> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deelrxcrm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Customers and store credit > Keep customer records minimal and record payments against the correct open balance. A customer alias card connects to a purchase and received-payment ledger. ## Before you start Confirm the business, your customer and credit permissions, and the shop's approved credit policy. **Payments** in web navigation opens customer balances and recorded payments. Here, credit means an amount a customer owes for later payment; it is not a gift card or proof that money was received. Illustrative customer and Record Payment forms using a fictional alias and balance. Illustrative screen with fictional data. ## Find or add a customer 1. Open **Customers** and search for an existing profile before adding another. 2. Use **Add customer** when you have permission and no matching profile exists. 3. Enter the alias or other details allowed by the business's privacy settings. Leave unrelated optional information blank. 4. Review the fields, choose **Add** once, and check the saved profile in the same business. If a form requires contact information that your privacy policy does not allow, stop and ask the owner to review it. Do not enter fake information or weaken privacy settings to pass validation. ## Attach a customer at checkout 1. In **Point of Sale**, use **Customer (Optional)**. 2. Enter the existing **Alias** or an allowed **Phone number**, then choose **Lookup**. 3. Select the matching customer and confirm **Attached:** before continuing. 4. Choose **CREDIT** only when offered and approved. Review the total and select **Confirm credit charge** before **Complete Sale**. **Quick Create** currently asks for a phone number. Do not use it for an alias-only record when collecting that number conflicts with the business's privacy policy. A sale without a customer still creates sales records. ## Record a payment toward an existing balance 1. Confirm the payment was actually received through the shop's approved process. 2. Open **Payments** and choose **Record Payment**. 3. Select **Customer**, enter **Amount (\$)**, and choose the matching **Payment Method**: Cash, Check, Transfer, or Other. 4. Use **Notes** only for a necessary reference. Do not enter card numbers or account credentials. 5. Check the amount and previous payments, then choose **Record Payment** once. 6. Reopen the account and confirm the saved payment and remaining balance before recording anything else. This action records a received payment. It does not transfer money. Do not create a new sale to record repayment of an old balance. ## What happens next Have an authorized manager review unexplained balances, overdue amounts, or limit changes against the saved records. Do not raise limits or split a charge to bypass a restriction. Notes, loyalty, and related beta controls are available only where enabled; they are not required for a basic customer record. ## Related articles * [Privacy and minimal data](/privacy/privacy-and-minimal-data) * [Troubleshoot customers and credit](/customers/troubleshoot-customers-and-credit)