Setting up pay-per-use

This guide leads from the Stripe account to the first paid session. What the individual settings mean is described in Pay-per-use.

The money always goes straight to the operator's Stripe account. RAWCaptureBooth does not sit in between and sees no payments.

1. Create a Stripe account#

Accounts are available at stripe.com. Stripe asks for the company, bank details and ID; only after this check are real payments paid out. Testing is possible before that.

Under “Settings” > “Public details”, enter the company name, contact address and the link to your own terms and conditions. Stripe shows them on the payment page.

2. Enter the key#

In the Stripe dashboard under “Developers” > “API keys” you find the secret key. Safer is a restricted key that can only do what the photo booth needs:

The key belongs under admin area "Access & accounts" > "Payment provider (Stripe)". Enter the test key first (starting with sk_test_ or rk_test_), the real one only after the test run.

No webhook is needed: the photo booth asks Stripe itself for the state of a payment. A webhook set up for an older version can be removed.

3. PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay#

In the Stripe dashboard under “Settings” > “Payment methods” PayPal can be activated; Stripe asks for the PayPal business account. Apple Pay and Google Pay are usually already switched on for Stripe's payment page. They appear when the guest's device supports them — on the phone, not on the photo booth screen.

Nothing needs to be set at the photo booth: the payment page shows what is active in the Stripe account.

4. Switch on pay-per-use for the event#

Under admin area "Pay-Per-Use" > "Pay-per-use (Payment)":

1. Tick Enable pay-per-use.
2. Choose the payment model. For trade fairs and parties with many sessions per guest, the credit code suits.
3. Enter prices per capture mode and for printing.
4. Set the top-up amounts, for example 10, 20 and 50 EUR.
5. Set Payment page at the photo booth to Show QR code, so guests pay on their own phone.

5. Several booths at one event#

Codes live at Stripe, not on the booth. Every booth with the same Stripe key knows the same codes, and a freshly topped-up code works at every booth straight away.

• Enter the same key on every booth.
• Bring the same event to all booths by handover or export (see Managing events). The event's access code stays the same; the booths use it to recognise that a code belongs to this event.
• Code is valid “only at this event” is then enough. For credit that should work across several events, choose “at all events of this Stripe account”.

Every charge carries the booth's computer name. In the Stripe dashboard each code therefore shows which booth took which amount.

6. Tablet as a top-up station#

With a long queue, a separate station takes load off the booth: a tablet at the entrance handles the top-ups, and the photo booth only accepts codes.

1. Tick Release top-up station (admin area "Remote management" > "Access from the network"). The address is shown below, for example http://192.168.1.20:8000/guthaben.
2. Connect the tablet to the same network and open the address in the browser.
3. Lock the page in full screen: on Android with a kiosk browser, on the iPad with Guided Access (Settings > Accessibility).
4. At the photo booth, switch off Offer top-ups at the photo booth if only codes should be entered there, and point to the tablet in the notice for guests without a code.

The guest chooses an amount on the tablet and pays via the QR code on their own phone — or with Pay on this device directly on the tablet. The tablet then shows the code in large type. An existing code can be topped up there as well.

The station can only top up: the operating interface and admin area stay locked for the tablet unless they are released separately. With Require PIN the tablet asks once for the network PIN.

7. Test run#

1. Enter the test key and switch off demo mode.
2. Top up an amount and pay with Stripe's test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 (any future expiry date, any security code).
3. Use the code for a session, print, and at the end try Another session.
4. In the Stripe dashboard under “Customers”, search for the code: the top-up and every charge are listed there.
5. Then enter the real key and run through once with a small real amount.

8. After the event#

With reservations the booth settles by itself (see Pay-per-use). If no booth is running any more, an open reservation can be captured by hand in the Stripe dashboard under “Payments”. The code's transaction history under “Customers” shows how much was used.

Unused credit stays on the code. In the Stripe dashboard it appears with the customer under “Credit balance”. A refund is made there on the original payment; afterwards reduce the customer's credit balance by the same amount so the code no longer works.

Refunds are easier in the admin area: show the code under Manage codes and choose Refund remaining credit. At the end, Close event ends all codes of the event; what happens to remaining credit is set under Remaining credit (see Pay-per-use).