How to accept payments as a wedding videographer

How to accept payments as a videographer: two kinds of method

Every way a couple can pay falls into one of two groups. Payments through Stripe or Square confirm themselves: the payment records on the invoice with its method and date, the balance drops, and you get a Payment received notice. Manual payments go straight from the couple to you, so Hailo shows your details and waits for you to say the money arrived.

You pick the mix under Settings > Client payment methods. A method only appears on the couple's payment menu when it is switched on and complete, and the page warns you under any method that is missing something, so what you see there is what the couple sees.

Card, Apple Pay and ACH through your own Stripe

Stripe covers the most ground from one checkout: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and ACH bank payments. You connect your own Stripe account, or create one during setup, and the money goes to you. If you were looking for Stripe for photographers, this is the same Stripe, wired to the invoices and booking links you already send.

From the invoice the couple goes to Stripe's secure checkout, pays by card, Apple Pay or ACH there, and comes straight back to an invoice that updates when the payment lands. That is how you accept ACH payments online in Hailo: the couple picks it at checkout. Hailo takes 0% of each payment; your processor's usual fees still come out.

Already run your studio on Square? Connect it and every invoice gets a Pay with Square option, with the money landing in your Square account. Refunds on card payments are issued in Stripe or Square, and Hailo records them on the invoice for you.

Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, check and wire

Part of how to accept payments as a videographer is meeting couples where their money already is, and some would rather send it from an app they use every day. Switch on Venmo, Cash App or Zelle and add your handle, $cashtag, or the email or phone registered with Zelle. For a paper check, add who it is payable to and where to mail it; for a wire, paste your bank instructions. Each shows on the invoice with a copy button, and a memo hint can ask couples to put their last name on the payment.

If you use Venmo for business or Zelle for business, Hailo shows those details the same way; which kind of account you keep is between you and them. When the couple sends the money, they tap I sent it and can leave a note. That moves no money and does not change the balance. You get a notice, check your account, and record what arrived on the invoice. Hailo never touches the money on these methods.

Giving manual money back works the same way round: send it first, then record the refund on the invoice so your totals stay right.

Who covers the card fee

Stripe and Square charge a fee on every card payment. You can absorb it, or pass it to the couple so you keep the full invoice amount. One switch, Pass card fee to clients, sets the studio default, and any invoice can override it: follow the default, the couple pays it, or you absorb it.

When the fee is passed on, the checkout shows the invoice amount plus a separate line called Card processing fee, so the couple sees exactly what it is. Manual methods never carry it, and the invoice itself always shows the total you billed. That is how to pass Stripe fees to a customer without touching your prices.

Credit card surcharge laws by state are not uniform, and some states restrict surcharges. Check the rules where you work before you turn it on. Once payments start landing, automatic payment reminders can chase whatever is still owed.