Payment Settings

With Stripe connected, customers can keep a card on file, Petboost charges it automatically and sends receipts, and every payment is matched to its booking for your team, your customers and your accountant. Pricing & Payments also holds Deposits and Card on file, which Booking configuration and Deposits and pre-authorisation cover. The cancellation fee is on Policies & Paperwork, Auto-pay invoices is on Automatic Actions, payout timing and transaction history are on Stripe Payouts, and your own Petboost plan and invoices are on Billing.

Payments through Stripe Australia

Petboost uses localised Stripe AU:

• Prices are GST-inclusive, as Australian Consumer Law requires
• Stripe charges local processing rates: 1.7% + $0.30 per transaction
• Everything is in Australian dollars, with no currency conversion fees or USD billing
• Invoices and receipts show a GST line, and a total marked incl. GST, only when a GST registration is recorded on your business account
• Stripe payments can reach Xero automatically when you set up Stripe as a bank feed in Xero. Set Up Stripe Bank Feeds, in Accounting Integration under Advanced options on Pricing & Payments, opens the same guide, and Get Started with Xero sits beside it

Connect Stripe

Business Pro, Business Flex and Business Max take card payments through Stripe, and need it for online booking, Card on File and no-show protection. Until a Stripe account is connected, Activate Stripe opens over Petboost, and it has no close button. Connecting Stripe does not force you to take every payment through it.

1. Open Pricing & Payments. Activate Stripe opens on top.
2. Under Have these ready, gather your photo ID (driver's licence or passport), your ABN and business details, and your BSB and account number.
3. Tick I have my photo ID, ABN, and bank details ready.
4. Select Finish Account Setup with Stripe and complete Stripe's steps.

When Stripe sends you back, Petboost Payments on Pricing & Payments shows Petboost Payments Active and your Stripe account ID. Where the dialog does not open, Connect Stripe under Petboost Payments starts the same hand-off to Stripe.

If this is your first Stripe account, Stripe runs a one-time bank check of 7 to 14 days after your first payment. Choose daily automatic payouts during Stripe's setup.

Fees on card payments

Petboost keeps the Stripe processing fee and the Petboost platform fee separate, and you choose who pays each one:

The rates on each plan are:

Stripe charges 1.7% + $0.30 per transaction for card payments in Australia. Petboost charges a platform fee on transactions processed through Petboost: 1.4% per transaction on Business Pro, 1.4% on Business Flex and 1.2% on Business Max. The badge beside each switch under Fee Configuration shows the rate on your plan, read from Stripe.

Choose who pays the fees

Each fee has its own switch under Fee Configuration, and both are off on a new account. From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards: see Build fees into your prices before you pass a fee on.

1. Open Pricing & Payments.
2. Under Fee Configuration, switch Pass Stripe fee to customer on to add the card processing fee to the invoice, or off to absorb it.
3. Switch Pass platform fee to customer on to add the Petboost booking fee to the invoice, or off to absorb it.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

When Pass Stripe fee to customer is on, Petboost adds a Card Processing Fee line to invoices paid by Card on File, Card Reader or Secure Payment Link. Cash, Bank Transfer and Other EFTPOS payments never carry it. When it is off, Stripe deducts its fee from the payment and the customer sees no card fee line.

When Pass platform fee to customer is on, Petboost adds the platform fee to invoices paid by Card on File, Card Reader or Secure Payment Link, as a Booking Fee line. It is not added to Cash, Bank Transfer or Other EFTPOS payments. When it is off, Petboost deducts the fee from your payout and the customer sees no booking fee line. While your account's booking fee is waived, a badge beside the switch reads Waived with the days remaining.

While either switch is on, the page shows the Card surcharge ban takes effect 1 October 2026 banner. Select Build fees into pricing on the banner to open Pricing Assistant.

Appointments that are already paid keep the fees they were charged. Petboost recalculates the fees on unpaid appointments with the new setting when their invoice is generated or they are marked paid.

Build fees into your prices

From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards. Most businesses build their processing costs into their service prices, so the customer sees one price with no surcharge line.

1. Open Services, open the settings menu (the gear) at the top of the page, and select Pricing Assistant.
2. Select Build Fees Into Pricing, then follow the steps in Pricing Assistant.
3. Open Pricing & Payments.
4. Under Fee Configuration, switch off each fee you built into your prices.
5. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

Pricing Assistant changes service prices only. It does not turn off Pass Stripe fee to customer or Pass platform fee to customer, so a fee you leave on is added on top of the new price.

