Industry
Payments software for auto repair shops and service centers
Auto repair has a specific money problem: parts are ordered before the customer has paid anything, and the final bill is often higher than the phone estimate. Enterprise Pay Gateway lets you take a parts deposit at approval, collect the balance by link before the customer arrives for collection, and bill recurring service plans. Payouts go to your own bank account on a fixed monthly subscription plus a platform fee from 0.20% to 0.75%, with Stripe's processing billed separately by Stripe.
Last updated 9 September 2026
Typical repair order
$300–$2,500
High enough that parts cost real cash up front, and high enough that an unpaid vehicle sitting on the lot hurts.
Service plan fit
Medium-high
Monthly plans covering oil changes, inspections and priority booking build repeat visits in a category dominated by one-off work.
Parts exposure
30–50% of ticket
A deposit covering parts turns a cash-flow risk into a funded job before the wrench is turned.
Where the money leaks
Parts bought before payment
Ordering parts on the strength of a verbal approval puts the shop's cash at risk on every job. A deposit at approval removes it.
Estimate creep causes disputes
When the final bill exceeds the phone quote, the argument happens at the counter. Written approval plus a card charge against the agreed number settles it in advance.
Collection blocks the bay
A vehicle waiting for payment occupies space. Paying by link before arrival turns collection into a handover.
No repeat-visit mechanism
Most shops have no reason for a customer to return until something breaks. A service plan creates a scheduled relationship.
The four payment flows you need
- 1
Parts deposit
Send a deposit link when the estimate is approved, sized to cover parts cost.
- 2
Additional work approval
Send a separate checkout link for extra work found mid-repair, so approval and payment happen together.
- 3
Collection balance
Charge the remaining balance by link before the customer arrives, so pickup is just handing over keys.
- 4
Service plan
Bill a monthly plan covering routine servicing and priority booking, with automatic retries.
What auto repair payment processing costs
Stripe bills processing directly to your account — its published US online card rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents at the time of writing, with card-present rates lower.
Enterprise Pay Gateway adds a fixed monthly subscription from $49 plus a platform fee: 0.75% on Starter, 0.60% on Growth, 0.40% on Pro, negotiated 0.20%–0.35% for multi-bay groups.
A shop doing $90,000 a month sits on Growth: $99 plus roughly $540 in platform fees, alongside Stripe's processing.
Approvals that prevent chargebacks
Get written approval for every change to the estimate, and make the checkout description match the work approved. Vague descriptions such as 'auto repair' lose disputes that itemised ones win.
Charge additional work as its own payment rather than inflating the final invoice. Each charge then maps to a specific approval.
Refund promptly on cancelled work. A refund costs less than a chargeback fee and protects your dispute ratio.
Building recurring revenue in a one-off category
A service plan priced at the value of two oil changes a year, billed monthly, converts an occasional customer into a scheduled one and lifts lifetime value substantially.
Bill it by card with retries and a self-serve portal, and pause benefits automatically when payment fails so the plan stays honest on both sides.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a repair shop take a deposit for parts?
- Yes. Create a deposit product sized to the parts cost and send the checkout link when the estimate is approved. The deposit is credited against the final bill.
- How do we handle extra work found during a repair?
- Send a separate checkout link for the additional work so approval and payment happen at the same moment. Each charge then maps to a specific written approval, which is what wins disputes.
- Can customers pay before collecting the vehicle?
- Yes. Send the balance link by text and the customer pays on their phone, so collection is only a handover.
- What does it cost?
- Stripe's processing fee plus a platform fee. Enterprise Pay Gateway charges $49 to $199 a month plus 0.75% down to 0.40%, with negotiated 0.20%–0.35% pricing for groups.
Start taking deposits this week
Create your account, verify with Stripe, and share your first checkout link. Card processing is provided by Stripe under its own agreement with you.