Features · Prevent walkouts
Every tab is secured before the first drink
A walkout is not a service problem, it's a payment-timing problem: the drinks leave the bar long before the money does. TAB closes that gap with a card pre-authorisation on every tab, so the payment is secured up front and settled at close.
What a card pre-authorisation actually does
When a guest opens a tab they authorise a hold on their card — £50 by default, and you can set whatever figure suits your venue. The money isn't taken; it is reserved against their available balance, and the card is verified as genuinely able to pay. Because the guest authorises it themselves on their own phone, the check is strong and your staff never handle card details.
At close, TAB captures what the guest actually spent, up to the value of the hold. If they spent less, only the real amount is taken and the rest of the hold is released. Nothing is charged speculatively.
When the bill goes past the hold
Big tables run past £50 all the time, so TAB handles the overage in a single, predictable flow rather than leaving staff to improvise:
- The original hold is captured in full — that money is guaranteed.
- A payment link for the exact remaining balance is generated automatically and shown on the guest's own tab page, with a copyable link staff can send if the guest has already stepped away.
- The tab is flagged Payment due with a bold warning badge in the portal, so it can't be quietly forgotten at cash-up.
- The tip the guest chose when opening the tab is already included in the total, so they are never asked to tip a second time.
Aging tabs and expiring holds
Card holds don't last forever. Any tab left open more than 24 hours is flagged with an alert at the top of the portal and a warning on the tab itself, and its settle button becomes Capture hold & settle — so a hold never quietly expires and turn into an unrecoverable loss.
Cash, disputes and honest exceptions
Real service has exceptions. A guest pays cash at the till; a test tab needs clearing; a regular settles at the end of the week. Staff can void a tab or mark it paid outside TAB with a reason, which releases any hold without charging the card and records who did it and why.
Payments handled by Stripe
Holds, captures and payment links are processed by Stripe. Card details are never stored on your devices or in your venue, and where you connect your own Stripe account the money is captured straight to it.
Want to see the numbers for your own venue? Try the walkout calculator on the homepage.