Complete Guide to Paid Event Bookings

Why Paid Bookings Matter

If you sell your time — as a consultant, coach, therapist, tutor, or freelancer — getting paid should not be a separate step from getting booked. Paid bookings combine scheduling and payment into a single action: the guest picks a time, enters their payment details, and the booking is confirmed only after the payment succeeds. No invoices, no chasing, no awkward money conversations.

This approach has three major benefits:

• Fewer no-shows — People who pay upfront are far more likely to attend. For more detail on how this works, see our guide on how paid bookings reduce no-shows.
• Faster cash flow — You receive payment at the moment of booking, not days or weeks later after invoicing.
• Less admin work — No manual invoicing, no tracking who has paid, and no reconciliation headaches.

Payment Providers Meetario Supports

Meetario integrates with multiple payment providers so you can choose the one that fits your business and your guests' preferences:

• Stripe — Accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Available in 40+ countries with transparent per-transaction pricing. See our detailed Stripe setup guide for step-by-step instructions.
• PayPal — Accept PayPal balance, credit cards, and debit cards. Available in 200+ countries, making it the most globally accessible option. See our PayPal setup guide for configuration details.

You do not have to pick just one. You can connect multiple payment providers and assign different ones to different event types — or let guests choose at checkout. For help deciding which provider fits your situation, read our Stripe vs PayPal comparison.

How to Set Up Your First Paid Event Type

Setting up paid bookings takes three steps:

Step 1: Connect a Payment Provider

Go to /app/integrations and connect at least one payment provider (Stripe or PayPal). The connection process uses OAuth — you authorize Meetario to process payments through your existing account. Your payment credentials are never stored on Meetario servers.

Step 2: Configure the Event Type

Navigate to /app/event-types and either create a new event type or edit an existing one. In the event type settings:

1. Find the Payment section.
2. Toggle Require payment to on.
3. Enter the price and select your currency.
4. Choose the payment provider (Stripe or PayPal).
5. Save the event type.

Step 3: Share Your Booking Page

Share your booking link as you normally would. The payment step is automatically included in the booking flow. You can also embed the booking widget on your website — the payment flow works seamlessly within the embedded calendar too.

What Guests Experience During Checkout

The payment experience is smooth and professional:

1. The guest visits your booking page and selects an available time slot.
2. They fill in their details (name, email, and any custom fields you have configured).
3. The price is displayed clearly. Instead of a simple "Confirm" button, they see a Pay & Book button.
4. Clicking it redirects them to the payment provider's checkout (Stripe Checkout or PayPal).
5. After successful payment, they are redirected back and see a booking confirmation.
6. Both you and the guest receive confirmation emails. The guest also gets a payment receipt from the payment provider.

If payment fails — declined card, insufficient funds, or the guest abandons checkout — the booking is not created. The time slot remains available for others.

Currency Support

Set the currency for each event type individually. This means you can offer a "$100 USD consultation" and a "90 EUR strategy session" as separate event types. Supported currencies depend on your payment provider:

• Stripe supports 135+ currencies.
• PayPal supports 25+ currencies.

Choose the currency that matches your target market. If most of your clients are in Europe, price in EUR. If they are global, USD is a safe default.

Tax Considerations

Meetario collects the payment amount you set on the event type. Tax compliance — including whether to charge VAT, GST, or sales tax — is your responsibility as the service provider. Here are practical tips:

• Include tax in the displayed price — This is the simplest approach and avoids surprises for the guest.
• State your tax policy — Add a note in the event type description, such as "Price includes VAT" or "Sales tax will be shown at checkout."
• Consult an accountant — Tax rules vary by country, state, and service type. A tax professional can advise on your specific obligations.

Stripe provides tax reporting tools in their dashboard, and PayPal offers transaction history exports for your records.

Combining Payments with Video Calls

Paid bookings work seamlessly with all of Meetario's video meeting integrations. Set up your event type with both a price and a video location:

• Jitsi — Free, no account required for guests, no time limits.
• Zoom — Professional video with recording support.

The guest pays and books in one step. The meeting link is included in the confirmation email automatically. For more on this workflow, see our guide on charging for online consultations.

Managing Paid Bookings

View all your bookings at /app/event. Paid bookings display a "Paid" badge with the amount. You can also set up real-time notifications for new paid bookings through Telegram or Slack — notifications include the payment amount so you know exactly what came in.

For details on handling cancellations, refunds, and disputes, see our guide on managing refunds and cancellations for paid bookings.

Best Practices

• Set a clear cancellation policy — Add it to your event type description so guests know before they pay.
• Offer a free intro call — Create a separate free event type for discovery calls, and a paid event type for full sessions.
• Test the flow yourself — Book your own paid event type using Stripe's test mode to experience what your guests see.
• Use custom fields wisely — Ask for intake information in the booking form so your paid sessions start productively.