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How to Configure Pricing

This guide covers every pricing feature in HandyCafe. You will learn how to set base rates, configure tax, create quick-select presets, and build a time-based pricing schedule with multipliers for peak and off-peak hours.

What You Will Need

  • Admin access to the HandyCafe Server.
  • Your desired hourly rate, currency, and applicable tax rate decided in advance.
  • A plan for peak and off-peak hours if you want variable pricing (optional).

How to Set Your Base Hourly Rate

The base hourly rate is the default price per hour applied to all postpaid sessions and used as the foundation for prepaid calculations.

  1. Open the HandyCafe Server application.
  2. Click the gear icon in the left sidebar to open Settings.
  3. Select the Pricing tab.
  4. Locate the Hourly Rate field.
  5. Enter your price per hour in your base currency. For example, enter 10.00 for ten units per hour.
  6. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

Expected result: The hourly rate updates immediately. All new sessions will use this rate. Sessions already in progress are not affected.

How to Configure VAT

VAT (Value Added Tax) is applied as a percentage on top of the base session cost.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Pricing.
  2. Locate the VAT Rate field.
  3. Enter the percentage as a number between 0 and 100. For example, enter 18 for 18% VAT.
  4. Click Save.

Expected result: All future session charges will include VAT at the specified rate. The cost breakdown dialog shown when stopping a session will display the VAT amount as a separate line item.

Note: Setting VAT to 0 disables VAT completely. No VAT line will appear in cost breakdowns or transaction records.

How to Set a Startup Fee

The startup fee is a minimum charge applied to every session regardless of duration. If a session's computed cost is less than the startup fee, the customer is charged the startup fee instead.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Pricing.
  2. Locate the Startup Fee field.
  3. Enter the minimum charge amount. For example, enter 2.00 to ensure every session costs at least 2.00.
  4. Click Save.

Expected result: When a session is stopped, the system compares the computed cost against the startup fee. If the computed cost is lower, the startup fee is charged. The cost breakdown dialog will indicate when the startup fee applies.

Tip: Set the startup fee to 0 if you do not want a minimum charge. Very short sessions (e.g., 1-2 minutes) will then be billed at the prorated hourly rate.

How to Create Pricing Presets

Pricing presets are quick-select buttons that appear when starting a prepaid session. They let cashiers start common sessions with a single click instead of manually entering minutes.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Pricing.
  2. Scroll down to the Presets section.
  3. Click Add Preset.
  4. Enter a name for the preset (e.g., "30 Minutes").
  5. Enter the duration in minutes (e.g., 30).
  6. The price will be calculated automatically from your hourly rate. You can override it with a fixed price if desired.
  7. Click Save to add the preset.
  8. Repeat steps 3-7 for each preset you want. Common configurations include:
    • 30 Minutes
    • 1 Hour (60 minutes)
    • 2 Hours (120 minutes)
    • 3 Hours (180 minutes)
  9. Click Save at the bottom of the page to apply all changes.

Expected result: When starting a prepaid session, the session dialog shows your presets as clickable buttons. Selecting a preset auto-fills the duration and amount fields.

How to Set Up Peak and Off-Peak Pricing

The pricing schedule lets you define time-based multipliers. A multiplier of 1.5x during peak hours means customers pay 50% more per hour. A multiplier of 0.7x during off-peak hours means they pay 30% less.

HandyCafe uses a color-coded slot system. Each slot has a name, color, and multiplier. You paint time blocks on a weekly grid to assign slots to specific hours.

Step-by-Step: Create a Peak Hours Slot

  1. Navigate to Settings > Pricing Schedule.
  2. Enable the pricing schedule toggle if it is not already on.
  3. Click Add Slot to create a new pricing slot.
  4. Name the slot "Peak" (or any descriptive name).
  5. Set the multiplier to 1.5. This means the base hourly rate is multiplied by 1.5 during these hours.
  6. The slot will be assigned a color automatically (e.g., orange). You can change it if desired.
  7. Click Save for the slot.

Step-by-Step: Create an Off-Peak Slot

  1. Click Add Slot again.
  2. Name it "Off-Peak".
  3. Set the multiplier to 0.7.
  4. Click Save for the slot.

Step-by-Step: Paint the Weekly Grid

  1. The grid displays a row for each day of the week and a column for each hour (0-23).
  2. Select the "Peak" slot from the slot list.
  3. Click and drag across the evening hours (6:00 PM to 11:00 PM) for each weekday row (Monday through Friday). The painted cells will turn the slot's color.
  4. Select the "Off-Peak" slot from the slot list.
  5. Click and drag across the morning hours (6:00 AM to 12:00 PM) for each weekday row.
  6. Leave unpainted hours at the default rate (1.0x multiplier).
  7. Click Save to apply the schedule.

Expected result: The weekly grid shows colored blocks for peak and off-peak hours. Default hours remain uncolored. The schedule takes effect immediately for new sessions and for new pricing segments of sessions already in progress.

Pricing Calculation Example

Suppose your base hourly rate is $10.00 and a customer plays from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on a Wednesday.

  • 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (1 hour): Default slot at 1.0x multiplier. Cost = $10.00 x 1.0 = $10.00.
  • 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (1 hour): Peak slot at 1.5x multiplier. Cost = $10.00 x 1.5 = $15.00.
  • Total before VAT: $25.00.
  • If VAT is 18%: VAT = $4.50. Grand total: $29.50.

The cost breakdown dialog will show both pricing segments separately so the cashier and customer can see exactly how the charge was calculated.

Note: HandyCafe creates a new pricing segment every time the active slot changes. Sessions that span midnight will also create a new segment at the day boundary if the schedule differs between days.

How to Configure Dual Currency

If your cafe accepts payment in a secondary currency (for example, a tourist area accepting both local currency and USD), you can enable dual currency display.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Pricing.
  2. Locate the Secondary Currency section.
  3. Enable the dual currency toggle.
  4. Select the secondary currency from the dropdown.
  5. Enter the exchange rate (how many units of secondary currency equal one unit of your base currency).
  6. Click Save.

Expected result: Session cost breakdowns and reports will display amounts in both currencies. The base currency remains the system of record. The secondary currency amounts are calculated at the configured exchange rate for display purposes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Forgetting to enable the pricing schedule. Creating slots and painting the grid does nothing if the schedule toggle is off. Always verify the toggle is enabled.
  • Setting a multiplier of 0. A zero multiplier means that time slot is free. This is almost never intentional. The minimum practical multiplier is 0.1.
  • Overlapping the same hour with two slots. Each hour cell can only belong to one slot. Painting over a cell replaces the previous slot assignment.
  • Not saving after changes. Changes to slots or the grid do not take effect until you click Save. If you navigate away without saving, all changes are lost.
  • Confusing the startup fee with a fixed session price. The startup fee is a minimum threshold. If the computed session cost exceeds the startup fee, the customer pays the higher computed cost.
  • Changing the hourly rate mid-day without understanding the impact. Active sessions will pick up the new rate only for new pricing segments. Already-calculated segments retain the rate that was active when they were created.