# Choose how guests pay

Updated 2026-10-15 by the TicketPa team. Source: https://ticketpa.com/help/choose-how-guests-pay

Decide whether guests pay by card when they book, pay you on the day, or choose for themselves. Your choice applies to bookings made on your booking page.

## Steps to choose how guests pay

1. Go to **Payments** in the sidebar.
2. Under **How guests pay**, choose one:
    - **Pay on arrival**: guests book now and pay you on the day. This is where every business starts.
    - **Pay online when booking**: guests pay by card to book. Their places are held while they pay.
    - **Guests choose**: guests pick paying now by card or on the day.
3. Select **Save**.

The two online options need Stripe connected and **Active**. Until then they can't be selected. If you chose one before Stripe stopped taking payments, it stays selected and the page still saves, while guests pay on arrival until Stripe is active again. See [Connect Stripe to take online payments](https://ticketpa.com/help/connect-stripe).

## What guests see

- **Pay on arrival**: the booking page tells guests they pay on the day and have nothing to pay now. They select **Confirm booking** and get their ticket straight away.
- **Pay online when booking**: guests select **Continue to payment** and pay on a payment page with Stripe's card form. It shows how long their places are held, about 30 minutes. The booking is **Awaiting payment** until they pay, then **Confirmed**, and they get their ticket.
- **Guests choose**: guests answer **How would you like to pay?** with **Pay now by card** or **Pay on the day**. Paying by card is picked to start with.

A booking with nothing to pay is confirmed straight away, whatever you choose.

Paying online needs about 30 minutes before the start. With **Pay online when booking**, online bookings close 32 minutes before the start even if your cut-off is shorter. With **Guests choose**, guests booking later than that pay on the day, and the booking page says "It starts soon, so you pay on the day."

## When a guest doesn't finish paying

- Halfway through the time, the guest gets one email saying their places are still held, with a link to pay.
- If the time runs out, the booking becomes **Expired** and its places go back on sale.
- If their payment still comes through after that, TicketPa confirms the booking when the places are still free. Otherwise it refunds the payment in full.

> **Note:** Bookings your team adds and walk-ins are always paid on arrival, whatever you choose here. To have one of those guests pay by card ahead, [email them a payment link](https://ticketpa.com/help/email-a-payment-link).

TicketPa keeps a small fee from each online payment, and paying on the day is free. Under **Who pays TicketPa's 1% fee?**, with your plan's fee, you can pass it on to guests who pay online, as a booking fee. See [Online payment fees explained](https://ticketpa.com/help/online-payment-fees).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I change how long places are held while guests pay?

Places are held for 30 minutes by default. To change it for your business, contact support.

### What happens if Stripe stops working?

New bookings are paid on arrival until it's fixed, and your choice here is kept for when Stripe works again. See [what to do when online payments stop](https://ticketpa.com/help/online-payments-stopped).