Understanding how payment processing works in Haven helps you manage your finances and provide a smooth booking experience for guests.
Guest Payment Options
Guests can pay using a variety of methods, including:
- Cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and more
- Apple Pay & Google Pay — One-tap checkout on supported devices
- Link — Stripe's one-click checkout for faster repeat bookings
- Klarna & Affirm — Buy now, pay later and pay in installments
- Cash App Pay — For US guests
- Pay by Bank — Direct bank transfer (US)
Haven supports buy now, pay later and pay in installments so guests can split the cost over time. See Guest Payment Methods for full details.
Payment Flow
Booking Process
- Guest selects dates - Chooses check-in and check-out dates
- Views total price - Sees base price, fees, discounts, and taxes
- Chooses payment method - Card, Link, Klarna, Affirm, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or other options
- Payment processed - Stripe securely processes the payment
- Booking confirmed - Guest receives confirmation
Payment Timing
Payments are processed immediately:
- Charged immediately - When guest completes checkout
- Transferred immediately - Funds are transferred directly to your Stripe account
- Available for payout - Funds are available immediately for payout
Payment Components
Base Price
- Your nightly rate
- Multiplied by number of nights
- Foundation of the total price
Fees
- Cleaning fees
- Service fees
- Other applicable fees
- Added to base price
Discounts
- Weekly discounts
- Monthly discounts
- Custom discounts
- Subtracted from price
Taxes
- Tax rate set by you in pricing settings
- Applied as a percentage of the total booking amount
- You are responsible for inputting the correct local tax rate
- Taxes are included in your payouts, and you remit them to tax authorities
Refunds
Cancellation Refunds
Refunds processed according to your cancellation policy:
- Flexible - Full refund if canceled 7+ days before
- Moderate - Full refund if canceled 7+ days before
- Strict - Full refund if canceled 30+ days before
- Custom - Per your custom policy
Important: All guest-initiated refunds are subject to a non-refundable payment processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) which is deducted from the refund amount. This fee is charged by Stripe and cannot be recovered. Host-initiated cancellations provide a full refund to the guest (the host absorbs the processing fee).
Refund Processing
- Refunds processed automatically
- Processed to original payment method
- Typically takes 5-10 business days
- Processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) deducted from guest-initiated refunds
- You'll see refund status in booking details
Payment Reporting
Viewing Payments
Access payment information from:
- Host Dashboard
- Individual booking details
- Payment history section
Payment Details
Each payment shows:
- Amount charged
- Payment date
- Payout date
- Payment status
- Transaction ID
Managing Payments
Payment Issues
If a payment fails:
- Guest is notified
- Booking may be pending
- Guest can retry payment
- You'll see payment status
Handling Refunds
To process a refund:
- Open booking - Navigate to booking details
- Process refund - Click refund option
- Confirm - Confirm refund amount (processing fee will be deducted for guest cancellations)
- Process - Refund processed to guest
Note on processing fees: When a guest cancels, the non-refundable Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) is deducted from the refund so you are not charged for the fee. When you (the host) cancel, the guest receives a full refund and the processing fee is absorbed by you.
Best Practices
- Set clear policies - Make cancellation policies clear
- Communicate pricing - Ensure guests understand total cost
- Monitor payments - Keep track of payment status
- Process refunds promptly - Handle refunds quickly when needed
- Keep records - Maintain payment records for accounting
Payment Processing Fees
Haven uses Stripe for secure payment processing. The payment processing fees are:
- Rate: 2.9% + $0.03 per transaction
- Who Pays: You (the host) - this fee is automatically deducted from your payout
- What It Covers: Secure card processing, fraud protection, and payment handling
- Note: This is standard across all payment processors (Stripe, Square, PayPal, etc.)
Fee Examples
- $500 booking: 2.9% = $14.50 + $0.03 = $14.53 processing fee
- $1,000 booking: 2.9% = $29.00 + $0.03 = $29.03 processing fee
- $2,000 booking: 2.9% = $58.00 + $0.03 = $58.03 processing fee
How Fees Are Applied
- Guest pays the full booking amount (base price + fees + taxes + service fee if on Essentials plan)
- Payment is processed through Stripe
- Stripe deducts the 2.9% + $0.03 processing fee from the transaction
- Remaining amount is transferred to your Stripe connected account
- You can see the processing fee details in your Stripe dashboard
Payment Processing vs. Service Fees
Payment Processing Fee (Stripe):
- Paid by: Host (you)
- Rate: 2.9% + $0.03 per transaction
- Applies to: All bookings
- Purpose: Payment processing and security
Service Fee (Haven):
- Paid by: Guest (on Essentials plan only)
- Rate: 4% per booking (Essentials plan) or 0% (Pro plan)
- Applies to: Haven Essentials plan only
- Purpose: Platform service fee
These are separate fees:
- Payment processing fee is always paid by the host
- Service fee (if applicable) is paid by the guest and not deducted from your payout
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