How you bill sessions shapes everything — customer behavior, occupancy, disputes at checkout, and staff headaches. Get it wrong and you'll spend half your day arguing over 10 minutes of overtime.
Hourly vs per-minute billing
Hourly billing is simple. Customers know what they're paying, staff can explain it in one sentence, and disputes are rare. The downside: customers always try to squeeze in "just five more minutes" and leave resentful when you charge them for the next hour.
Per-minute billing is fairer and customers appreciate it — but it requires a reliable POS that auto-calculates. With Airavoto POS, sessions are tracked to the minute and billed accurately at checkout. No rounding up, no arguments.
Most modern operators are moving to per-minute. It increases customer trust and slightly increases average session length because customers don't feel locked into blocks.
Pre-paid vs post-paid sessions
Post-paid (pay at end) is natural but creates walkout risk. A customer who's been playing for 4 hours and realizes they're short on cash is your problem.
Pre-paid (pay upfront for a block) eliminates walkouts and helps with cash flow forecasting. The downside: some customers refuse to commit upfront, especially first-timers.
Best practice: offer both. Pre-paid for regulars and walk-ins who know how long they'll stay; post-paid with ID held for new customers or large parties.
Packages that drive repeat visits
Flat packages — "10 hours for the price of 8" — are your best tool for building a loyal customer base. Issue them as a digital balance in your POS linked to the customer's phone number. They redeem hours visit by visit, and the unused balance keeps them coming back.
Handling overtime
Set a rule and enforce it consistently. Most operators give a 5-minute grace period, then charge the next full 30 minutes. Document this on your rate card and display it at reception so there's no ambiguity.
Consistency is more important than the specific rule. Customers accept any policy that's applied fairly.
