Bills
A bill is a running check for one guest or one table. Instead of collecting money every time a session ends or an order is delivered, the cashier charges the amount to a bill. The guest keeps playing and ordering. Everything is collected once, on the way out.
The Bills page is opened from the toolbar.
When to Use a Bill
Use a bill when the guest is not paying immediately:
- A guest moves between several PCs during one visit.
- A guest plays on a console and also orders from the cafeteria.
- A group sits at one table and settles together at the end.
A member session is always billed to the member account and cannot be charged to a bill. A prepaid session is paid before it starts. It never reaches a bill either.
Opening a Bill
There are two ways to open a bill.
From the Bills page. Select New bill, type a customer or table name, then confirm. The name is optional. A bill without a name is listed as Unnamed bill.
From a session. When a cashier ends a PC or console session, the payment screen offers Charge to bill. The cashier picks an existing open bill or chooses New bill. The device is freed immediately and the amount moves onto the bill.
Charging to a bill requires ending the session. The charge and a cash collection cannot happen in the same step.
Adding Items to a Bill
A bill collects items from three sources:
| Source | How it lands on the bill |
|---|---|
| Computers | The cashier picks Charge to bill when ending a PC session |
| Consoles | The cashier picks Charge to bill when ending a console session |
| Cafeteria | A cafeteria order is attached to the bill instead of collected |
Products can also be added straight to an open bill with Add product in the bill detail panel.
An order that sits on a bill is not collected on its own. It is collected when the bill is settled.
Reading the Bill List
The list has three filters.
| Filter | Shows |
|---|---|
| Open | Every bill that is still collecting, including partially paid ones |
| Flagged | Open bills over the warning threshold |
| Closed | Bills closed or cancelled inside the selected date range |
Four indicators sit above the list:
- Open bills -- how many bills are currently open.
- Open total -- the sum still to be collected.
- Longest open -- how long the oldest open bill has been running.
- Closed today -- how many bills were settled today.
The Closed view is capped. When a date range returns more bills than the page shows, a notice asks you to narrow the range.
Flagged Bills
A bill is flagged when it has been open for more than 4 hours or its total is above 200 in your currency. A banner appears above the list when any bill is flagged, with a List action that jumps to the Flagged filter. Flagged bills are a prompt to check on the guest, not an error.
The Bill Detail Panel
Selecting a bill opens its detail panel. The panel breaks the total down by source:
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Computers | Individual PC sessions charged to this bill |
| Consoles | Individual console sessions charged to this bill |
| Cafeteria | Orders attached to this bill, listed by order number |
| Device charge | The session total across computers and consoles |
| Cafeteria | The order total |
| Collected | What has already been paid against this bill |
| Remaining | What is still owed |
If the guest paid more than the total, the panel shows Refund due instead of Remaining. If a bill was closed for less than its total, it shows Not collected.
The panel also shows when the bill was opened and which device produced the first item.
Collecting a Bill
Select Close bill in the detail panel. The payment screen opens with the remaining amount.
Full payment
Enter the full remaining amount and confirm. The bill closes and the payment is recorded against the cashier's shift.
Partial payment
Enter less than the remaining amount and keep the bill open. The payment is recorded and the remaining balance drops. The bill stays in the Open list with the status Partially paid. Use this when a guest pays part of a group check.
Closing for less
If the cashier closes a bill while collecting less than the remaining amount, HandyCafe asks for an explicit confirmation. The shortfall is written off and stays visible on the bill as Not collected. This is a real loss of revenue. The confirmation cannot be skipped.
A discount on a bill is given by collecting less. There is no separate discount field on a bill.
Empty and already settled bills
A bill with no items can be closed without a payment. A bill already covered by earlier partial payments can also be closed without a further payment. Both ask for confirmation first.
Renaming and Cancelling
Rename changes the customer or table name at any time while the bill is open.
Cancel bill writes the whole balance off and closes the bill. The sessions and orders on it stay in your reports. The usage is not lost. A bill that already carries a payment cannot be cancelled. Close it instead and write off the shortfall.
Bills in Reports
A settled bill produces a transaction of type tabs against the collecting cashier's shift, carrying the payment method and the total session minutes on the bill. Sessions and orders keep their own records. Revenue is not counted twice.
Common Messages
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| This bill is already closed | Another cashier settled it while your screen was open |
| The amount is higher than what is left on the bill | Reduce the collected amount to the remaining balance |
| The bill changed while the payment screen was open | An item was added meanwhile. Reopen the bill and collect the new total |
| A member session is billed to the member and cannot go on a bill | Collect from the member wallet instead |
| Charging to a bill requires ending the session | Stop the session first, then charge |
| This order is on a bill and is collected when that bill is settled | Settle the bill rather than the order |