Overview
Test Mode lets you book your own trip and walk through the full checkout exactly as a traveler would — without any real charges. SquadTrip switches to Stripe test keys so you can pay with a test card, see the confirmation and explore the traveler portal. A test checkout is pay in full by card, so payment plans and Buy Now, Pay Later can't be tested. Test Mode auto-disables after about 24 hours, and every test booking is cancelled when it ends. If your trip was created on an older version of SquadTrip, some screens may look different, and its test checkout may still show other payment options.
This video shows what your travelers see when they book, and ends with turning on test mode so you can try it yourself.
Getting to Test Mode
From your Dashboard, open the trip in the Trip Builder
Go to the final step, Preview and Publish
Find the card "Try a test booking first" in the middle of the page and click "Enable test mode". On a trip that isn't published yet, it's the third card, under Checklist and How your page looks. Once the trip is live, it's the last card in that column. On a computer, you can also click "Enter Test Mode" in the bar at the bottom of the screen
Turning On Test Mode
Clicking "Enable test mode" (or "Enter Test Mode") opens the Enable Test Mode window, which shows exactly what will happen:
We'll switch to Stripe test keys — no real money moves
You book your own trip with a test card
Disable when done — we clean up everything
Under What happens: the window also spells out what to expect: your trip accepts test payments only; real travelers cannot book while Test Mode is active; payment plans, Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay and Apple Pay are hidden, because a test checkout is pay in full by card; it auto-disables after 24 hours; and all test bookings are cancelled when Test Mode ends. Click "Enable Test Mode" to confirm. Enabling Test Mode also publishes the trip so its checkout can be opened straight away, and the page reloads.
While Test Mode is on, Preview and Publish shows a red "Test mode on" chip with the time left, and the card reads "Test mode is on. Real bookings are paused." with "Open trip page" and "Disable test mode". Under it you see the time left, how many test bookings you've made and the test card number.
Testing Your Checkout
With Test Mode on, click "Open trip page" (or open your trip page yourself) and book it like a traveler. At payment, use Stripe's test card:
Field | Value |
Card number |
|
Expiry | Any future date |
CVC | Any 3 digits |
ZIP | Any 5 digits |
Complete checkout to confirm your packages, add-ons and confirmation emails all work the way you expect. The booking goes on your own organizer account: Payment Complete says "Test Mode: You're signed in as the organizer", skips account creation and offers "Continue to Registration Questions", where your first name, last name and email are already filled in. When you open your Trip Details page, a "Test Payment Complete!" window offers "Explore Traveler Portal" and "View Trip Dashboard".
Note: a test checkout can only pay in full by card. Payment plans, Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay and Apple Pay are hidden while Test Mode is active, and the checkout says so in a red "Test Mode: pay in full only." note, so you can't test those here (see below).
What's Paused While Test Mode Is Active
While Test Mode is on, a red banner stays at the top of your pages: "TEST MODE ACTIVE — Real bookings are paused." It also shows on your public trip page and checkout, so anyone who visits your trip sees it. It shows the time left ("Auto-disables in: Xh Ym", refreshed when the page reloads) and a "Disable Test Mode" button. Its "View Guide" button works on your Trip Details page after a test booking, where it reopens the "Test Payment Complete!" window.
During Test Mode:
Real travelers can't book — on any of your trips — Test Mode switches your whole account to Stripe test keys, so every trip's checkout only accepts test payments until Test Mode ends
Refunds, cancellations and reinstatements of real bookings are blocked, and so are last-chance pay links to real travelers: you'll be asked to disable Test Mode first
Test bookings are marked as test bookings, kept out of your sales numbers and cancelled when Test Mode ends
Payment plans (installments) are hidden — the test checkout offers pay in full only
Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay are hidden — Buy Now, Pay Later can't be tested in Test Mode
Apple Pay is hidden — card payment only
Your email and cardholder name are locked to your organizer account and show a "Locked — Test Mode" badge, and the signature is filled in with your name
This is expected, and your real settings are untouched. To see every payment option you've enabled, finish testing, disable Test Mode, and publish the trip.
