Stop Watching Your Revenue Disappear into Processing Fees
Every time a client swipes their card at your salon, your software takes a cut. BarkBook’s pet grooming payment processing works differently — you pay Stripe’s standard rate, and BarkBook’s platform fee is just $1 flat.
Every time a client swipes their card at your salon, your software takes a cut. Not just Stripe's processing rate — an extra markup on top, baked into every single transaction. At 2.7%, 2.9%, or worse, you're quietly losing hundreds of dollars a month. On a $150 grooming day with three dogs, that's over $4 gone before you even count it.
You do the math at the end of the month and think: "I feel ripped off."
You're not wrong. Processing fees are a major complaint across every grooming software platform, and for good reason — most of them treat your card transactions as their revenue stream.
BarkBook's pet grooming payment processing works differently. You pay Stripe's standard rate, and BarkBook's platform fee is just $1 flat — or 1% on transactions over $100. That's it. Your money goes to your bank, not to a middleman inflating the rate.
The Fee Problem Nobody Puts on the Pricing Page
You picked your current software because the monthly price looked reasonable. What you didn't see — because it wasn't on the pricing page — was the real cost of running every card transaction through their system.
The industry standard among pet grooming software platforms sits at 2.7% to 2.9% or higher per transaction. Some platforms don't even publish their rates. Others bury the details in onboarding. One charges a brand-new 1% gateway fee on top of the already-high processing rate. The most expensive platform in the industry is known for fees so steep that groomers openly complain about them in forums and reviews.
Here's what that actually costs you:
- A solo groomer processing $4,000/month in card payments at a typical 2.9% competitor markup pays roughly $116/month in processing fees — $1,392 per year just in transaction charges, before the software subscription.
- A busy shop doing $10,000/month? That's $290/month. Nearly $3,500 per year skimmed off the top.
You earned that money. You did the groom. You dealt with the matted Doodle and the nervous Yorkie and the client who showed up 20 minutes late. And then your software took a percentage of every single one of those transactions.
It's not a small number when you add it up. And most groomers don't add it up until they're already locked in.
BarkBook Gives You Transparent, Affordable Payment Processing
A Platform Fee That Makes Sense
BarkBook uses Stripe Connect with direct payouts to your bank account. You pay Stripe's standard processing rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction — the exact same rate you'd get going to Stripe directly. No inflated markup.
On top of that, BarkBook's platform fee is $1 flat per transaction, or 1% on transactions over $100. Not 2.7%. Not 2.9% plus hidden surcharges. One dollar, or one percent. Transparent and predictable every single month.
Your payouts go directly from Stripe to your bank. No mystery deductions, no delayed settlements, no wondering where the money went. Stripe Connect's guided onboarding walks you through setup with embedded components, so you're not fighting with a complicated integration. And if you ever want to disconnect, self-service disconnect is built right in.
Checkout That Works the Way Your Day Works
When a groom is done and it's time to pay, BarkBook's checkout handles it cleanly. Accept credit and debit cards through Stripe, or log cash and check payments with check number tracking. A real-time order summary shows exactly what's being charged before you finalize anything.
Quick-tip buttons at 15%, 20%, and 25% — plus a no-tip option and custom amount — make tipping easy for clients and transparent for groomers. BarkBook tracks cash tips separately from paycheck tips, so payroll stays accurate without extra bookkeeping on your end.
Before you finalize any checkout, an earnings preview shows the groomer's commission on that appointment. Need to override the default commission for a specific groom? You can do that right at checkout. Working with a bather or second groomer? Add a secondary groomer with a commission split at checkout — no separate calculation needed.
After payment, BarkBook automatically sends a thank-you notification to the client. One less thing you have to remember at the end of a long day.
Card on File for Your Regulars
Save a card on file for clients who come in every four weeks like clockwork. Stripe handles the storage — fully PCI-compliant, so card data never touches your system. Clients can have multiple cards saved with a default, and one-click charge makes checkout almost instant for regulars.
If a client removes a card, BarkBook automatically promotes the next one to default. No orphaned records, no failed charges because the default card disappeared.
Card on file also means you have a path for handling late cancellations and no-shows — the card is already there when you need it.
Digital Receipts That Look Professional
Every transaction generates a professional receipt with a full breakdown — services, tip, total, and payment method. Print it, email it, or send it via SMS. Clients can also access their receipt through a public URL without needing to log in, which means fewer "can you resend my receipt?" calls for you.
Clean receipts build trust. Clients see exactly what they paid for, and you have a complete transaction record without manual paperwork.
What Affordable Payment Processing Actually Saves You
Let's put real numbers on it. A grooming shop processing $6,000/month in card transactions:
| Typical Competitor (2.9% markup) | BarkBook (Stripe standard + $1 flat) | |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fees | ~$174/month | Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Platform markup | Included in inflated rate | $1 flat (or 1% over $100) |
| Annual software markup cost | Hundreds in hidden platform fees | Transparent, predictable, minimal |
The exact savings depend on your transaction volume and average ticket size, but the principle is simple: BarkBook doesn't inflate the processing rate to create a hidden revenue stream. You pay Stripe's standard rate, plus a small, transparent platform fee. That's it.
When groomers say they want affordable and transparent pricing, this is what they mean. Not a low subscription price that hides the real cost in every card swipe. Actual transparency, where you can see every fee and know exactly what you're paying and why.
Start Your 14-Day Free Trial — Every Feature Included
Set up Stripe Connect in minutes. Run your first card payment. See the $1 platform fee and know exactly where your money went. Every feature. Every plan. From day one.