Families booking a companion for the first time usually want one thing answered up front: when do I pay, how much, and for what? The booking form gives you a genuine choice between paying after the service or paying online — here's how each path works and what stays the same regardless of which you pick.
The two payment options at checkout
Pay after service
- Book now — no online payment required
- Full bill settled in cash or UPI after the visit
- No gateway charge — pay exactly the billed amount
- Best if you're unsure about online payments or booking for someone else who'll settle locally
Pay online
- 55% advance via PayU — UPI, cards, net banking
- ~2% gateway charge added to the online payment
- Booking number allotted only after payment succeeds
- Remaining balance settled after the visit (cash or UPI)
- Pay the minimum advance, the full estimate, or a custom amount in between
Both paths converge after the visit: the balance (or full amount, if you paid nothing online) is settled against the same itemized bill.
What stays the same either way
1. Booking request and quote
You submit the request — service type, hospital, date, duration, patient details — and see an estimate before committing.
2. Companion assignment
The team assigns a verified companion for your slot and you receive confirmation details.
3. Start OTP and End OTP
At arrival, the companion logs a start OTP — billing begins. At departure, an end OTP — billing stops. Billed time is what these two points measure, not an estimate.
4. Final itemized bill
You receive an itemized bill: billed hours, any additional charges, minus whatever you already paid online. The balance is settled by cash or UPI.
Urgent requests are different again
The urgent companion flow is a separate system from standard bookings. Urgent requests skip online payment entirely — billing defaults to pay-after-visit, and the "no match, no charge" promise applies there. See the urgent companion page for how that flow operates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Corelatin payment work for a standard booking?
At checkout you pick one of two options. "Pay after service" books immediately with no online payment — you settle the full bill in cash or UPI after the visit, with no gateway charge. "Pay online" takes a 55% advance (plus a ~2% gateway charge) via PayU; the booking number is allotted once payment succeeds, and the remaining balance is paid after the visit. Either way, billed time is measured by start and end OTPs and you receive an itemized bill.
Why does the online option take a 55% advance?
The 55% advance via PayU confirms the booking and allots the booking number — it blocks the companion's schedule immediately. You never pay the full service amount upfront: the balance is settled after the visit against the itemized bill. PayU adds a small gateway charge (~2%) on the online payment, which the pay-after-service option avoids entirely.
Do urgent requests also need advance payment?
No. Urgent companion requests follow a different flow — they bypass the PayU advance step and default to pay-after-visit billing, with a "no match, no charge" promise. Standard bookings and urgent requests use separate request flows, so payment terms differ.
What are the start OTP and end OTP?
They are verification codes marking the actual start and end of the companion's time with the patient. Start OTP confirms the companion has arrived and begun; End OTP closes the billed period. The final bill is calculated from this window, not an estimate.
Neha, Co-Founder
Neha is a Co-Founder of Corelatin. Her background in research and scientific rigor shapes how the team approaches companion verification, hospital navigation protocols, and family reporting standards across Delhi NCR. Corelatin's companions are trained in logistics, communication, and hospital navigation — not medical care, which always remains with qualified hospital staff.