How do I connect Stripe and test my payment form before going live?

Stripe is the payment processor that charges your customers' cards, so you need your own Stripe account (stripe.com) connected to Votel. Stripe has a test mode and a live mode, and you connect both, starting with test. Every account starts in test mode.

1. Go to Settings, then Integrations, then Other integrations, then Payments, and add a payment integration.
2. Choose Stripe. There are two Stripe options: Stripe payouts is for paying money out (for example to affiliates), and the one that just says Stripe is for receiving money. Choose the plain Stripe one.
3. Name it so you can tell it apart, with the word test at the end, for example My Stripe Test.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to get your API keys. A button opens the right Stripe page, and in Stripe the keys are under Developers, at the bottom left. Copy and paste the two values. Test keys contain the word test: sk_test is the secret key and pk_test is the publishable key. Do not check Set as default. Click Create integration.
5. If you sell plans, publish them so they are created in your Stripe account.
6. Fill out your payment form as if you were your own customer, on your website or the form's direct link. Use Stripe's test card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 (keep typing 4242 until the field takes no more digits), with any future expiry date and any CVV. Do not use a real card.
7. Check the whole customer experience: what the page says afterwards, the emails the customer receives, the receipts, that the password works when you log in, and that your logo and branding show correctly. On a white label account the emails should carry your branding, not Votel's. The logo, contact info and social media handles from your white label settings are filled into every email, so check that those links work.
8. When everything is right, switch your Stripe account to live mode inside Stripe. Stripe asks for business information, such as your business name, address, phone number and tax ID, and identity verification, and then gives you live keys.
9. In Votel, add a second Stripe integration the same way, named for example My Stripe Live, paste the live keys, check Set as default and click Create. The live integration takes over and your form is ready for real payments.

Keep the test integration rather than deleting it, because you may need it for testing later. The test card only works in test mode and is rejected on a live form.

If you have several Stripe integrations, the Payment element in the form builder has a Configuration tab where you choose which Stripe integration the form uses, so you can point a form at the test integration while you test.

If you have already connected Stripe and know it works, you do not need to test Stripe itself again. You are testing your form, your product and any workflow connected to it. One Stripe account can hold several brands or websites.

Once Stripe is connected you do not need to work in your Stripe account. Invoices, payments, customers and products are all managed from Votel. The Stripe app is still useful for reports and for seeing when money is deposited to your bank account.