The short answer
A processing fee is what the card payment costs: the payment company and the card networks take a small percentage plus a few cents on every charge. A booking fee is what the ticketing platform charges for selling the ticket. Some platforms show both separately, some roll the processing into the booking fee, and some take one or both out of the organiser’s payout instead.
What matters is the total, and who pays it.
The processing fee
Every card payment costs something. In Australia, Stripe’s standard rate for domestic cards is roughly 1.7% plus 30c a charge. International cards and some card types cost more. See Stripe’s pricing for current rates.
There is no fee-free card payment. If a platform says it has “no fees”, someone is still paying the card company: the organiser, the platform out of its own margin, or the buyer inside the ticket price.
The booking fee
A booking fee pays the ticketing platform for the event page, checkout, tickets, emails, the door tools and support. Platforms set it in different ways:
- a percentage of the ticket price
- a flat amount per ticket
- a mix of both, sometimes with a cap
- a step that changes with the price band
It can be added on top for the buyer, or taken from the organiser’s payout. Some platforms let the organiser choose.
How it looks at checkout
The honest version shows the ticket price, then the fee as its own line, then the total, before the buyer enters a card. Watch out for fees that only appear at the last step, or a “service fee” and a “processing fee” and a “booking fee” all on one ticket.
How to compare platforms
Ignore the labels and do the sum: for your ticket price, what does the buyer pay in total, and what do you receive? Do it at your real price, because a fee that is small on a cheap ticket can be large on an expensive one, and the other way round. The fee calculator sets this out against other platforms, and ticket fees by platform shows what each one charges per ticket, with its processing included.
On One Ticket
On One Ticket the buyer sees one booking fee, shown as its own line at checkout. It covers two things: Stripe’s card processing, and One Ticket’s platform tier, which steps with the ticket price.
| Ticket price | Platform tier |
|---|---|
| $0.01 to $5 | 35c |
| $5.01 to $10 | 45c |
| $10.01 to $25 | 70c |
| $25.01 to $50 | 95c |
| $50.01 to $100 | $1.45 |
| Over $100 | $1.45 plus 1.5% of the amount above $100 |
Stripe’s processing is added on top of the tier. So a $25 ticket has a $1.45 booking fee in all, and the buyer pays $26.45. The organiser receives the full $25. The booking fee is the same on every plan, and free tickets have none.
Related: Who pays the booking fee on event tickets?, How does Stripe work for selling event tickets? and Cheapest event ticketing platforms in Australia.
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.