Add bank details to your invoices

Add your bank account for customers who want to pay by bank transfer, such as customers without a credit card, customers paying a large invoice, or international customers avoiding currency conversion fees. These are not where Stripe pays you: your payout bank account is on Stripe Payouts.

1. Open Pricing & Payments.
2. Under Bank details on your invoices, enter your BSB, the 6-digit bank-state-branch number, as 062 124 or 062-124.
3. Enter your business bank Account Number, for example 1169 7572.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

Petboost includes these details in emails and PDFs sent to customers who select bank transfer, as the For customers paying by bank transfer note on the page says. The invoice shows your BSB and account number, the customer transfers the payment straight to your account, and you mark the appointment paid once the money arrives.

Bank transfer payment confirmation

When a customer pays by bank transfer, send them the invoice with your bank details, then mark the appointment paid in Petboost once the money is in your account.

1. Open the appointment from Appointments.
2. Under Payment Method, select Bank Transfer.
3. Select Request bank transfer to send the invoice with your bank details. The appointment is marked as awaiting payment, not paid.
4. When the money arrives, select Mark paid by bank transfer.

Both buttons show the amount due first. Once a request has gone, Resend bank transfer request sends it again, and Download bank transfer PDF gives you the invoice to send yourself. When you mark it paid, Petboost records the payment in your payment history and emails the customer a receipt while Email the customer: booking updates is on under Notifications.

If the booking is still Pending, the invoice warns This booking is still pending. Marking it paid records the money that has already arrived and confirms the booking for the customer. No card is charged.

Activate in-person payments

Take card payments in person on a Stripe card reader connected to Petboost. The reader connects over Wi-Fi, needs a stable internet connection and has no mobile data option, and it charges the appointment directly with no separate terminal software. In-Person Payments appears once Stripe is connected.

1. Open Pricing & Payments.
2. If In-Person Payments is not on screen, switch on Advanced options.
3. If the card shows Activate In-person Payments, no reader is connected yet: order a Stripe Reader S700 from Stripe.
4. Connect the reader to your Wi-Fi network.
5. Register the reader in your Stripe Dashboard.
6. Ask Petboost support to connect the reader to your Petboost account.
7. When the reader is connected, check its Reader ID, Location ID and Splash Screen on the card.
8. Optional: select Manage in Stripe to manage the reader, or Stripe Terminal Settings to change the splash screen.

For each step, see Card reader setup. Stripe stopped selling the WisePOS E on 1 September 2026, and a WisePOS E you already own keeps working with Petboost. Petboost support guides you through setup.

When a reader is connected, In-Person Payments shows:

• WisePOS E Terminal, the label for any connected reader, including a Stripe Reader S700, with Online or Offline
• Reader ID
• Location ID, when Stripe has one
• Splash Screen, when Stripe has a splash image
• Manage in Stripe
• Stripe Terminal Settings, to update the splash screen
• View Terminal Loan Agreement, when a loan URL exists

Online and Offline show whether in-person payments are switched on for your account. They do not show whether the reader is connected to Wi-Fi.

A card reader suits walk-in customers without an online booking, customers who prefer to pay in person, front desk or reception checkout, mobile services where there is Wi-Fi, and topping up your online payments. It suits mobile services without Wi-Fi, very low transaction volumes, or a business that already has another terminal system less well.

Take an in-person card payment

Charge the appointment on the connected reader while the customer is with you.

1. Open the appointment from Appointments.
2. Under Payment Method, select Card Reader.
3. Select Take in-person Payment. The reader displays the amount.
4. Ask the customer to tap or insert their card.

The payment processes through Stripe and Petboost marks the appointment paid. Petboost does not email a receipt for a card reader payment. To give the customer a receipt, open the appointment and select Download Receipt.

Record a payment from another terminal

If you already have a payment terminal, such as Smart Pay, Square or a bank-supplied EFTPOS machine, you can keep using it and record those payments in Petboost as Other EFTPOS, the external payment machine option. Take the payment on your terminal as usual first.

1. Open the appointment from Appointments.
2. Under Payment Method, select Other EFTPOS.
3. Select Mark as Paid. Petboost marks the invoice paid.

Petboost does not charge a fee for External Payment Machine payments.

