The short answer
Stripe is the payment company. When someone buys a ticket, Stripe charges their card, holds the money in your Stripe account, and pays it out to your bank account. A ticketing platform sits on top: it shows the event, works out the price, issues the ticket and keeps the list.
You can use Stripe on its own, but then you are building the ticketing part yourself. Most organisers connect Stripe to a ticketing platform and let each do its job.
What Stripe does
- Takes the card. Visa, Mastercard, Amex and wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, depending on what is switched on.
- Checks the payment. Stripe screens for fraud and handles the bank’s security checks.
- Holds and pays out. Money lands in your Stripe balance and is paid to your bank on a schedule.
- Charges a processing fee. In Australia, roughly 1.7% plus 30c for a standard domestic card. See Stripe’s pricing for current rates.
What Stripe does not do on its own
Stripe does not know your event has 60 seats. It will not send a ticket with a QR code, remind people the day before, or give you a list to check at the door. A Stripe Payment Link can take money in minutes, but everything after the payment is up to you.
Setting up your Stripe account
You will need:
- your name, date of birth and address
- a business type: an individual, a sole trader, a company or a not-for-profit
- an ABN if you have one (individuals can often go without; see do I need an ABN?)
- the bank account you want paid into
Stripe asks for identity details because it is a regulated financial service. Use the account that should legally receive the money. For a club or school, that is usually the organisation’s account, not a volunteer’s personal one.
Who sees what
Your Stripe dashboard shows every payment, refund and payout. Your ticketing platform shows who bought which ticket and who has checked in. Between them you have the full picture, and your treasurer or accountant can reconcile from Stripe’s payout reports.
On One Ticket
You connect your own Stripe account from Payments. Every paid ticket is charged straight to that account, and you receive the full ticket price. The buyer pays a booking fee on top, which covers Stripe’s card processing and One Ticket’s small platform tier, so Stripe’s fee does not come out of your price.
Stripe pays out to your bank. For a new organiser, ticket money is held until two days after each event until a first paid event has gone cleanly; after that it is paid out as it sells, on Stripe’s schedule.
Free tickets work without Stripe. You only need to connect it when you are ready to sell paid tickets.
Related: When do I get paid for ticket sales?, Stripe Payment Link or ticketing platform? and What is a booking fee vs a processing fee?
Answers to your questions
Is One Ticket free to use?
Yes. The Free plan has everything you need to sell tickets, with no monthly cost, no setup fee, no payout fee and no card needed. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime.
Who pays the booking fee?
The buyer, on a paid ticket, on top of the price you set, so you receive 100% of your ticket price. Free tickets carry no fee.
When do I get paid?
Ticket money goes to your own Stripe account, with no payout fee from One Ticket. Until your first paid event has gone cleanly, it is paid out two days after each event; after that, it is paid out as it sells.
Can I run a free event?
Yes. A free ticket costs nobody anything, and you don’t need Stripe connected to run a free event.
Do people need an account to book?
No. They book on their phone or computer without an account, and their tickets arrive by email with a QR code to show at the door.