Paid Bookings
Set custom prices on your TidyCal booking types and collect payments through Stripe or PayPal. Learn how payments work with group bookings, guest invites, and multiple attendees. Paid bookings are available on all plans, including the Free Plan.
Payment Options Overview
For each booking type, you can set a custom price and choose from two payment processors:
- Stripe (OAuth connection) — recommended
- PayPal (email-based connection)
You can connect both processors and select which one to use per booking type. Only one payment processor can be active per booking type.
Important: Set up your payment processor at Integrations → Payments before enabling paid bookings. See Connect your Payment Services for the full setup guide.
Setting Up Paid Bookings
- Connect a payment processor at Integrations → Payments (see Connect your Payment Services)
- Go to Booking types and edit (or create) a booking type
- In the drawer sidebar, click Pricing & Subscriptions, then select Per booking in the Pricing & Subscriptions tab
- Enter the price for the booking
- Select Stripe or PayPal as the payment processor
- Click Save
If you have not connected the selected processor, you will see a warning: "Required: Connect your Stripe account." or "Required: Connect your PayPal account." The currency for all payments is set in Settings → Preferences.
Paid Bookings with Multiple Attendees
TidyCal supports paid bookings with both Group Bookings and Guest Invites features. Here's how payments work with each:
Group Bookings + Paid Bookings
Plan: Group Bookings require a paid plan (Individual, Pro, or Agency); they are not available on the Free Plan.
How it works: When Group Bookings are enabled, each person who books the same time slot pays separately.
Example scenario:
- You offer a yoga class for $20 per person
- Maximum capacity: 20 people
- 5 people book the same time slot
- Result: Each person pays $20 = $100 total revenue for that class
Important notes:
- Each attendee completes their own payment
- Each attendee receives their own confirmation email
- If one person cancels, only their payment is refunded (others stay booked)
- Perfect for: classes, workshops, webinars, group coaching
Guest Invites + Paid Bookings
Plan: Guest Invites are available on all plans, including the Free Plan. They cannot be used on recurring booking types.
How it works: The primary booker pays for ALL guests they bring to the booking.
Example scenario:
- You offer a consultation for $100 per booking
- Guest Invites enabled (max 2 guests)
- Client books and adds 2 guests
- Result: Primary booker pays $100 for the entire booking (not per person)
Important notes:
- Only the primary booker completes payment
- Primary booker pays once regardless of guest count
- All guests receive confirmation emails
- Perfect for: consultations, meetings where attendees bring colleagues or partners
Combining Both Features
You can enable BOTH Group Bookings and Guest Invites on the same paid booking type.
Example:
- Workshop priced at $50 per booking
- Group Bookings: 20 max attendees
- Guest Invites: 1 guest allowed per booking
- Result: Up to 20 people can book, each paying $50 and potentially bringing 1 free guest = up to 40 total attendees, $1000 revenue
Payment Processing
- Group Bookings: Each attendee pays through your Stripe or PayPal account separately
- Guest Invites: Primary booker pays once through your Stripe or PayPal account
- Stripe and PayPal charge their standard processing fees. On Stripe, a 1% TidyCal platform fee is added to the client's total at checkout rather than deducted from your payment (PayPal payments have no TidyCal fee)
Plan availability: All plans (Free, Individual, Agency, and Pro) can accept paid bookings.
Add-ons (Sell Store Products)
On a booking type that charges through Stripe, you can offer up to 3 published products from your TidyCal store as optional checkout add-ons. Bookers add them on the confirmation step and pay together with the booking. Add-ons are not available for PayPal booking types. See Booking Types for setup.
Discount Codes and Coupons
You can create coupon codes to offer discounts on paid bookings. Coupons support percentage off, fixed amount off, or 100% free discounts. Bookers enter the coupon code during checkout on the booking confirmation modal.
To create and manage coupons, go to Coupons in the sidebar. You can also attach coupons to specific booking types from the Pricing & Subscriptions tab in the booking type editor.
Learn more: See our help article on Coupon Codes for full setup instructions.
Cancellation and No-Show Fees
On a paid booking type that collects payment through Stripe, you can charge a flat cancellation or no-show fee. The client's card is saved when they pay, so the same fee can be charged to the card on file when they cancel or when you mark them as a no-show. It is charged at most once, and rescheduling never triggers it. Free bookings, PayPal bookings, and TidyCal-managed bookings cannot carry a fee, and turning the fee on requires an Individual, Pro, or Agency plan. For setup, the client experience, and how no-shows work, see Cancellation and No-Show Fees.
Troubleshooting
Clients do not see a payment option on the booking page
- Confirm you toggled Per booking ON in the booking type settings
- Verify a payment processor (Stripe or PayPal) is connected at Integrations → Payments
- Check that you selected a payment processor for the booking type
Wrong currency showing on the booking page
- Go to Settings → Preferences to check your currency selection
- The currency applies to all booking types — you cannot set different currencies per booking type
- Ensure your payment processor account supports the selected currency
Payment fails when client tries to book
- Verify your Stripe or PayPal account is active and in good standing
- Check that the currency in TidyCal matches what your payment processor supports
- If using Stripe, ensure you completed the full authorization flow (look for the green checkmark at Integrations → Payments)
- Contact support@tidycal.com if the issue persists
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Free Plan users accept paid bookings?
Yes. Paid bookings are available on all plans, including the Free Plan. Connect Stripe or PayPal at Integrations → Payments and enable payments on your booking types.
Note: Accepting payment and Guest Invites are available on all plans. Group Bookings require a paid plan (Individual, Pro, or Agency).
Note: New booking types default to Stripe as the payment processor. You can change this to PayPal in the Pricing & Subscriptions tab.
Can I use different payment processors for different booking types?
Yes. You can connect both Stripe and PayPal, then choose which processor to use for each booking type individually.
What fees apply to paid bookings?
Your payment processor's standard fees apply — Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. TidyCal's 1% platform fee is added to the client's total at checkout and paid by them, so it does not reduce what you receive. PayPal charges their standard processing rate with no TidyCal fee.
Can clients pay with Venmo?
Yes. On booking types that use PayPal, eligible buyers in the United States (paying in USD) see a Venmo button at checkout alongside PayPal. Venmo is offered automatically by PayPal based on the buyer's country, currency, and device — there is no separate setup.
How do I refund a paid booking?
Refunds are processed through your payment processor's dashboard (Stripe Dashboard or PayPal). TidyCal does not process refunds directly. See Refunds for details.