Payment methods compared

Petboost records six payment methods. Card on File, Card Reader and Secure Payment Link go through Stripe. Bank Transfer, Cash and Other EFTPOS record money you received some other way.

Card on File

Card on File suits most appointments. Petboost charges the saved card after the service, so there is no chasing, and every payment is matched to its booking. Card payments reach Xero or QuickBooks through the Stripe bank feed, so there is less to enter by hand. Pre-hold funds protects you against no-shows and late cancellations, and Stripe pays out to your bank account daily. It costs 1.7% + $0.30 per transaction, and you pay only when you get paid.

Secure Payment Link

A payment link needs no card on file. The customer pays on their own device, on a secure Stripe-hosted payment page, and Petboost confirms the payment automatically. You can send the link by SMS or email, or copy it. It suits customers without a card on file, one-off purchases, collecting payment remotely, and package sales.

The customer has to complete the payment themselves, so it is slightly slower than Card on File, and sending by SMS needs the customer's mobile number. Stripe processing and the Petboost platform fee apply as they do to any card payment. When Petboost texts the link, a $0.30 SMS fee is added to the platform fee. A link sent by email or copied carries no SMS fee.

Bank Transfer

A bank transfer needs no credit card, carries low or no fees on a large payment, and goes straight to your business account. It is slower (1 to 3 days), the customer must remember to pay, nothing is charged automatically, and you verify each payment yourself. It suits large invoices, customers without cards, and international payments.

Card Reader

A card reader takes the payment face to face, which some customers trust and prefer, and confirms it instantly. It needs a Stripe card reader, bought from Stripe, and Wi-Fi, and processing fees still apply. It suits walk-in customers, front desk checkout and in-person services.

Cash

Cash carries no processing fees and the funds are immediate. You record each payment in Petboost yourself, handle and secure the cash, and reconcile it without automatic tracking. It suits customers who prefer cash or prefer not to use technology.

Other EFTPOS

Other EFTPOS lets you keep your existing terminal and your bank's rate, with no Stripe processing fees on those transactions and a workflow your team knows. It suits a business with an existing terminal relationship, a lower bank rate, or customers who prefer to pay by card in person without Card on File.

The trade-offs:

• Payments do not sync automatically with Petboost records
• There is no connection to Xero Bank Feeds through Stripe
• You reconcile them manually at the end of each quarter, and your accountant has two sources of payment data
• There is no Pre-hold funds, no-show protection or Auto-pay invoices for these transactions
• They do not count toward the $7,500 subscription waiver threshold

Stripe or your own terminal

Many businesses ask whether to use Stripe for everything or keep their existing EFTPOS terminal. On Business Pro, the fees compare like this:

From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards. See Build fees into your prices.

The subscription waiver (Stripe payments only)

Process $7,500+ through Stripe in a billing month → next month's $65 Business Pro plan fee is waived. A billing month starts on your subscription's renewal date. The waiver covers the plan fee only, so the booking fee still applies. Business Flex and Business Max have their own thresholds: see Subscription Waiver.

• Process $7,500 via Stripe in one billing month → the next month's plan fee = $0
• Process $7,500 via Stripe in the billing month after that → the following plan fee = $0
• Each billing month counts separately (not cumulative)

External Payment Machine transactions don't count toward the $7,500 threshold. Only Stripe payments (Card on File, payment links, Stripe Terminal) count.

Bookkeeping

With Stripe for every payment, each payment matches its appointment automatically, Stripe Bank Feeds give Xero one data source, and the end-of-quarter reconciliation is straightforward.

With an external payment machine as well, Stripe payments still reach Xero through the bank feed, but external payments land on a separate bank statement that you reconcile by hand. At the end of the quarter you match two sources against your appointments, which takes more bookkeeping time.

Which to use

When you compare the two, count the bookkeeping time as well as the fees.

Use Stripe and your own terminal together

You can use both in the same business, which is common while a business moves to Petboost or has customers with particular needs. Stripe stays connected either way: Business Pro, Business Flex and Business Max need it.

• Online bookings: leave Allow booking without card off on Pricing & Payments so customers add a card when they book, and switch on Auto-pay invoices on Automatic Actions to charge it after the appointment
• Walk-in customers: take the payment on your existing terminal and record it as Other EFTPOS
• Customers who will not save a card: switch on Book Without Card for that customer, as in Set payment rules for one customer, then record their payment as Other EFTPOS, Cash or Bank Transfer
• One service without a card: switch on Allow booking without payment method on that service's Pricing & Payments tab

At checkout, choose the payment method for each appointment. A service's switch only relaxes the rule: when Allow booking without card is on for the business, every service can be booked without a card. A booking that takes a deposit always needs a card.

