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 swaps in Stripe test keys so you can pay with a test card, see the confirmation, and check your payment plan setup before going live. Test Mode auto-disables after 24 hours, and every test booking is cancelled and refunded when it ends.
Getting to Test Mode
From your Dashboard, open the trip in the Trip Builder
Go to the final step, Preview and Publish
Find the "Test Your Trip's Checkout" card and click "Enable Test Mode"
Turning On Test Mode
Clicking "Enable Test Mode" opens a confirmation showing 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
The panel also spells out what to expect: your trip accepts test payments only, real travelers cannot book while Test Mode is active, it auto-disables after 24 hours, and all test bookings are cancelled and refunded when Test Mode ends. Click "Enable Test Mode" to confirm. Enabling Test Mode also publishes the trip (on test keys) so its checkout can be opened straight away.
Testing Your Checkout
With Test Mode on, open your trip page 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.
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, so you cannot 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 dashboard: "TEST MODE ACTIVE — Real bookings are paused." It shows the time left ("Auto-disables in: Xh Ym", refreshed when the page reloads) and buttons to "View Guide" or "Disable Test Mode".
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 and cancellations on real bookings are blocked — you'll be asked to disable Test Mode first
Test bookings are tracked separately so they can be cleaned up automatically
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
This is expected: Test Mode runs on SquadTrip's test payment keys, and those options aren't available on the test account. 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
Click "Disable Test Mode" any time. SquadTrip then restores your real payment settings, cancels and refunds every test booking (each test booking also triggers the traveler cancellation email -- to the email on the booking, normally yours -- and an organizer cancellation notice), and unpublishes the trip so you can do a final review. 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 your trip; re-publish when you're ready to accept real bookings
All test bookings are cancelled and refunded when Test Mode ends — they won't appear in your real numbers
Travelers can still open the trip page and checkout while Test Mode is on -- a real card is declined ("This card cannot be used in test mode"), a traveler logged in under your organizer sees the Locked -- Test Mode checkout, and any booking made in that window is flagged as a test booking and cleaned up when Test Mode ends
Your auto-billing keeps using your real Stripe keys behind the scenes, so existing real payment plans are never charged on test keys
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. |
"Please disable test mode before processing refunds or cancellations on 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 by design. Click Publish on the Preview and Publish page to go live again. |
My test booking is still showing | Test bookings are cancelled and refunded when Test Mode ends. Give the cleanup a moment, then refresh the trip's Travelers list on your Dashboard. |
"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 and refunded automatically 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 from the red banner or the Preview and Publish page by clicking "Disable Test Mode."
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 reminds you. 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 and cancellations on real bookings are blocked while Test Mode is active to protect real customer data. Disable Test Mode first, then process the refund or cancellation as usual. Test bookings can always be cleaned up — that happens automatically 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 your trip 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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