# Car wash step 5: fast checkout, tips and clubs

> Ring up washes in seconds, add tips with a Gratuity product, check out booked details, and sell wash club memberships and gift cards.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/car-wash/step-5-fast-checkout-tips-and-memberships/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

At the pay station, speed is everything: a car should be rung up in a few seconds. This page sets up the POS for that, adds tips, checks out booked work and covers wash clubs and gift cards.

## Before you start

- Packages and add-ons exist ([step 2](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/car-wash/step-2-wash-packages-and-add-ons/)).
- The register is open at the pay station.

## Ring up a wash

1. Open **Sell › POS**. Tap the **Express Tunnel** or **Full Service** tab.
2. Tap the package; for full service choose the vehicle size.
3. Add add-ons (tire shine, bug prep) from the **Add-ons** tab.
4. Press **Card** or **Cash** for a one-tap payment, or **Pay** for split payments.

![POS V2 of a car wash with tabs for Add-ons, Detailing, Express Tunnel, Full Service, Retail and Wash Club, and packages with prices](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/pos-v2.v4PpceNU.png) (web app page: `/pos-v2/create`)
*POS V2 with one tab per part of the wash menu.*

**Tip:** 
Set keyboard shortcuts for **Express checkout: cash** and **Express checkout: card** in **Settings › Business Settings › POS** (POS V2), and turn on a [customer display](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/screens-and-displays/) so drivers see the total.

## Add a tip

1. Create a product **Gratuity**: **Manage Stock?** unticked, price **1.00**, no tax if tips are not taxed where you are.
2. At checkout, add **Gratuity** and set the quantity to the tip (5 = 5.00).
3. If you split tips per person, choose the crew member in **Select service staff**.

![POS V1 cart with Express Wash – Shine for 15.00 and Gratuity quantity 1 for 1.00, total 16.00, and a Select service staff field](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/pos-v1-wash-and-tip.CE69wnIP.png) (web app page: `/pos/create`)
*A wash and a 1.00 tip on POS V1. Change the Gratuity quantity for a bigger tip.*

## Check out booked work

Open the appointment (from **Bookings** or **Services › Overview**) and click **Checkout**. The POS opens with everything filled in; take payment as usual. With **Mark the appointment completed when its sale is paid in the POS** on, the appointment closes and commission is recorded.

## Wash clubs and fleet accounts

| Need | How |
|---|---|
| Monthly club fee | A product in a **Wash Club** category, for example "Full Service Club (monthly, 2 full services)", sold each month |
| Member prices | A customer group **Wash Club** with a percentage or a price group ([customer groups](https://docs.smartposhub.com/customers/customer-groups/)) |
| Automatic monthly invoice | **Recurring invoices** module: tick **Subscribe?** on **Sell › Add Sale** |
| Fleet washes billed monthly | Customer with pay term and credit limit; ring each wash on **Credit Sale**, collect with **Add payment** |
| Record which cars are covered | **Order options** form **Wash membership or fleet** (number of vehicles, plates, wash frequency) |

**Caution:** 
SmartPOS Hub does not read licence plates or limit how often a member washes. Train cashiers to check the member in the customer search before giving a free wash.

## Gift cards

Turn on the **Gift cards** module to sell gift cards with a balance and accept them as a payment method. Products named "Gift Card" without the module are just sales, not spendable balances. See [gift cards and store credit](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/gift-cards-and-store-credit/).

Next: [daily operations](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/car-wash/daily-operations/).

  - [POS V2](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/pos-v2/)
  - [Gift cards and store credit](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/gift-cards-and-store-credit/)
  - [Credit and part payments](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/credit-and-partial-payments/)
  - [Order options](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/order-options/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I add a tip?

Create a product called Gratuity with Manage Stock? unticked and a price of 1.00. Add it to the sale and set the quantity to the tip amount, for example 5 for a 5.00 tip. Credit the crew member with Select service staff if you track tips per person.

### Do tips count as revenue?

They are a sale line, so they appear in sales reports under the Gratuity product. Exclude that product or its category when you look at wash revenue, and pay it out to the crew as you agree.

### How do I check out a booked detail?

Open the appointment and click Checkout. The POS opens with the customer, the services, prices and the crew member. Any online deposit already paid is shown.

### Can members wash for free?

There is no automatic unlimited-wash check. Sell the membership as a product each month and put members in a customer group; for a member wash, give a 100 % discount on the wash line or use a member price group.

### Can the monthly membership be billed automatically?

With the Recurring invoices module, Add Sale has a Subscribe? option that creates the invoice again on a schedule. Collecting the money still happens through your payment methods.

### Can I sell gift cards?

Yes. Switch on the Gift cards module to sell real gift cards with a balance that customers spend as a payment method.