Common questions: signing up, the free trial, practice customers, and going live

Quick answers for your first week on Renta. For the long versions, see Setting up your business the first time, Practice customers, and Going live.

Where to find it

You sign up at the Renta signup page (the Try it free button). After signup you land in the admin. The Not live yet badge in the top bar and the Go Live page are where you switch on real payments, and Try checkout at the bottom of the sidebar is where you practice.

Questions and answers

How do I sign up?

Open the signup page and fill in First Name, Last Name, Email, Business Name, and What type of business are you?, then press Try it free. The page says "No credit card required · 14-day demo · Cancel anytime."

Do I need a password or a credit card to sign up?

Neither. Renta emails you a confirmation link ("no password needed") and sets up your account when you click it. You sign in later with a one-time code sent to your email. See Common questions: two-factor login and security.

What business types can I pick?

UTVs, Bikes, Watercrafts, Kayaks/SUP, Camping, or General. Your pick is saved with the account. It does not load any items for you.

What do I get when I sign up?

An empty account that is not live yet: a 14-day trial and three built-in Practice Customers for testing your checkout. There are no sample items, customers, or bookings, so you add your own fleet, then connect Stripe and go live. See Practice customers.

I didn't get the confirmation email, or the link says it expired. What now?

The link is good for 24 hours. If it has expired you see "That confirmation link has expired. Enter your details below and we'll send a new one." Fill in the signup form again with the same email. If it says "An account with this email already exists. Please sign in instead.", go to sign in.

How long is the free trial?

14 days. The countdown starts the first time you log in to the admin, not when you sign up. A banner shows "Not live yet — N days left in trial."

What are the limits during the trial?

By default: 10 fleet items, 20 bookings a month, 25 customers, 2 locations, and 2 team members. When you reach one you see "You've reached the demo limit of N [things]" with Request Limit Increase and Go Live for Unlimited buttons. Going live removes the limits.

How do I get more trial time?

Press Request Extension in the trial banner, or on the "Your free trial has ended" page. Both open an email to team@rentalabs.io.

What happens when the 14 days run out?

Your account is frozen, and the admin sends you to a page that says "Your free trial has ended. Your data is safe — go live to unlock your account and start accepting real bookings." with a Go Live button and Request extension. Nothing is deleted. Changes are refused until you go live or get an extension.

What does the "Not live yet" badge mean?

Your shop has not gone live. The badge in the admin top bar explains: practice with Practice Customers, then connect Stripe (or go live) to take real bookings. Owners and Managers can click it to open the Go Live page. After you go live the badge disappears.

Why can't my customers book yet?

Until you go live, your public booking page shows "[Your shop] is still getting set up. Check back soon, or contact the shop directly to book." Only your practice customers can check out before then. You can still create bookings yourself in the admin, up to the trial limits.

What is the setup wizard I see right after signup?

A short four-step screen: Welcome, Details, Payments (Stripe), and Done. Your progress is saved and you can pause any time. See Setting up your business the first time.

Can I skip the setup wizard?

Yes. On the first screen open "Not ready to set up?" and choose Skip for now, go to dashboard. On the Stripe step you can press I'll set this up later. Skipped steps can be finished later from Settings: Contact Details under Settings, and Stripe Payments under Settings → Stripe.

What does the wizard ask me for?

Your phone, email, address, website, and a business type (Rental Shop, Tour Operator, Event Rentals, Equipment Rental, or Other). The street address, city, and ZIP are needed for waivers and for Stripe, and Renta will not open Stripe until they are filled in.

Do I need Stripe?

You can look around, build your catalog, and practice without it. You need your live Stripe account connected before real customers can pay. On the Stripe step, skipping shows "Without Stripe, you won't be able to accept payments or pay out bookings." You can add it later in Settings → Stripe. See Connecting Stripe to accept payments.

What is the Demo/Live switch on the wizard's Stripe step?

Demo is "Safe for testing" and Live is "Real payments." Pick Demo to practice with test cards and Live to link the account that pays you. You can connect both later in Settings → Stripe.

How do I try my checkout without charging a real card?

Press Try checkout at the bottom of the sidebar, next to Storefront. Your storefront opens in a new tab as Practice Customer 1, with a pink banner: "Practice checkout — no real money." See Practice customers.

Which test card do I use?

4242 4242 4242 4242, any future date, any CVC. The pink banner has a Copy card number button, and Exit practice to leave.

What do practice bookings do, and can I get rid of them?

Practice bookings run on Stripe's test mode, show pink on the bookings list, and send their emails to the account owner's login with "[Practice]" at the start of the subject, never to a real customer. A real gift card cannot be used on one. Owners and Managers can delete them all with Clear practice bookings on the Bookings page. Staff cannot clear them.

How do I go live?

An Owner opens the Go Live page (click Not live yet in the top bar, or Set up live payments in the trial banner). Press Continue, then Connect live Stripe account and finish Stripe's forms, then press Next and Activate live mode. You then see "You're live." See Going live: turning on real payments.

What do I need in place before I can go live?

Three things: a live Stripe account that Stripe has enabled to take charges, at least one published item, and a price on at least one published item. Without a published item Renta says "Cannot go live without at least one published item that isn't demo sample data." (older wording; it just means you need to publish one of your own items). Without a price it says "Cannot go live with zero-price items. Set a price on at least one published item." See Publishing an item.

Who is allowed to go live?

Only the account Owner can press Activate live mode ("Only the account owner can activate live mode"). Connecting the live Stripe account is also limited to the Owner; a Manager who tries sees "Only owners and admins can manage Stripe Connect. Ask an owner/admin to complete this step."

What happens when I go live?

Real cards are charged and paid out to your bank, and your public booking page opens for real customers. The trial limits and countdown are removed. Your fleet, locations, customers, and settings stay exactly as they are. The Go Live page warns "This turns on real payments. It can't be undone from here." Going live is not the last check: Renta looks at a new shop before its first real charge, and if the account looks incomplete or inconsistent (for example nothing published, mismatched details, or a disposable email address) that charge can be held for Renta to review. Adding items or publishing a page clears it on the next attempt, or email team@rentalabs.io.

Do I lose anything I set up when I go live?

No. Going live does not delete or change anything you made. New accounts start empty, so there is no sample data to clean up. Practice bookings stay until you clear them with Clear practice bookings.

Can I switch back to demo mode after going live?

Not from a switch. The Go Live screens mention switching booking mode in Settings → Stripe, but that page only has controls to connect, refresh, open onboarding, open the Stripe dashboard, and disconnect each of your two Stripe accounts. Practice customers still let you test safely with a test card.

How do I add my staff?

Settings → Team → + Invite Member. See Common questions: team members and permissions.

What does Renta cost?

Two plans: Commission ($0 a month, renters pay a 2.5% fee at checkout) or Flat ($300 a month, no Renta fee on bookings). See Common questions: your plan, billing, and invoices.