Payment gateways

Online payment (booking deposit, package purchase, voucher sale) in Bookinda goes through a payment gateway. Two supported providers.

Stripe Connect

International, card-based. Supports:

• Card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
• Saved card
• Apple Pay, Google Pay
• 3D Secure strong authentication

Setup

1. Settings → Payments → Gateways → Stripe
2. "Connect to Stripe" button
3. Stripe account create or connect existing
4. Bank account details (receives revenue)
5. Activation verification (1-2 business days)

Revenue: Stripe takes a small fee per transaction (~1.5-2.9% + fixed), forwards rest to salon bank.

Barion

Hungarian provider. Supports:

• Card
• Barion wallet
• Fast online payments

Setup

1. Settings → Payments → Gateways → Barion
2. Barion account registration (on Barion's site)
3. Enter API key in Bookinda
4. Activation verification

Stripe vs Barion, which?

Pick Stripe if:

• International customers (tourism, expat)
• Apple Pay / Google Pay important
• Higher transaction volume, lower fee preferred

Pick Barion if:

• Domestic customers only
• Hungarian UX (booking page Hungarian labels look better with Barion)
• Barion wallet important

Both is fine

Bookinda supports both at the same time. Customer picks at booking. We usually avoid this (one is enough), but premium salons sometimes use both.

What you use it for

Gateways in Bookinda for:

• Booking deposit: customer pays at booking online
• Online package purchase: voucher or package online sales
• Manual card entry at till: when no physical terminal
• No-show fee card charge: through saved card

Saved card and tokenization

When customer first pays via gateway, their card tokenizes (secret token, not actual number). This token stays in Bookinda. For future payments (no-show fee, recurring membership), we use this without re-entering card.

Customer sees their saved cards in portal Profile → Saved Cards.

Use case scenarios

Scenario 1: New salon Stripe connection

Salon launch: owner registers Stripe account. Connects in Bookinda. Live in 2 business days. Booking deposits flow in automatically.

Scenario 2: Barion online voucher sales

Pre-Christmas, many gift voucher purchases. Barion handles fast, Hungarian UX. Revenue at salon bank in 1-2 days.

Scenario 3: Saved card for no-show

Customer paid deposit by card. Now no-shows. Manager picks "Charge saved card", Stripe deducts. Customer emailed.

Scenario 4: Membership renewal

Customer's monthly membership renews. Stripe auto-charges saved card. No manual touch.

Scenario 5: International tourist with Apple Pay

Spa, tourist, Apple Pay. Goes through Stripe. Salon doesn't deal with details, gateway handles.

Tips

• Gateway connection takes 1-2 business days: don't leave to salon launch day.
• Calculate the fee: Stripe ~2%, Barion 1-2%. Build into pricing or accept.
• Stripe asks for strict KYC: company info, bank, ID. Prepare in advance.
• Barion needs tax ID: registered Hungarian business required.
• Test before going live: 1-2 test payments (even 100 Ft) to confirm gateway works.