Overview
SquadTrip charges a 6% processing fee on every payment to cover payment processing, platform services, and fraud protection. As an organizer, you choose whether to absorb this fee yourself or pass it to your travelers. This is a per-transaction fee -- it applies to every payment, not just the first one.
The 6% is all-in for standard card and digital wallet payments: it already covers Stripe's card processing fee. Stripe's fee is paid out of the 6%, not charged on top of it.
How to Configure Who Pays the Fee
Log in to your organizer dashboard
Open your trip and click "Packages" in the left sidebar
Scroll to the "Who pays the processing fees?" section
Select one of two options:
Option | What Happens |
All fees are paid by organizer | The 6% is built into the price travelers see -- there is no separate fee line at checkout. In the trip builder you set the price with two linked boxes, "Traveler Pays" and "You receive", and you can type into either one; the other updates automatically. Enter $1,000 under "You receive" and travelers pay $1,060. Enter $1,000 under "Traveler Pays" and you receive $943.40. |
All fees are paid by traveler | The 6% fee is added on top of the trip cost and displayed as a "Processing Fee" line item at checkout. Travelers pay the trip price plus the fee. |
Your selection saves automatically with a confirmation message.
How the Fee Appears at Checkout
When the organizer absorbs the fee:
Travelers see a single total price (e.g., "$1,000")
No "Processing Fee" line item appears
What you receive depends on which box you filled in the builder -- enter $1,000 under "You receive" and you keep the full $1,000 (travelers pay $1,060); enter $1,000 under "Traveler Pays" and travelers pay exactly $1,000 and you receive $943.40
When the traveler pays the fee:
Checkout shows a subtotal and a separate "Processing Fee" line
Example: Subtotal $1,000 + Processing Fee $60 = Total $1,060
You receive the full $1,000 trip price -- Stripe's card processing fee comes out of the $60, not out of your $1,000
Additional Fees to Know About
Fee | Amount | Who Pays | When It Applies |
Processing fee | 6% | Organizer or traveler (your choice) | Every payment |
BNPL convenience fee | 4% | Always the traveler | When traveler uses Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay |
Stripe card processing | ~2.9% + $0.30 | Already covered by the 6% -- not an additional cost | Every card transaction |
International card fee | +1.5% | Deducted from payout by Stripe | When the card is issued outside your country |
Currency conversion fee | +1% | Deducted from payout by Stripe | When payment currency differs from your payout currency |
The 6% SquadTrip processing fee and the 4% BNPL fee are the only fees visible to travelers. Stripe's standard card processing fee is paid out of the 6% -- it is not charged on top of it. Only the international card fee and the currency conversion fee are deducted from your payout in addition to the 6%, and neither is shown to travelers.
Important Notes
The fee setting is per trip -- you can choose differently for each trip you create
The 6% applies to every payment, including deposits and installments -- it is not a one-time charge
Changing the fee setting does not affect travelers who have already booked
The BNPL 4% fee is always on the traveler regardless of your processing fee setting
There are no monthly fees or subscription costs for using SquadTrip
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
Travelers asking "what is this processing fee?" | If you chose "traveler pays," the 6% appears as a line item. You can switch to "organizer pays" to include it in the price, or explain the fee to travelers before they book. |
Fee seems higher than expected | The 6% applies to each installment payment, not just the total. For a $1,000 trip with 4 installments of $250, each payment has a $15 fee ($60 total). |
Want to change who pays the fee mid-trip | You can change the setting at any time in Packages. It only affects future bookings -- existing travelers keep their original fee arrangement. |
Payout amount is less than expected | Stripe's standard card processing fee is already covered by the 6% and is not deducted a second time. If your payout is still short, the usual causes are the international card fee (+1.5%), the currency conversion fee (+1%), or a $20 dispute fee -- those are deducted in addition to the 6%. Check your Stripe dashboard for the exact breakdown. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the 6% fee a one-time charge or per payment? A: It applies to every payment -- deposits, installments, and pay-in-full transactions each have the 6% applied. For example, a traveler on a 4-payment installment plan pays the fee on each of the 4 payments, not once.
Q: Can I set different fee configurations for different packages? A: No. The "who pays" setting applies to the entire trip, not individual packages. All packages within a trip share the same fee configuration. However, you can set different configurations on different trips.
Q: What happens if I absorb the fee -- how much do I actually receive? A: That is entirely up to you. When you absorb the fee, the builder gives you two linked boxes -- "Traveler Pays" and "You receive" -- and typing in one updates the other. If you enter $1,000 under "You receive," you receive the full $1,000 and travelers pay $1,060. If you enter $1,000 under "Traveler Pays," travelers pay exactly $1,000 and you receive $943.40. So absorbing the fee does not have to reduce your payout -- it only changes whether travelers see a separate fee line. Either way the 6% is the entire fee: Stripe's card processing comes out of it, and nothing further is deducted for standard card payments.
Q: Does the 6% fee apply to BNPL payments too? A: Yes. BNPL payments include both the 6% processing fee and an additional 4% BNPL convenience fee. The BNPL fee is always paid by the traveler. If you chose "organizer absorbs," the traveler still sees the 4% BNPL fee but not the 6% processing fee.
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