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Get paid by card

Take card payments through Stripe or Square on invoices and booking pages, and understand what the couple sees before and after they pay.

Updated September 2, 2026

Couples pay by card through Stripe or Square. The card options appear on every invoice page and on the Pay step of every booking page. Hailo takes 0% of the payment; you keep everything except the processor's own fee.

Turn a card rail on

A card rail shows to couples only when it is both connected and switched on.

  1. Connect the processor under Settings > Integrations (Stripe (Payments) or Square (Payments)). See Stripe and Square.
  2. Open Settings > Client payment methods. Under Payment rails, switch on Stripe ("Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH. Auto-confirms via webhook.") or Square ("Card payments through Square. Auto-confirms via webhook.").

The rail's row shows a Connected or Needs setup chip. With the switch on but nothing connected, the row warns: "Connect Stripe in Integrations first, or this rail won't appear on the client's payment menu." A Stripe account that still needs its bank details or identity check shows Setup incomplete on the Integrations card with Resume Stripe setup; charges do not turn on until that is finished.

Switches save as you flip them; the footer reads "Changes apply to the client payment menu." Full detail on this page is in Client payment methods.

What the couple sees on an invoice

The invoice page shows Balance due with the amount, an Overdue chip when late, or "Partially paid · $X received", then the payment methods you offer:

  • Card, Apple Pay or ACH (Stripe; labelled Credit or debit card when Square is also offered) with Pay $X now. "You'll go to Stripe's secure checkout and come straight back here. This invoice updates the moment the payment lands."
  • Credit or debit card (Square) with Pay $X by card. "You'll go to Square's secure checkout and come straight back here."

The button reads "Opening secure checkout…" while the checkout loads. If you pass the card fee on, the checkout shows a separate Card processing fee line. See Card fees.

Under the methods a line reads "Secure payment" and, only when you have a connected mailbox, "· receipt emailed to you". Hailo never promises a receipt it cannot send.

Once paid, the page shows Paid in full with the amount and date, and "A receipt was emailed to you. Thank you!" when a mailbox is connected.

What the couple sees on a booking page

The Pay step reads "Choose how you'd like to pay:" and lists Card · Stripe ("Visa, MC, Amex, Apple Pay", marked Instant) with Continue to Stripe, and Card · Square ("Credit and debit cards") with Continue to Square, alongside any manual rails. Payment is locked until the contract is signed: "Sign the contract above to unlock payment." After paying: "Payment received, you're officially booked. We'll be in touch shortly with next steps."

The pending state

After checkout the processor sends the couple back before it has told Hailo the money landed. For a few seconds the page shows "Payment approved. We're confirming it with , this page updates automatically, no need to pay again." and then refreshes to paid. If checkout could not open at all: "Checkout couldn't start just now. Give it another try below, or use a different method."

What you see

Card payments record themselves on the invoice with the method (Stripe or Square) and the date; you never type them in. Hailo rings the bell for Payment received and emails you when the studio email is set. On a booking, a confirmed deposit converts the lead, creates the event and raises the instalment invoices.

Refunds on card payments

Issue the refund in Stripe or Square. Hailo records it within a few seconds and adjusts the balance. Do not record a card refund by hand; see Manual payments.

If it didn't work

Symptom or message What to do
The couple sees "Your filmmaker hasn't set up any payment methods yet." No rail is both connected and switched on. Connect one under Integrations, then switch it on under Client payment methods.
Stripe is connected but does not show Check the switch under Client payment methods, and check the Integrations card for Setup incomplete.
The couple paid but the invoice still shows a balance Wait a few seconds and reload; the confirmation arrives from the processor. If it never lands, look for the payment in your Stripe or Square dashboard and contact support.
  • Client payment methodsChoose how couples can pay you (Stripe, Square, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, check or wire), turn on automatic reminders and decide who pays the card fee.
  • Card processing feesDecide whether you or the couple covers the card fee, set it for the studio or per invoice, and see how it shows at checkout.
  • Manual payments (Venmo, Zelle, check, wire)Offer bank and app payments, understand what "I sent it" does and does not do, record the payment when it lands, and record a refund.
  • Create and edit an invoiceBuild an invoice by hand, edit it on the document itself, split it into instalments, choose who covers the card fee, send it, and see how booking invoices are raised for you.
  • Connect StripeTake card and ACH payments from couples through your own Stripe account, with 0% taken by Hailo, and finish a setup Stripe left pending.
  • Connect SquareAdd a Pay with Square link to every invoice by connecting your own Square account.
  • Connect GmailSend proposals, invoices, questionnaire links and auto-replies from your own Gmail address, test the connection, and fix a connection that stopped sending.
  • What the couple sees on the booking pageThe Review, Sign, Questions and Pay steps on the one link, every payment method's wording, and what Hailo records when the couple opens it.
Still stuck? Send a note from the contact page and a real person at Hailo answers. Include the studio name you signed up with and, if it is about a specific screen, what you clicked.
Contact support