Set payment rules for one customer

Override your payment settings for one customer when they need different rules, such as a trusted long-term customer who should not have funds pre-held.

1. Open Customers & Pets and choose the customer.
2. Open the Settings & Overrides tab.
3. Under Payment Automation, switch Pre-Hold Funds or Auto-Pay Invoices for this customer.
4. Optional: under How They Can Book, switch on Book Without Card to let them book online without a saved card.
5. Select Save Changes.

These override your business defaults for this customer only. A switch that differs from your business setting shows Different to default.

Common questions

Should I pass fees to customers or absorb them?

From 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit cards. Most businesses build their processing costs into their service prices with Build Fees Into Pricing in Pricing Assistant. See Build fees into your prices. The other common approach is to absorb the fees and keep your prices as they are. Weigh the norms in your area, your competitors' pricing, how sensitive your customers are to price, and your margins.

Can I change who pays fees later?

Yes. Appointments that are already paid keep the fees they were charged. Petboost recalculates the fees on unpaid appointments with the new setting when their invoice is generated or they are marked paid.

What if a customer's bank transfer never arrives?

Follow up with the customer: they may have made an error or forgotten. On the appointment, Resend bank transfer request sends the invoice and your bank details again. Mark the appointment paid only after the money reaches your account.

Do I need a card reader?

Only if you want to take in-person card payments through Petboost. It's optional, and you can rely on online payments only. New readers are the Stripe Reader S700, and a WisePOS E you already own keeps working with Petboost.

Can I use my existing card terminal with Petboost?

Not connected to Petboost. Petboost connects to Stripe card readers only. You can keep another EFTPOS machine and record those payments as Other EFTPOS on the appointment.

Can I use my bank-supplied EFTPOS terminal instead of Stripe to avoid transaction fees?

Petboost takes card payments through Stripe only. You can record payments from your own terminal as Other EFTPOS, but those payments lose what Stripe provides: charging automatically after the service, the automatic match between each payment and its booking, the Stripe bank feed to Xero or QuickBooks, and Pre-hold funds for no-show protection. Cash and Bank Transfer carry no Stripe fees, and you track and verify them yourself.

Stripe's fee (1.7% + $0.30) and the Petboost booking fee (1.4% on Business Pro, 1.4% on Business Flex, 1.2% on Business Max) buy automatic charging, clean payment records and the Xero bank feed. Payments recorded as Other EFTPOS carry neither fee. Weigh the two against the time you spend on bookkeeping now.

What are Stripe's fees?

Typically 1.7% + $0.30 per transaction in Australia. The badge beside Pass Stripe fee to customer on Pricing & Payments shows the rate on your plan. Check your Stripe Dashboard for your exact rate based on volume.

Can customers pay with PayPal or other services?

No. PayPal integration is not available. Petboost takes card payments through Stripe (Card on File, Card Reader and Secure Payment Link) and records Bank Transfer, Cash and Other EFTPOS payments.

What if my Wi-Fi goes down and I have in-person payments?

You need another way to take payment, such as cash or another card terminal recorded as Other EFTPOS. Stripe Terminal needs an internet connection.

Related FAQs

Have questions about payments? See these commonly asked questions:

• Should customers or business pay processing fees?
• Can I use my bank EFTPOS terminal instead of Stripe?
• How does Petboost prevent no-shows and missed payments?
• How do payment processing fees work?
• What if a cancellation fee charge fails?
• How does the payment system work step-by-step?
• How do I record an in-person payment so the saved card isn't charged?

Next steps

• Build card and platform fees into your prices with Pricing Assistant, or absorb them
• Add bank transfer details if you offer that option
• Consider in-person payments if you have walk-in customers
• Connect Stripe on Pricing & Payments
• Test your payment workflow with a test appointment
• Switch on auto-payment on Automatic Actions
• Read Payouts to understand when money arrives in your bank

Need help with Stripe?

For issues outside Petboost's control, such as disputes, payout failures, bank account verification, Stripe fees or account restrictions, contact Stripe directly. See When to Contact Stripe Support for when and how to contact Stripe's 24/7 support team.