For many cuddle therapists, getting a deposit from a new client is essential to avoid lost income due to late cancellations and no-shows. In other industries, it is common for businesses to keep customer cards on file incase there is a late cancellation.
However, from a client's perspective making an electronic deposit can be a barrier to entry. With newer pros, clients have to be leery of con artists. With more established pros like myself, there are still privacy and confidentiality issues, especially if they are married or going through a divorce. Despite the fact that cuddle therapy is a strictly platonic, non-romantic, non-sexual wellness service, many clients fear that their spouse may not be so understanding or that they may try to use it against them in divorce proceedings. As much as I hate the stigma attached to my profession, it is something we have to live and work with. So after speaking with my colleague/ friend @SnugglewithSam, I wanted to share some options to make an electronic payment without raising any red flags on your bank statement.
Prepaid debit card/ gift card: You can buy these online or in-store and make payments through money apps or an invoice payment
vanillagift.com
Cash App: In many retail locations, you can deposit paper cash into your cash app account at the register
https://cash.app/help/us/en-us/6488-paper-money-deposits/#:~:text=After%20you've%20arrived%20at,you'd%20like%20to%20deposit.
Custom Invoicing: This method will only work if your cuddle provider uses an electronic payment service. I use Square, which allows me to change the name of the business on the invoice, so instead of saying "Cuddle Works" on the bank statement, it might say "Fresh Market" or "Building Supplies," etc. I usually let the client pick a name that they think would fly under the radar.
Amazon Gift Cards: This option is very convenient as it does not require you to go to a store and will look like an amazon purchase on your bank statement. However, the big drawback here is that the cuddle therapist is forced to use their session fee on amazon purchases which may not appeal to them. I personally don't accept amazon gift cards as payment because most of my amazon purchases are non-essential, and I have bills that need to be prioritized.