How Payments Work
We use Stripe to power secure online payments for booking systems, helping businesses take deposits and payments through their own website.
This page explains how payments are handled, where the money goes, and what is involved when connecting online payments to your booking system.
At a glance
Key information
We want payment setup to feel clear, secure and straightforward for our clients.
In simple terms, your customers pay through your website, the payment is processed securely by Stripe, and the money goes directly to your own Stripe account rather than through Black Pastel.
Your Stripe account
You will need your own Stripe account in order to accept payments online through your booking system.
Where money goes
Payments go directly to your Stripe account and are then paid out to your business bank account by Stripe.
Who controls refunds
You remain in control of your customer payments, refunds, disputes and business policies.
Our role
Black Pastel sets up and connects the payment system to your website, but we do not hold customer funds.
How online payments work
When a booking system is set up with online payments, the process is designed to be simple for both you and your customers.
1. Creating your Stripe account
To take online payments, you will first need to create a Stripe account for your business.
This is the account that securely processes card payments and sends funds to your bank account. Stripe may ask for standard business details, identification and bank information as part of the setup process.
2. Connecting Stripe to your website
Once your Stripe account is ready, we connect it to your booking system so payments can be taken securely through your website.
This allows your customers to pay deposits, full balances or booking fees online, depending on how your system is configured.
3. Customer payments
When a customer books through your website and makes a payment, Stripe handles the transaction securely.
The payment is processed through your Stripe account, not ours, which means the funds belong to your business from the point of payment processing.
4. Payouts to your bank
Stripe then pays the funds out to your connected business bank account based on its payout schedule.
You can view transactions, payouts, refunds and reports within your Stripe dashboard.
5. Stripe processing fees
Stripe charges its own transaction fees for processing card payments.
These fees are separate from Black Pastel setup or support fees and are charged by Stripe directly as part of using their payment platform.
6. What your booking system can take payments for
Depending on your business model, your booking system can be configured to take:
- deposits
- full payments
- remaining balances
- booking fees
- optional extras
- discounted or promotional rates
7. Refunds, disputes and chargebacks
As the business owner, you remain responsible for your customer payments, refunds, disputes, cancellations and business policies.
Black Pastel is not responsible for customer chargebacks, refund requests, no-shows, cancellation disputes or payment processor decisions.
8. Platform fees
Black Pastel is not currently charging a platform fee on standard service-based booking systems.
In future, certain specialist systems such as accommodation booking platforms may include a platform fee where this has been clearly stated before setup or launch.
9. Security
Card payments are handled securely through Stripe. Your website does not store raw customer card details on your server.
This helps provide a safer payment process for both your business and your customers.
10. Support with setup
We can guide you through connecting Stripe to your website as part of your booking system setup.
This includes making sure the website is ready to take online payments and that the payment flow works correctly with your booking process.
If you have any questions about payment setup, please contact hello@blackpastel.co.uk.