Step by step: Online booking and series prepayment for acupuncture and natural healing practices in Switzerland

TCM and naturopathic practices that have series of treatments paid in advance benefit from two structural advantages: no outstanding items after the last session and significantly better predictability of liquidity. Payrexx Payment Links and Recurring Payments enable both – without any booking tool plugin and with TWINT, card, and mobile wallets in a single step.

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

1. Why series advance payment 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 advance payments: the total amount is known, the patient's commitment increases through the advance payment, and the practice receives the liquidity at the beginning of the treatment.

In addition: in TCM, the therapeutic relationship is designed for the long term. Patients who pay in advance break off the series less frequently – they are psychologically and financially invested. At the same time, this reduces the no-show risk, because paid appointments are rarely forgotten.

2. Three advance payment models for complementary medicine practices

Model A: Full series advance payment

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

Model B: Deposit + remaining balance

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

Model C: Session-by-session Payment Link

After each session, a Payment Link is sent for the individual session. No advance payment advantage, but structured payment processing without cash. For patients who do not want advance payment but still want to pay digitally. Fee Online Standard TWINT: 1.25% + EUR 0.18 per transaction.

3. Cleanly separating insurance and self-payer portions

A common challenge in complementary practices: some patients have supplementary insurance that covers part of the session costs, while others pay everything themselves. This is relevant for advance payment: those who settle via supplementary insurance only pay the uncovered personal contribution 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 portion not covered by insurance. If no, the full session price is invoiced. Both transaction types are clearly separated in the Payrexx Dashboard – important for the annual financial statement.

Tip for bookkeeping: define standard booking text. Example: 'Acupuncture series 8x self-payer', 'Acupuncture series 8x supplementary insurance personal contribution'. This significantly facilitates assignment in the annual accounts.

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'), optionally set an expiration date and booking text. Generate the link and send it via email or WhatsApp. The patient clicks the link, chooses TWINT, card, or mobile wallet, and pays in less than a minute. You 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 installment payments for long-term patients

For long-term patients who visit regularly (e.g., one session per month), Payrexx Recurring Payments offers: a credit card is stored (tokenized) and charged automatically once a month. This is particularly useful for prevention programs 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 authorizes the recurring debit. TWINT does not support Recurring Payments – a credit card is required for this.

6. FADP data protection: What must be observed for booking and advance payment

The revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) has been in effect since September 1, 2023. For online booking with advance payment, this means: credit card details are 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 additionally use a booking tool (e.g., Calendly) that processes patient data, a data processing agreement (DPA) according to Art. 9 FADP with the provider is required. Most well-known booking tools provide DPAs upon request.

7. Refunds when a series is discontinued

If a patient cancels a pre-paid series, the remaining balance must be refunded pro rata – unless agreed otherwise in the GTC. Payrexx allows refunds directly in the Dashboard: full refund or partial refund with a defined amount. The credit to the customer takes up to 10 days, depending on the card issuer.

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

Checklist: Setting up series advance payment in the naturopathic practice

• Decide on an advance payment model: full payment, deposit + remainder, 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 – essential for Swiss patients

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

• 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 complete process from the patient's perspective before go-live

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