM.
Conclusion
Online booking does not have to be expensive per reservation. Without a deposit you only pay Restotailor's fixed €65 per month subscription, with no commission. With deposits, each successful payment adds a transaction fee from your payment provider: with Bancontact often less than 50 cents on €20, with credit card about €1. Exact rates differ per partner and volume, but the order of magnitude stays small compared with an empty table on Saturday evening. Start with a reasonable deposit on your busiest shift, choose your payment methods consciously and tally up after a month. Then you know exactly what booking costs you, and what it earns you.