Deposits, balances and where the money goes

You choose whether a camper pays a deposit when they book, with the rest on arrival or by a date you set, or pays for the whole stay up front. Every payment is a charge on your own Stripe account, so the money is yours from the second it clears.

Three ways to take the money

One setting, changed whenever you like. It applies to new bookings from the moment you change it.

Setting	What the guest pays now	What happens next	Suits
Deposit, balance on arrival	Your deposit	They pay the rest when they get there, however you normally take it.	Sites that like to see the van before the money.
Deposit, the rest by a date you set	Your deposit	They pay the rest themselves by your date, through a secure link we email them with a reminder before it. Nothing is taken from a card unless they press pay.	Longer stays and busy weeks, where you want the money in before they set off.
Pay in full	The whole stay	Nothing. It is settled.	Short stays, glamping, anywhere a no-show costs you the night.

PitchDesk does not take the balance automatically yet

There is no setting that takes the rest off a guest's card for them. Either the guest pays it themselves, on the day or through the link by your date, or you take the whole stay when they book. Your Today screen shows what each guest still has to pay.

How the deposit is worked out

Three ways, and you pick one: a percentage of the stay, a fixed amount, or the first night. A percentage keeps a long stay and a short stay in proportion. The first night is the easiest thing to explain to a guest on the telephone.

You can also set a window before arrival inside which there is no point splitting the payment. Anyone booking that close to the date pays the whole stay at once, and the guest is told that clearly before they pay.

When the rest is paid

When they arrive, however you take money now, in cash or on the card machine in the office. The confirmation email and the guest's booking page both show what is left to pay, and so does your list of arrivals on the day.

On that setting nobody chases it for you, and nothing comes off the guest's card unless they are there to pay it. If you would rather have the money before the van turns up, set a date for the rest and we email the guest a link to pay it, or take the whole stay at booking.

A worked booking

4 nights, hardstanding with electric£180
Firewood, 2 nets£12
Dog, 4 nights£8
Total£200

Deposit at 25%, taken now: £50
Balance of £150 paid on arrival.

Stripe's fee on the £50 deposit is £0.90. It goes to Stripe. We add nothing to it.

Your Stripe account, and why that matters

When a camper pays, the charge is made on your Stripe account. There is no application fee on it and no step where the money sits with PitchDesk. Stripe pays out to your bank on their normal schedule, the same as it would if you had built the booking form yourself.

You are the merchant of record. Your name is on the card statement. Your terms are the ones the camper agreed to. Refunds come out of your balance and you can issue them from the booking or from your own Stripe dashboard.

If a guest disputes a payment, the chargeback is yours to answer. That sounds like a drawback until you consider the alternative, which is a company in the middle deciding for you and taking the money back out of your next payout.

And if PitchDesk stopped trading tomorrow, every payment you have ever taken is still in an account with your name on it. Nothing of yours is inside our business.

What Stripe charges you

Card	Fee
UK cards	1.4% + 20p
European Economic Area cards	2.5% + 20p
Cards from anywhere else	3.25% + 20p

Paid by you, to Stripe, from your own account. PitchDesk adds nothing to it.

Connecting takes about ten minutes

If you already use Stripe, you sign in and pick the account. If you do not, you open one with your business details, your bank account and some identification. You can set everything else up before you do it and connect Stripe on the day you go live.

Questions

Do you take anything from the payment?

No. There is no application fee on the charge and no percentage anywhere. Our income is the £7.99 a month you pay us directly.

Can I refund a guest?

Yes, in full or in part, from the booking. The money leaves your Stripe balance and reaches the guest in a few working days. Stripe does not return its processing fee on a refund, which is worth knowing before you write your cancellation policy.

Can PitchDesk take the balance before they arrive?

Not yet. Today the guest pays a deposit or the whole stay when they book, and anything left is paid when they get to you. If you want the money in before the day, take the whole stay at booking, or send the guest a payment link from your own Stripe dashboard and record it on the booking once it is paid.

Can I take a booking without a card at all?

Yes. Add it yourself from your dashboard and record how they paid. Bank transfer, cash, cheque or a card machine in the office all still work, and the booking sits in the same calendar.

Do you store card numbers?

No. Card details go from the guest to Stripe and never touch our servers. We keep a reference to the payment. The card itself stays with Stripe.

What currency?

Pounds sterling, on a UK Stripe account. A card issued anywhere in the world can pay, and Stripe charges the international rate for it.

Money into your account, from the first booking

Thirty days free with no card. Connect Stripe when you are ready to go live and keep everything a guest pays.

£7.99 a month

£95.88 a year. Any number of pitches. No commission on anything you take.

Start free for 30 days See what it costs

No card to start. Cancel from your own settings page.