Fishing Guide Invoicing and Deposit App (2026)
A guide's inventory is days, and a cancelled day is gone. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) takes a deposit by card when the trip is booked, keeps the cancellation terms in writing on the confirmation, and invoices the balance — plus flies, lunch, or shuttle — at the takeout.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, checked against each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the independent guide's real workflow — deposits at booking, written cancellation terms, and balance collection on the water — not on lodge, licensing, or multi-guide operations.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Independent guides: deposits at booking, written terms, add-on lines, payment at the takeout |
| Checkfront | $49/mo+ | Guides wanting an online availability calendar |
| FareHarbor | Commission-based | Distribution through travel sites |
| Peek Pro | Commission-based | Selling trips on a consumer marketplace |
| Rezdy | $49/mo+ | Reselling days through travel agents |
Days are perishable
You can’t sell yesterday. A no-show in June is a hole nothing fills, and a friendly booking policy is how guides end up with three of them a month.
Take the deposit every time — no exceptions for nice people.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Deposit charged at booking, terms on the confirmation, add-on lines for flies and shuttle, balance taken at the takeout.
2. Checkfront — $49/mo+
Availability calendar with payments.
3. FareHarbor — commission-based
Travel-site distribution, paid per booking.
4. Peek Pro — commission-based
Consumer marketplace reach.
5. Rezdy — $49/mo+
Agent and channel distribution.
Add-ons worth listing
- Flies, terminal tackle, license handling
- Streamside lunch
- Shuttle
- Extra angler in the boat
- Half-day extension
Every one of them is revenue you’re probably already providing for free.
Frequently asked questions
How much deposit should a guide take?
Enough that cancelling costs something — commonly a fixed per-day amount charged by card at booking. Without one, a booked calendar is just a list of people who might show up.
What cancellation terms actually hold up?
A written window on the booking confirmation: cancel outside it and the deposit moves to another date, cancel inside it and it's forfeited, guide-cancelled trips refund fully. Stated in advance, it almost never gets argued.
Should I bill flies, lunch, and shuttle separately?
Yes, as add-on lines. Keeping the day rate clean makes it comparable to other guides while the extras get paid for instead of quietly absorbed.
How do I handle multi-day trips?
One job with a line per day plus lodging or shuttle lines, deposit up front and balance at the end. It gives the client a single clear document instead of a running tab neither of you trusts.