Turning Off Test Mode
You can turn Test Mode off any time from three places: "Disable test mode" in the test mode card on Preview and Publish, "Exit Test Mode" in the bar at the bottom of that page, or "Disable Test Mode" in the red banner. On Preview and Publish you confirm with "Disable Test Mode" (or click "Keep Test Mode" to carry on testing), and a "Test Mode Disabled" window reminds you that your trip has been unpublished; click "Done". From the banner you confirm in a browser pop-up and then see a short message, without that reminder. Either way, SquadTrip restores your real payment settings, cancels every test booking that isn't already cancelled (each one also sends the traveler cancellation email to the email on the booking, normally yours, and an organizer cancellation notice) and unpublishes the trip you turned Test Mode on from, even if it was already live. When you're ready for real travelers, hit Publish again on the Preview and Publish page.
If you forget, Test Mode auto-disables after 24 hours and runs the same cleanup automatically.
Important Notes
Test Mode lasts 24 hours, then auto-reverts — you don't have to remember to turn it off
Disabling Test Mode (manually or automatically) unpublishes the trip you turned it on from, even if that trip was already live; re-publish when you're ready to accept real bookings
All test bookings are cancelled when Test Mode ends. They aren't deleted: they stay on your trip as cancelled bookings, with nothing owed, and they never count in your sales numbers
Travelers can still open the trip page and checkout while Test Mode is on, and they see the red banner. A real card is declined with "This card cannot be used in test mode. Please use a Stripe test card.", and any booking made in that window is flagged as a test booking and cancelled when Test Mode ends
Only the trip's primary organizer can turn on Test Mode. A sub-organizer who tries sees "Only the primary organizer can enable test mode."
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
Real travelers say they can't book | Test Mode is probably still active (real bookings are paused). Disable Test Mode, then re-publish the trip. |
"Test mode is active. Please disable test mode before processing refunds or cancellations on real bookings." (or "...before cancelling or refunding real bookings.") | You tried to refund or cancel a real booking while Test Mode is on. Disable Test Mode first, then process the refund or cancellation. |
My trip got unpublished | Disabling Test Mode (or the 24-hour auto-revert) unpublishes the trip you tested, even if it was live before. Click Publish on the Preview and Publish page to go live again. |
My test booking is still showing | That's expected. Test bookings aren't deleted: when Test Mode ends they're cancelled, so they stay on the trip as cancelled bookings, with nothing owed. They don't count in your sales numbers. |
"Pay over time" / installments, Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay or Apple Pay is missing in my test checkout | Expected — those options are hidden while Test Mode is active and the test checkout is pay in full by card only. Your settings are fine. Disable Test Mode and publish the trip to see them. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will Test Mode charge a real card or affect my payouts? A: No. Test Mode swaps in Stripe test keys, so no real money moves. Use the test card 4111 1111 1111 1111 with any future expiry, any CVC, and any ZIP. Every test booking is cancelled when Test Mode ends.
Q: How long does Test Mode stay on? A: Test Mode lasts 24 hours and then auto-disables, running the same cleanup as a manual disable. You can also turn it off any time: click "Disable test mode" or "Exit Test Mode" on the Preview and Publish page, or "Disable Test Mode" in the red banner.
Q: Can I test my payment plan or Buy Now, Pay Later? A: No. Payment plans, Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay and Apple Pay are hidden in Test Mode — a test checkout is pay in full by card only. To check those, disable Test Mode and publish the trip, then view your live trip page. Your payment plan settings are still saved and will apply to real bookings.
Q: Can travelers still book while I'm testing? A: No. While Test Mode is active your whole account (all of your trips) uses test keys, so real travelers can't book. A red "TEST MODE ACTIVE — Real bookings are paused" banner shows on your pages, including your trip page, so visitors see it too. Disable Test Mode and re-publish when you're ready for real bookings.
Q: Why can't I refund or cancel a booking during Test Mode? A: Refunds, cancellations and reinstatements of real bookings, and last-chance pay links to real travelers, are blocked while Test Mode is active. Disable Test Mode first, then process the refund or cancellation as usual. Test bookings can still be refunded or cancelled while you test, and they're cancelled when Test Mode ends.
Q: Do I need to re-publish my trip after testing? A: Yes. Disabling Test Mode (or the 24-hour auto-revert) unpublishes the trip you tested, even if it was live before, so you can do a final review. When everything looks right, click Publish on the Preview and Publish page to start accepting real bookings.
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