Common questions: Stripe, payouts, and getting paid

Quick answers about Stripe, the company that moves your customers' card payments into your bank account. Renta connects to Stripe through Stripe Connect, so you keep your own Stripe account.

Where to find it

Settings → Stripe (the page is titled Stripe Connect). Owners and Managers can open it; Staff do not see it. You also meet Stripe on the setup wizard's Payments step and the Go Live page.

Questions and answers

Do I need Stripe?

For real customer payments, yes. Without a Stripe account that can take charges, your checklist says "No Stripe account is linked. Customers cannot pay you." You can build your catalog and practice without it. See Connecting Stripe to accept payments.

How do I connect Stripe?

Open Settings → Stripe. In the Live Stripe card ("Real cards with live payments.") press Connect with Stripe. Renta sends you to Stripe's own pages to finish your bank and tax details, and brings you back. Renta fills in your shop profile first so you type less.

What are the Demo Stripe and Live Stripe cards?

They are two separate connections. Demo Stripe is for "Test payments, refunds, etc. No real money." and Live Stripe is for real cards. Connecting one does not connect the other. Practice customers use test cards; real customers pay through Live Stripe. See Practice customers.

Do I have to connect Demo Stripe?

Not to go live. Going live needs only the Live Stripe account. Connecting Demo Stripe lets practice bookings route to your test account (still with test cards). The two shortcut buttons at the top, Connect demo Stripe (test mode) and Connect live Stripe (production), scroll you to each card.

What does "Onboarding incomplete" mean?

Stripe still needs more information before it will let that account take charges. The card shows "Finish onboarding in Stripe to enable charges." with an Open onboarding link that takes you back to where you left off. Once Stripe is happy, the card says Connected with a green dot.

What do "Charges" and "Payouts" mean, and why does one say Pending?

Charges shows whether Stripe lets this account take card payments, and Payouts whether Stripe will send money to your bank. Each shows On or Pending. Pending means Stripe has not finished approving that part, usually because onboarding is not complete.

Where do I put my bank account details?

In Stripe's onboarding screens, not in Renta. Renta's note says "Bank and tax details stay on Stripe." Renta does not store your tax ID.

How long until money reaches my bank?

Renta's setup screen says deposits hit your account in 2 business days. The payout timing itself is set by Stripe. To see your payouts, press Open Stripe Dashboard on the connected card.

Why is there no "Open Stripe Dashboard" button?

It only appears once the account is fully connected (charges enabled). If the card says Onboarding incomplete, finish onboarding first.

How do I change the business details Renta sends to Stripe?

The Business profile (demo & live Connect) card shows the name, email, phone, address, and website Renta sends to Stripe whenever you start or resume onboarding. Change them in General settings (press "Need changes?") and then reopen onboarding. See Your business contact details.

What does "Live Stripe account can't be reached" mean?

Renta cannot see the Stripe account it has saved, which usually means it belongs to a different Stripe platform. The banner says "Live checkouts will fail until this is reconnected" (or "Demo-lane checkouts" for the demo card). Reconnect the account on the card shown.

How do I disconnect Stripe, and does it close my Stripe account?

Press Disconnect on the card and confirm "Disconnect Live Stripe?" (or Demo). It only removes the link between Renta and your Stripe account; your Stripe account is not deleted. While Live Stripe is disconnected, customers cannot pay you.

How do I switch to a different Stripe account?

Press Disconnect on the card, then press Connect with Stripe and sign in to the other account. Do this at a quiet time, because customers cannot pay while nothing is connected.

Why does it say "Only owners and admins can manage Stripe Connect"?

Connecting, reopening onboarding, and disconnecting are limited to the account Owner. A Manager or Staff member sees that message when pressing Connect with Stripe or Open onboarding. Disconnect is refused for them too, though the page may show nothing. Ask the Owner to do it.

Why can't I see the Stripe card in Settings?

It needs the "Manage payments" permission, which Owners and Managers have and Staff do not. See Common questions: team members and permissions.

Why do I see "Bookings frozen" at the top of the Stripe page?

Your 14-day trial ended and the account is frozen. Go live to unfreeze it. See Common questions: signing up, the free trial, practice customers, and going live.

What error messages can appear when I press Connect with Stripe, and what do they mean?

• "Return URLs could not be validated. Reload the page and try again." Reload and retry.
• "Stripe could not start Connect onboarding. Try again in a moment." Try again shortly.
• "Stripe needs the Connect platform profile completed (loss responsibilities)..." This is a setup step on Renta's side; contact team@rentalabs.io.

How much does Renta charge on top of Stripe?

The Platform Fees card at the bottom of the page shows it. On the Commission plan: "You keep 100% of the booking — renters pay the platform fee at checkout" (2.5% a booking). On the Flat plan: "Renters pay no Renta fee — your $300/month covers it." See Renta's fee vs. your subscription plan.

How do I ask for extra bank verification or a photo ID on big bookings?

Those are checkout settings, not Stripe settings. See Requiring extra bank verification for payments and Requiring a photo ID before high-value bookings.

How are security deposits handled in Stripe?

As a hold on the customer's card. See How deposits are billed.