Overview
Bonsai's Card-on-File feature allows you to securely store your clients' payment information and charge their saved cards directly from invoices—making it faster and easier to get paid for your work.
Note: This feature is available on selected plans. Visit the Bonsai pricing page for full details.
Before you start: Important Legal Requirements
⚠️ You must obtain authorization from your clients before storing or charging their payment methods.
Charging a card without proper authorization can result in:
Chargebacks and associated fees ($15-25 per chargeback)
Disputes with your clients
Legal liability
Account suspension or termination
Best practices for obtaining authorization:
✓ Include payment authorization in your contract Example clause: "I authorize [Your Business Name] to store my payment method and charge it for agreed-upon invoices as services are delivered."
✓ Get email confirmation Send an email requesting card details and asking the client to confirm they authorize you to store and charge their card.
✓ Use a payment authorization form Have clients sign a document explicitly authorizing you to store and charge their payment method.
💡 Pro tip: Always keep records of client authorization (signed contracts, email confirmations, etc.) in case of disputes.
Card Network Requirements
When storing or charging a client’s card, you must comply with applicable card network rules (e.g., Visa, Mastercard).
For reference, see Visa’s guidance on stored credential transactions for examples of proper disclosures and authorization language. Please note that the Visa link provided is an example only. The Visa guidance in that link may be out of date. It is your responsibility to ensure that you follow the current requirements of each relevant card network at all times.
Bonsai provides tools to help you collect and record client authorization, but you are responsible for ensuring your practices meet all card network and legal requirements.
Storing client payment methods
Saved cards are managed from the client profile and are available when charging invoices.
Adding a new card
Navigate to Clients and open the client profile.
Go to Client details → Payment methods.
Select Add card.
4. Enter the card details:
Cardholder name
Card number
Expiration date
CVC
Billing ZIP code (if required)
5. Check the authorization box confirming you have received authorization from this client to store and charge this payment method and have provided all required notices and disclosures to this client, including under any applicable privacy laws.
6. Click Save
Charging a card from an invoice
Payments are processed directly from outstanding invoices to ensure proper authorization and record keeping.
Receiving a card payment
Open an unpaid invoice.
Select the three-dot menu.
Choose Receive payment.
Select the Charge card tab.
Selecting a saved card
If the client has saved cards:
Choose a card from the dropdown.
Review the payment amount.
Click Charge $X,XXX.
What happens next:
The card is charged immediately
Your client receives an email notification with a link to the paid invoice
The invoice is marked as "Paid" in your account
A payment record is created in the invoice history
What if a charge fails?
If a charge fails, you'll see an error message explaining why. Common reasons include:
Insufficient funds - The card doesn't have enough available balance
Card declined - The card issuer declined the charge
Expired card - The card on file has expired
Incorrect CVC - The security code doesn't match
What to do:
Contact your client to resolve the issue
Ask them to update their payment method or provide a different card
Try charging again once the issue is resolved
Managing Saved Cards
To view saved cards:
Go to Clients → Select a client
Scroll to Payment Methods section
To delete a saved card:
Hover over the card you want to remove
Click the Delete button that appears
Confirm deletion in the popup
Note: Deleting a card cannot be undone. You'll need to re-enter the card details if you want to use it again.
Understanding Processing Fees
When you charge a card on file, standard Bonsai payment processing fees apply. See this article for more detail.
Security & Compliance
Your clients' payment information is secure:
Card details are never stored on Bonsai's servers
All payment information is stored and processed by Stripe, our PCI-DSS compliant payment processor
Card data is encrypted both in transit and at rest
We only store tokenized references to payment methods
You're responsible for:
Obtaining proper authorization before storing or charging cards
Only charging amounts your clients have agreed to
Maintaining records of client authorization
Complying with applicable payment card network rules
⚠️ Important:
Bonsai acts as a service provider to its customers. All card data is stored and processed by Stripe, our PCI-DSS compliant payment processor.
Bonsai’s merchant customers are responsible for:
Providing required privacy notices and obtaining client consent before storing or charging cards
Ensuring compliance with all applicable card network rules and privacy laws
Maintaining records of client authorization
Additional notes
Saved cards are automatically deleted when a client or the company is deleted.
The Receive payment option is hidden on invoices that are already marked as paid.
FAQs
Q: Can I charge a partial amount on an invoice?
A: Currently, you can only charge the full outstanding balance on an invoice using the Charge Card feature.
Q: Will my client be notified when their card is saved?
A: Yes, clients automatically receive an email notification when you save their card.
Q: Who sends the client notification email when a card is saved or charged?
A: The email is automatically sent by Bonsai’s system but is branded with your business name, logo, and brand settings. The sender address is no-reply@hellobonsai.com for deliverability (in case you haven't configured the Gmail integration), but the message clearly appears as coming from your business (e.g., “Catalyst Consulting sent you an invoice”).
Q: Will my client be notified when their card is charged?
A: Yes, clients automatically receive an email notification with a link to the paid invoice when you charge their card.
Q: What if a client disputes a charge?
A: If a client files a chargeback, you'll be notified by email. You'll need to provide evidence that you were authorized to make the charge (contracts, email confirmations, etc.). This is why keeping records of authorization is so important.
Q: Can my clients see their saved cards?
A: No, clients cannot currently view or manage their saved cards through the Client Portal. Only you can see and manage cards saved on client profiles.
Q: What happens to saved cards if I delete a client?
A: All saved payment methods are automatically deleted when you delete a client from your account.
If you have questions about using the Card-on-File feature, contact our support team: support@hellobonsai.com