Services
Hourly Service Pricing
Last updated 8 July 2026
Hourly Service Pricing
TL;DR
- Configure hourly pricing from Services on web.
- Choose Hourly under Price Type.
- Set an Hourly rate, Default duration, and Storefront duration options.
- Customers choose Session length during online booking.
- Operator booking on web and mobile can adjust hourly service duration before choosing a slot.
Hourly pricing is for services where the final appointment length drives the total. OpenChair calculates the service price from the hourly rate and selected duration, then snapshots the calculated line price on the booking.
Set up hourly pricing
- Open Services on web.
- Create or edit a service.
- Go to Price & Timing.
- Choose Hourly under Price Type.
- Enter the Hourly rate.
- Set the normal service length or detailed timing. This becomes the minimum session length.
- Enter a Default duration if the first selected customer duration should be different from the minimum.
- Enter Storefront duration options in minutes, separated by commas.
- Save the service.
The default storefront duration options are 120, 180, 240, 360, 480.
Duration rules
Hourly duration options are normalised before saving.
| Rule | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration | The service minimum is always included. |
| 15-minute increments | Duration options must be divisible by 15. |
| Too-short options | Options shorter than the minimum are ignored. |
| Default duration | If the requested default is not in the valid options, OpenChair uses the minimum. |
| Duplicate options | Duplicate durations are collapsed. |
How price is calculated
OpenChair calculates the total from the hourly rate and billable minutes.
If a client or operator picks a duration shorter than the service minimum, OpenChair still bills at the minimum.
Example:
| Hourly rate | Selected duration | Minimum duration | Calculated price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120/hr | 90 minutes | 60 minutes | $180 |
| $120/hr | 45 minutes | 60 minutes | $120 |
Customer booking experience
On the storefront, hourly services show from-style pricing based on the minimum or default duration. During booking, the Session length section appears with duration chips such as 2h, 3h, or 4h.
When a customer changes the session length, OpenChair:
- Recalculates the total.
- Clears the previously selected time slot.
- Rechecks slot availability using the new duration.
The confirmation step uses the selected duration and calculated total.
Operator booking on mobile
Mobile operator booking shows Session length for selected hourly services. Use the minus and plus controls to decrease or increase duration in 15-minute steps. Changing duration clears the selected time slot so availability can be recalculated.
Mobile service create and edit screens do not currently configure hourly pricing. Set up the hourly service on web first.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Hourly does not appear on mobile service edit | Configure hourly pricing from web. Mobile supports booking-time duration adjustment. |
| Duration option does not appear online | Use minutes, make it a 15-minute increment, and make sure it is at least the service minimum. |
| Price seems higher than expected | Check the minimum duration. OpenChair bills at least the minimum, even if a shorter override is requested. |
| Slot disappears after changing duration | This is expected. Availability is recalculated for the new appointment length. |
FAQ
What is hourly service pricing?
Hourly service pricing charges from an hourly rate and selected session length instead of one fixed price.
Where do I set hourly pricing?
On web, create or edit a service, open Price & Timing, and choose Hourly as the Price Type.
Can customers choose the session length online?
Yes. The booking flow shows Session length choices from the configured storefront duration options.