Take card payments and deposits

Guests pay by card through your own Stripe account, which you set up from Kipdown in about ten minutes. The money goes straight to you, Kipdown never holds it or takes a cut, and Stripe charges its card fee, from 1.5% plus 20p on UK cards. Everything on this page is in Settings → Bookings → “Payments”.

Setting up card payments

1. In Settings → Bookings → “Payments”, press “Set up card payments”.
2. Stripe asks for your business details, your bank account and a photo of your ID.
3. When you come back, Kipdown checks with Stripe. If Stripe needs more, press “Carry on with Stripe” to finish.
4. When it’s done, the screen says card payments are on, with a link to your Stripe Dashboard.

This makes a new Stripe account for your business, in pounds and for the UK only. You can’t connect a Stripe account you already have, because Stripe doesn’t allow it. Stripe pays the money into the bank account you gave it.

Guests can pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay on your booking page and your own website once card payments are on. The ways to pay guests are offered follow what’s switched on in your Stripe Dashboard. On a Wix site, where the booking page sits in a frame, Apple Pay works only in Safari 17 or later.

When guests pay

Under “When guests pay”, choose one:

• “In full”, when they book.
• “A deposit”, when they book, and the rest before they arrive. You set the deposit as a percentage of the total and how many days before arrival the rest is due. Guests booking later than that pay in full straight away. You can’t set a deposit as a fixed amount yet.
• “When they arrive”, with nothing paid online. These bookings are confirmed at once, and you use “Record a payment” on the booking when they pay.

With a deposit, the guest’s card is kept and the rest is taken automatically on the day it’s due, unless they pay sooner from their booking page. If the card is declined, it isn’t tried again: the guest is emailed to pay from their page, and you’re emailed too. A reminder goes 7 days before the balance is due, which you can change, or set to 0 for none. Only bookings first paid online by card have their balance taken automatically.

A deposit here means part of the price. You can’t take a damage or security deposit yet.

Bank transfer

Switch on “Also accept bank transfer” and add “Your bank details”. Guests can then choose between “By card now” and paying by bank transfer, and those who choose transfer see your bank details and their booking reference. You set how many days they have to pay (1 to 30), and transfer is offered only for stays further away than that. Their dates are held until you record the money, and they’re reminded the day before the hold ends. Bank transfer works without Stripe.

You check your bank yourself, then press “Mark as paid” or “Record a payment” on the booking, or “Give them 2 more days”. If the hold runs out, the dates are let go and the guest is told.

Cancellation terms and VAT

Under “If guests cancel”, add up to six steps, such as “Cancel more than 28 days before arrival: 100% back”. You can also take off a fee, or choose “Keep the deposit whenever they cancel”. The switches “Guests can cancel online from their booking page” and “Guests can change their dates and add extras online” are here too. Changes and cancellations explains what guests can do.

Under VAT, choose “Not VAT registered” or “Prices include VAT” with your rate, and add “Your VAT number” for guests’ receipts. Prices are always entered including VAT.

Refunds

On a booking’s page, press “Refund”, enter the amount and choose how it was “Paid back”: “To their card”, “Back onto their gift voucher”, “Cash”, “Bank transfer”, “Cheque” or “Another way”. A card refund can’t be more than the card paid. Refunds you make in your Stripe Dashboard are recorded on the booking too.

Kipdown itself costs £49 a month, and is free until your first online booking.

Can't find what you need? Email hello@kipdown.com and a person will reply.