Stripe End-to-End Setup Guide

Stripe is the payment backbone for TrailerBase. Every deposit, rental charge, add-on, and refund flows through it. This guide takes you from "no Stripe account" to "charging cards in production" with test coverage, fee awareness, and dispute handling in between.

Step 1: Connect or create your Stripe account

1. Go to Settings > Payments > Stripe.
2. Click Connect Stripe.
3. If you already have a Stripe account, sign in and authorize TrailerBase.
4. If you do not, click Create new account and Stripe will walk you through business details, bank info, and identity verification.
5. On return, TrailerBase will show Connected (Test Mode) by default.

Complete any outstanding Stripe requirements (tax ID, bank account, ID) before charging real cards — Stripe blocks payouts until all boxes are checked.

Step 2: Test in test mode

Before going live, run end-to-end tests. In TrailerBase test mode, every booking uses fake money. Use Stripe's test cards:

• 4242 4242 4242 4242 — successful payment.
• 4000 0000 0000 9995 — insufficient funds (decline).
• 4000 0000 0000 0069 — expired card.
• 4000 0025 0000 3155 — requires 3D Secure authentication.

Any CVC (e.g., 123), any future expiry, any ZIP.

Create a few test bookings, run a refund, trigger a dispute from the Stripe dashboard, and confirm everything looks correct in both TrailerBase and Stripe.

Step 3: Switch to live mode

When you are confident, flip the Live Mode toggle in Settings > Payments > Stripe. TrailerBase switches API keys, and from that moment real cards process real money. You can toggle back to test mode any time for experiments — the two modes have completely separate data.

Step 4: Understand the fees

Stripe charges 2.9% + 30 cents per successful card charge (US standard). On a $200 rental:

• Customer pays: $200.00
• Stripe fee: $6.10 (2.9% = $5.80 + $0.30)
• Net to you: $193.90

Other notables:

• Disputed chargebacks add a $15 fee (refunded if you win).
• ACH payments (where enabled) are 0.8%, capped at $5.00 — worth offering for big-ticket commercial rentals.
• International cards add +1%.

All fees are visible per transaction in the Payments view.

Step 5: Payout schedule

Default payout cycle in the US is 2 business days — a charge on Monday lands in your bank Wednesday. You can change to weekly or monthly in Stripe, but daily is almost always better for cash flow.

Watch for:

• First payout is typically delayed 7-14 days while Stripe verifies your account.
• Weekends and holidays push payouts to the next business day.
• Any open dispute freezes the disputed amount (not your whole balance) until resolved.

Step 6: Handle disputes and chargebacks

When a customer disputes a charge:

1. You get an email from Stripe and a notification in TrailerBase.
2. Open Payments > Disputes in TrailerBase for a single-page evidence form.
3. Upload your rental contract, signed damage waiver, pickup photos, return photos, and any chat transcripts.
4. Add a written summary (2-3 paragraphs) explaining why the charge is valid.
5. Submit before the deadline Stripe shows — usually 7-10 days.

Most rental disputes are winnable if you have a signed contract and clear photos. TrailerBase automatically attaches any contract you have on file.

Best practices

• Always collect a signed contract and at least three pickup photos. These are your dispute ammunition.
• Reconcile Stripe payouts against TrailerBase's Payouts Report weekly.
• Enable Radar rules in Stripe to auto-block high-risk cards.
• Turn on 3D Secure for bookings over $500 to shift liability to the issuing bank.
• Keep your Stripe contact info up to date — delayed payouts are almost always a verification problem.