TCM and natural healing practices that have treatment series prepaid have two structural advantages: no outstanding items after the last session and significantly better predictability of liquidity. Payrexx Payment Links and Recurring Payments make both possible – without any booking tool plugin and with TWINT, card and mobile wallets in a single step.

This guide shows you the three prepayment models for complementary practices, how to cleanly separate health insurance-covered and direct payments, and why series prepayment works particularly well in the TCM context.

1. Why series prepayment makes particular sense in TCM

Treatment series are structurally anchored in TCM: acupuncture is rarely prescribed as a single treatment – the effect unfolds over several sessions. Typical series comprise 5, 8 or 10 sessions. This series length creates ideal conditions for prepayments: the total amount is known, the commitment of the patient increases through the prepayment and the practice receives the liquidity at the beginning of the treatment.

In addition, the therapeutic relationship in TCM is long-term. Patients who prepay are less likely to discontinue the series – they have invested psychologically and financially. At the same time, this reduces the risk of no-shows because paid appointments are rarely forgotten.

2. Three prepayment models for complementary practices

Model A: Full series prepayment

The patient pays the total amount of the series before the first session. Example: 8 acupuncture sessions at CHF 130 = CHF 1'040. You create a Payment Link with CHF 1'040 and send it with the appointment confirmation via email or WhatsApp. Advantage: maximum liquidity, no risk of dunning. Sensible for private patients who bear the full amount themselves.

Model B: Down payment + remaining payment

The patient pays 30–50% upon booking, the remainder after the last session. For an 8-session series at CHF 130 = CHF 1'040, a down payment of CHF 400 (approx. 38%) would make sense. A second Payment Link for the remaining amount is sent after the last session. Ideal if the exact final price is not yet fixed (e.g. for variable herb costs).

Model C: Session-by-session Payment Link

After each session, a Paylink is sent for the individual session. No prepayment advantage, but structured payment recording without cash. For patients who do not want to prepay but still want to pay digitally. Fee Online Standard TWINT: 1.25% + CHF 0.18 per transaction.

3. Cleanly separating health insurance and self-payer shares

A common challenge in complementary practices: some patients have supplementary insurance that covers part of the session costs, others pay everything themselves. This is relevant for prepayment: those who bill via supplementary insurance only pay the uncovered personal share directly.

Recommended procedure: clarify whether supplementary insurance is available when making the appointment. If yes, the amount of the Payment Link is reduced to the non-insurance-covered share. If no, the full session price is invoiced. Both transaction types are clearly separated in the Payrexx Dashboard – important for the annual financial statements.

Tip for accounting: define a booking text standard. Example: 'Acupuncture series 8x self-payer', 'Acupuncture series 8x supplementary insurance personal share'. This makes allocation in the annual financial statements considerably easier.

4. Creating a Payment Link: how it works

In the Payrexx Dashboard under Payment tools, create a new Paylink: enter the amount, set the title (e.g. 'Acupuncture series 8 sessions'), optional expiry date and booking text. Generate the link and send it via email or WhatsApp. The patient clicks the link, selects TWINT, card or mobile wallet and pays in less than a minute. You can see the payment immediately in the Dashboard.

For recurring standard series, a Payrexx Page with a fixed URL is recommended instead of individual links. Once set up, the URL can be permanently inserted into the appointment confirmation email – no manual link per patient required. Payrexx Pages work in all plans.

5. Recurring Payments: monthly instalment payment for long-term patients

For long-term patients who come regularly (e.g. one session per month), Payrexx Recurring Payments offers: a credit card is saved (tokenised) and debited automatically once a month. This is particularly useful for prevention programmes or accompanying therapies that run over months.

Recurring Payments are available in all Payrexx plans including Free. The patient enters their credit card details once and authorises the regular debit. TWINT does not support Recurring Payments – a credit card is required for this.

6. Data protection nFADP: what must be observed for booking and prepayment

Since 1 September 2023, the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) has been in force. For online booking with prepayment, this means: credit card data is not stored in the practice – this is handled by the PCI-DSS-certified PSP. A privacy policy on the booking page is mandatory. Payment data and patient data must be managed separately.

Payrexx is PCI DSS certified. If you also use a booking tool (e.g. Calendly, Jane App) that processes patient data, a data processing agreement (DPA) according to FADP Art. 9 with the provider is necessary. Most well-known booking tools provide DPAs on request.

7. Refunds in case of series discontinuation

If a patient discontinues a prepaid series, the remaining amount must be refunded proportionally – unless otherwise regulated in the GTC. Payrexx allows refunds directly in the Dashboard: full refund or partial refund with a defined amount. Card payments can be refunded within 365 days, TWINT within 30 days.

Recommendation: define the refund policy for series discontinuation in the GTC. Common practice: sessions already completed are charged at the single session price, the rest is refunded. This is fair and prevents dispute cases.

Checklist: setting up series prepayment in the natural healing practice

• Decide on a prepayment model: full payment, down payment + remaining, or session-by-session

• Create a Payment Link or a Payrexx Page with the series amount

• Integrate the link into your appointment confirmation email or WhatsApp template

• Activate TWINT – indispensable for Swiss patients

• Define a booking text standard: self-payer vs. supplementary insurance personal share

• Formulate a refund policy for series discontinuation and integrate it into the GTC

• Create a privacy policy for the booking page in accordance with the FADP

• Test the entire process from the patient's perspective before going live

Payrexx Payment Links and Recurring Payments work in all plans including Free. You create the link in the Dashboard, send it by SMS or email and see the payment immediately. For standard series, a Payrexx Page with a fixed URL is recommended – set up once, usable permanently. TWINT, Visa, Mastercard and mobile wallets without separate contracts.