Getting paid your way: money into your account, not a platform wallet

It is an easy question to forget to ask when you choose booking software. When a client pays, where does the money actually go first? The answer matters more than it sounds, because it decides whether you control your own cash flow or someone else does.

The platform wallet problem

Some platforms collect payments on your behalf and hold the balance in a wallet of their own. They then pay you out on their schedule and their terms. In the best case it is merely a delay. In the worst case a balance can be frozen while a question is sorted out, and your cash is stuck inside someone else's system at exactly the wrong moment.

Your own Stripe, your own money

Bookatu does it the other way round. When a client pays a deposit, or buys a gift card, package or membership, the money goes into your own Stripe account. Stripe then pays it out to your bank on a regular schedule. Bookatu never holds your money and never takes a cut of your bookings (see Getting paid and payouts, and Connecting Stripe for payments).

• Payments land in your own account, with no middleman sitting on your cash.
• You can see every payment and when it is due to reach your bank.
• Stripe pays out on its regular schedule, often every couple of business days.
• Refunds are done by you, from your own Stripe dashboard.

Why direct payment protects your cash flow

Cash flow is the heartbeat of a small business. When the money you earn goes straight into your own account and pays out on a predictable schedule, you can plan with confidence. There is no platform deciding when you get to use your own takings, and no surprise hold to throw off a payroll run.

You stay in control of refunds and disputes

Because payments run through your own Stripe account, you handle refunds directly. If you need to give money back, you do it from your Stripe dashboard, in full or in part, on your own judgement (see Refunds and cancellation charges). A clear cancellation policy still lets you keep a deposit when someone cancels at the last minute, so being in control does not mean being out of pocket.

Setting it up once

You connect Stripe once and add your bank account so payouts have somewhere to go. You can start on a test key while you practise, with no real money moving, then switch to a live key when you are ready to take real payments. If anything looks off, our guide Stripe is not working covers the common snags (see Connecting Stripe for payments).

Getting paid directly is part of a bigger idea that runs through Bookatu, which we set out in Why we built a booking platform that takes 0% commission. Your money is yours. You can start free, connect your own Stripe, and see how the plans work on the pricing page.