How to Accept Payments for Bookings with Stripe

Why Charge for Bookings

If you are a consultant, coach, tutor, or service provider, paid bookings let you collect payment at the time of scheduling. This eliminates invoicing, reduces no-shows (people who pay are more likely to attend), and automates your payment workflow. Meetario integrates with Stripe so you can accept credit card payments directly on your booking page.

Prerequisites

A Stripe account — Sign up at stripe.com if you do not have one. Stripe is available in 40+ countries.
A Meetario account on a plan that supports payment collection (check your plan features at /app/account).

Step 1: Connect Stripe to Meetario

Go to /app/integrations and find the Stripe integration card. Click Connect.

You are redirected to Stripe Connect, where you either:

Sign in to your existing Stripe account and authorize Meetario.
Create a new Stripe account if you do not have one yet (Stripe walks you through the setup).

After authorizing, you are redirected back to Meetario with Stripe showing as "Connected".

Step 2: Create a Paid Event Type

Now configure an event type to require payment:

Go to /app/event-types and create a new event type or edit an existing one.
In the event type settings, find the Payment section.
Toggle Require payment to on.
Set the price — Enter the amount and currency (e.g., $50.00 USD, 45.00 EUR, 40.00 GBP).
Save the event type.

Step 3: How the Payment Flow Works

Here is what happens when a guest books a paid event:

The guest visits your booking page and selects a time slot.
They fill out the booking form (name, email, custom fields).
Instead of a simple "Confirm" button, they see a Pay & Book button with the price displayed.
Clicking it opens the Stripe Checkout page where they enter their credit card details.
After successful payment, Stripe redirects them to a confirmation page.
The booking is confirmed, and both you and the guest receive confirmation emails.
The payment appears in your Stripe dashboard.

If the payment fails (declined card, insufficient funds), the booking is not created. The guest is prompted to try again with a different payment method.

Payment Confirmation

Successful payments trigger:

A booking confirmation email with "Payment received" noted.
A Stripe payment receipt sent to the guest email.
Notifications in your connected channels (Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp) mentioning the payment amount.
The booking appearing in your Meetario events list with a "Paid" badge.

Refunds and Cancellations

When a paid booking is cancelled:

The booking is cancelled in Meetario as usual.
Refunds are not automatic — you control the refund policy.
To issue a refund, go to your Stripe Dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com, find the payment, and click Refund.
You can issue full or partial refunds depending on your policy.

We recommend adding your cancellation and refund policy to the event type description so guests know what to expect before paying.

Pricing Strategies

Flat rate per session — The most common approach. "$100 for a 60-minute consultation."
Different prices for different event types — Create separate event types with different durations and prices. A 30-minute call might be $50, and a 60-minute deep dive $90.
Free + paid tiers — Offer a free "15-Minute Intro Call" event type alongside a paid "Full Consultation" event type. The free call acts as a lead qualifier.

Supported Payment Methods

Through Stripe, your guests can pay with:

Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.)
Apple Pay and Google Pay (automatically enabled for eligible cards)
Bank redirects (depending on your Stripe configuration and the guest location)

Stripe handles all payment processing, PCI compliance, and security. Meetario never sees or stores card details.

Stripe Fees

Stripe charges standard processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the US — varies by country). These fees are deducted from each payment before the funds reach your Stripe balance. Meetario does not add any additional transaction fees.

Troubleshooting

Stripe not showing as connected

If the authorization flow did not complete (browser closed, network error), try connecting again. Go to /app/integrations and click Connect on the Stripe card.

Payment page not appearing

Verify that the event type has "Require payment" enabled and a price set. If the price is $0 or the toggle is off, the booking will proceed without payment.

Guest payment failed

The guest should try a different card or payment method. Common reasons for failure include insufficient funds, card expired, or the bank blocking the transaction. The guest can attempt to book again with a different payment method.

Funds not appearing in Stripe

Stripe typically takes 2-7 business days to transfer funds to your bank account (varies by country and account age). Check your Stripe dashboard for the payment status and payout schedule.