How to set up Stripe payment method?

This service is provided by a third party company. We don’t take any responsibility for any changes in how this service operates or works. Any issue with this service you need to take directly to Stripe team.

How to integrate Stripe?


1. Register new Stripe account or login to your existing one.
2. Copy API keys from Stripe settings page: Live publishable key and Live secret key and paste it to Software -> Settings -> Payment Method -> Stripe Payment -> paste API keys -> click Active -> Save

a) Stripe account API tab.

 

b) Software Stripe payment method tab.

 

Important! An API key that contains dots, e.g. "sk_live_..." is incomplete and the integration will not work. Please note that by default Stripe only displays the full API key when creating it, and after closing the create window it is only partially displayed. In order to receive a full "Live secret key", a new one must be generated and then entered in the ETO account settings.

Important! The way Stripe is processing payments is changing. To continue taking payments via a widget on your website it is absolutely vital that you have a valid SSL certificate (https) on your website. If you do not have https in your website URL, then you do not have an SSL Certificate, and need to obtain one in order to keep using the EasyTaxiOffice. Contact your server provider in order to do so.

Important! Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), a new rule coming into effect on September 14, 2019, as part of PSD2 regulation in Europe, will require changes to how your European customers authenticate online payments. Card payments will require a different user experience, namely 3D Secure, in order to meet SCA requirements. Transactions that don’t follow the new authentication guidelines may be declined by your customers’ banks. Read more

During the activation of SCA, a Webhook is created. The Webhook is needed to receive payment transaction notifications from Stripe.

To activate SCA go to Settings -> Payment methods -> Stripe and enable “Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)” option. 

 

Stripe Integration Options

This section explains the configuration options available for the Stripe payment method, providing flexibility in how you manage payments and customer data.

Future Payment Usage

The "Future payment usage" setting controls whether and when Stripe saves customers’ payment methods for potential future charges. Note that any future payments using saved methods must be initiated manually from your Stripe dashboard.

You can choose from the following options:

  • Always
    Stripe will always save the customer's payment method for future use, whether they are a registered user or a guest.

  • Registered users only
    Stripe will save payment methods for future use only for users who are registered into your system. Guest users' payment details will not be saved.

  • Never
    Stripe will not save any payment methods for future use. All payments will be treated as one-time transactions requiring full payment details each time.

Customer Association and Saved Payment Methods:

  • When a registered user makes a booking, their Stripe Customer ID is saved to their user profile. This allows consistent use of their saved payment methods for future off-session charges.

  • When a guest makes a booking, Stripe creates a new customer and stores the Stripe Customer ID within the booking itself. These customer records are unique per booking and not linked to a user profile.

Customer Linkage Behavior:

  • If a customer is assigned to the booking, the transaction is associated with the customer's Stripe profile.

  • If no customer is assigned, a new Stripe customer is created and tied to that specific booking.

UI Note:
In the Booking > Transaction History popup, if a Stripe customer exists (either from the user account or stored in the booking), an "Open in Stripe" link will appear below the transaction list. This lets you quickly access the related Stripe customer in your Stripe dashboard.

Payment Capture Method

The "Payment capture method" setting determines when the funds for a payment are actually captured by Stripe after the payment method has been authorized.

You have two options:

  • Automatic (Recommended): This is the recommended setting for most taxi services. When a customer makes a payment (for example, when pre-booking a ride or at the end of a trip through an app), Stripe will automatically attempt to capture the authorized payment immediately. This provides a seamless and immediate transaction process.

  • Manual: Choosing this option means that when a customer pays, their payment method will be authorized, and the funds will be held temporarily. However, the funds will not be automatically captured. You will need to manually confirm and capture the payment through your Stripe dashboard or potentially through your system's integration features at a later time. This option might be useful in specific scenarios, such as:

    • Adjusting Fares: If the final fare is likely to change after authorization due to factors like route changes, tolls, or waiting times, you could authorize an estimated amount and then manually capture the final, adjusted amount.
    • Delayed Charges: In some less common situations for taxi services, you might need to delay the actual charge to the customer.

    Important: For the majority of taxi operations, especially on-demand services, the Automatic capture method is highly recommended as it simplifies the payment process. Manual capture adds complexity and requires a system for tracking and manually capturing authorized payments.

Stripe Customer ID Column

The "Stripe Customer ID" column in the Admin > Users > Customers tab displays the unique Stripe Customer ID associated with each of your registered users (if a Stripe Customer ID has been created for them through past transactions or account linking).

This ID can be helpful for:

  • Identifying Customers in Stripe: You can use this ID to quickly locate a specific customer within your Stripe dashboard.
  • Manual Off-Session Charges: If you need to initiate a manual charge for a registered user through Stripe, you can easily find their corresponding Stripe Customer ID in this column.
  • Troubleshooting: This ID can be useful for debugging payment-related issues for specific customers.

This column provides greater transparency and makes it easier to manage your customer data within the context of your Stripe integration.

 

How to Remove and Re-establish Webhooks in Stripe?

This guide outlines the steps to remove duplicate webhooks in Stripe and re-establish a fresh connection for your booking confirmation emails.

1. Remove Duplicate Webhooks in Stripe:

  1. Log in to your Stripe account.
  2. Navigate to the Developers section and select the Webhooks tab.
  3. Review the listed URLs for any duplicates. These duplicates might be causing multiple email notifications.
  4. Click on a duplicate URL and then click the Delete button to remove it.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all identified duplicate URLs.

2. Re-establish Webhook in Booking Admin Panel:

  1. Log in to your booking admin panel.
  2. Navigate to Settings and then the Payment methods tab.
  3. Locate the Stripe settings and click Edit.
  4. Disable the option labeled "Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)".
  5. Save the changes.
  6. Re-enable the "Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)" option.
  7. Save the changes again.

By following these steps, you will remove any duplicate webhooks in Stripe and re-establish a fresh connection using the latest configuration from your booking admin panel. This should resolve the issue of receiving multiple copies of the same email notification.

 

 

 

FAQs

I do get emails from Stripe about failing web-hook notifications, what to do?

Web-hooks are used to notify booking software about successful payment transaction which makes transaction to be automatically mark as paid in your admin panel. The issue with failing web-hook might arise when the software URL has been changed since the date when web-hook has been set up. To fix this issue please go to Settings -> Payment Methods -> Stripe and deactivate “Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)” option and save settings. Next go back and reactivate this option and save settings again. This steps above will reset web-hook and make payment notification to work as before.

 

When I press on Book Now button I see this message “You must provide one of items or sessionId.”,  what to do? 

In case you see this error message please make sure you have correctly copied "Live publishable key" and "Live secret key" from your Stripe account into the payment configuration tab in the admin panel. Please note that for security reasons Stripe displays partially "Live secret key" e.g. "sk__xyz..." which is not valid key. In this case you should generate new "Live secret key". The minimum amount cannot be lower than $0.50 US or equivalent in charge currency.

 

When I press on Book Now button system is not redirecting to payment page,  what to do?

Please make sure your SSL certificate has been installed correctly and the connection with the software is secured (green padlock).

 

When making a payment I get this error message “Your card was declined. Your request was in test mode, but used a non test”,  what to do?

This error occurs when you set TEST keys in LIVE mode. Please make sure your Live publishable key and Live secret key are setup correctly.

 

Admin and Customers are getting too many copies of the same booking confirmation email to their mailbox, what to do?

This can happen when too many webhooks are activated in your Stripe account for the same post-payment notification URL. To resolve this issue, follow the instructions in the "How to remove and reinstall webhooks in Stripe?" section above.