Collect the Deposit Before the Truck Leaves the Yard
Deposit Collection sends a secure, PCI-compliant SMS payment link while the caller is still on the phone. The money goes to your own Stripe account. Smart Deposits is on the Growth plan and above — $199/mo — not on Starter.
What Deposit Collection Is
A booked tow that never meets the truck is not a job. It is a deadhead and a burned hour. Tow Deputy’s Deposit Collection feature — called Smart Deposits on pricing — lets the AI towing receptionist take a card deposit during the call. The link is SMS. The flow is PCI-compliant. Stripe Connect puts the money in your merchant account, not a Tow Deputy holding pot.
This is Growth ($199/mo, 590 calls) and Lead Engine. Starter at $99/mo still answers, quotes, and texts the job; it does not collect the card. There is no free plan. Starter and Growth include a 14-day free trial. If deposits are the reason you are here, budget Growth. For policy design beyond the software, read how to collect towing deposits over the phone.
According to TheKeyBot, a missed inbound service call averages about $119. A no-show after you already rolled is worse: you spent diesel and still have an empty hook. Operators on this site report a local job around $150. A deposit does not have to be the full ticket. It has to be enough that a 3 AM lockout thinks twice before calling the next shop while you are en route.
How It Works
- The AI runs intake and the Smart Pricing Engine quotes your total — hook-up, zones, miles, night, class.
- If your deposit rule matches this job (percentage of the quote, or long-distance only), the AI texts a secure pay link and stays on the line while they tap it.
- The caller pays on Stripe’s hosted form. You never hear card numbers read aloud.
- Stripe Connect marks the deposit paid in your account. The job goes to SMS and the driver app as a booked, funded call — not a maybe.
- If they will not pay and your rule requires a deposit, the truck does not roll. That is the whole point of the feature.
Worked Example (Sample Deposit Math)
The dollars below are an example rate card and an example deposit policy. They are not Tow Deputy’s fees and they are not legal advice. They show why a percentage on a real quote beats “just send someone.”
Example policy: 50% deposit on tows quoted over $200, or any pickup more than 20 miles from the yard; no deposit on local roadside under $80; optional 5% pay-now discount if they pay the balance on the link; card fees passed through if you turn that on.
| Example job | Quoted total | Deposit rule | SMS ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local lockout, 4 mi, 2 PM | $65 (example roadside rate) | No deposit under $80 | None — book and roll |
| 12 mi sedan, night + ditch | $257 (same stack as the pricing-page example) | 50% over $200 | $128.50 |
| 28 mi rural recovery | $100 zone hook-up + 28 × $3.50 = $198 | Long-distance only | $198.00 (or your % if you set one) |
On the $257 night ditch, a $75 deposit (the figure shown in the homepage Stripe mock) would be about 29% — also a valid policy if you prefer a flat percentage. The software does not pick $75 or 50% for you. You set the rule. The AI applies it to the number it just quoted.
If that 28-mile caller ghosts after you dispatched, you ate an hour and a half. If they paid first, you have something in Stripe while you decide whether to refund. That is the no-show math, not a marketing claim about “eliminating” no-shows. Deposits reduce wasted rolls. They do not make people honest.
Settings You Control
- Plan gateSmart Deposits requires Growth ($199/mo) or Lead Engine
- Stripe ConnectYour merchant account; payouts follow Stripe, not Tow Deputy
- Deposit amountA percentage of the quote, or only on long-distance tows
- Pay-now discountOptional — turn it off if you do not want to discount
- Card-fee pass-throughOptional — the caller can see the processing fee if you pass it
- When it firesAfter the quote, during the same call, by SMS link
What It Does Not Do
Deposit Collection does not run on Starter. If you need the link, you need Growth. It does not store card numbers for the AI to recite. It does not decide your refund rules, cancellation window, or what “long-distance” means in your county — you do. It does not take cash, checks, or motor-club guarantees. Club and account jobs still belong on a person.
It does not push a paid flag into Towbook or Omadi. Tow Deputy works alongside those systems via SMS and dashboard handoff; you enter the job, and the payment, manually. Native two-way sync is on the roadmap and is not built yet. And a deposit is not a substitute for a wrecker sitting on a police rotation where you cannot ask a caller to pay before the city releases the vehicle.
Related Features
- Smart Pricing Engine that produces the total the deposit is based on
- How to collect towing deposits over the phone
- Night-time alerts so a funded 3 AM job can wake you
- Growth plan pricing for Smart Deposits
- All Tow Deputy features
Deposit FAQs
Can Tow Deputy collect a towing deposit over the phone?
Yes — on the Growth plan and above. The AI sends a secure, PCI-compliant SMS payment link during the call. The caller pays on their phone. The money goes to your own Stripe account through Stripe Connect. You are paid before the driver leaves the yard, which cuts no-shows on long-distance and after-hours rolls.
Which plan includes Smart Deposits?
Smart Deposits is on Growth at $199/mo (590 calls) and on Lead Engine. It is not on Starter at $99/mo. Starter still quotes, captures location, and sends SMS and app summaries. There is no free plan. Starter and Growth include a 14-day free trial. Extra calls are $0.30 each or $30 per 100.
Where does the deposit money go?
Straight to your Stripe merchant account via Stripe Connect. Tow Deputy does not hold the deposit in a company wallet you have to chase. You connect Stripe during setup. Payout timing is Stripe’s, not a Tow Deputy batch. If you do not have Stripe yet, that is part of going live on Growth, not a surprise on the first paid call.
Do I have to take a deposit on every local lockout?
No. You set the deposit as a percentage of the quoted total, or you require it only on long-distance tows. Optional pay-now discounts and optional pass-through of card fees are also yours to turn on or off. A $40 neighborhood jump start does not have to use the same rule as a 40-mile recovery at 3 AM.
Is taking a card over SMS actually PCI-compliant?
The pay link is a secure, PCI-compliant SMS payment link. The caller enters the card on Stripe’s hosted flow, not by reading digits to the AI. That is the point of a link instead of “okay, what’s the number on the front?” You still follow your own refund and cancellation policy; the software collects the deposit, it does not write that policy for you.
Take the Deposit on the Call, Not at the Scene
Growth includes Smart Deposits and a 14-day free trial. Or call the demo and ask how a pay link is offered after the quote.