Setting up card payments with Stripe
Connect your salon's own Stripe account to take cards at checkout and deposits online, add a card reader, try test mode or disconnect.
FullColumn takes card payments through your salon's own Stripe account. Money is paid straight into your bank account, you pay Stripe's usual fees, and FullColumn adds none. You never need to copy keys or codes from Stripe: you sign up or sign in on Stripe's own pages and come back.
Once Stripe is set up you can take cards at checkout (reader, QR code, payment link or saved card), ask for deposits when clients book online, send deposit requests and charge no-show fees.
Before you set up Stripe
- You need the Connect Stripe and SMS, and change payment settings permission. Owners have it, and so do managers by default.
- It takes about 10 minutes. Stripe asks for your business details (your ABN, or NZBN in New Zealand), some ID, and the bank account for your payouts.
- Each salon needs its own Stripe account. One Stripe login can hold several accounts if you run more than one salon.
Setting up a new Stripe account
- Open Settings → Payments.
- Press Set up Stripe.
- Fill in Stripe's forms. When you're done, Stripe sends you back to Settings → Payments.
Your account shows with Taking payments once Stripe has switched card payments on. Until then it says Setup not finished: press Continue setup to go back to Stripe's forms.
Linking a Stripe account you already have
If your salon already has a Stripe account:
- Open Settings → Payments.
- Press I already have a Stripe account.
- Sign in to Stripe, choose the account and allow FullColumn to connect.
An account that's already connected to another salon on FullColumn can't be connected again: add another account under the same Stripe login instead.
When Stripe needs more details
Stripe sometimes asks for more, before or after you start taking payments. Settings → Payments shows where your account is up to:
| Badge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Taking payments | All good. |
| Setup not finished | Finish Stripe's forms to start taking cards. |
| Payments paused by Stripe | Stripe has stopped card payments until it gets something. |
| Payouts paused | Payments still work, but Stripe is holding your payouts. |
| Test mode – no real money moves | Practice payments only: see test mode. |
Underneath, FullColumn lists what Stripe wants in plain words, like "A bank account for payouts" or "Photo ID or a business document". Press Continue setup to give it. For an account you linked, that opens your Stripe Dashboard instead.
Stripe Dashboard opens your own Stripe account, with every payment, payout and refund.
Adding a card reader
A Stripe card reader lets clients tap or insert their card at the desk, with the amount sent from checkout.
- Buy a Stripe reader, such as the WisePOS E or Reader S700, and register it in your Stripe Dashboard under Terminal.
- In FullColumn, open Settings → Payments → Card reader.
- Choose it under Reader used at checkout. A reader that's switched off shows as offline.
Without a reader you can still take cards with a QR code, a payment link, or a client's saved card. The Card reader section shows once Stripe is taking payments.
Trying card payments in test mode
When Settings → Payments shows Test mode – no real money moves, every card payment is a practice one. Use it to try things out:
- book online and pay with card 4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry and any CVC
- add a simulated reader in your Stripe Dashboard under Terminal, then use Simulate a tap (test mode) at checkout.
When FullColumn switches from test mode to real payments, a salon connected in test mode sees "Stripe was connected in test mode. Connect again to take real payments." Connect again; saved cards from test mode are cleared.
Disconnecting Stripe
- Open Settings → Payments.
- Press Disconnect, then Disconnect again to confirm.
What happens:
- Card payments, online deposits and card readers stop. Online booking payments goes back to Nothing.
- Saved client cards are forgotten (they belong to that Stripe account). FullColumn tells you how many.
- Payments already taken aren't affected, and your Stripe account stays yours.
- Anything still under way, like a payment page a client has open or a deposit request, is stopped first. A client who paid at the last moment is still recorded as paid.
If Stripe hasn't yet confirmed how a payment or refund ended, FullColumn stays connected and says to try again in a few minutes.
An account you set up through FullColumn stays linked at Stripe, so Set up Stripe picks it up again later. An account you linked with I already have a Stripe account is unlinked. Connecting a different account clears saved cards and the chosen reader.
Stripe fees and payouts
Stripe charges its usual fees on each card payment, taken from what you're paid. FullColumn adds no fees of its own, and never adds a surcharge for your clients. Stripe pays out to your bank account on its own schedule; see your Stripe Dashboard for payouts.
Common questions
Can I use the Stripe account I already have?
Yes: press I already have a Stripe account, as long as it isn't connected to another salon on FullColumn.
Who can set up or disconnect Stripe?
Anyone with Connect Stripe and SMS, and change payment settings: owners, and managers by default.
Can I take card payments without Stripe?
You can record cards taken on your own terminal as EFTPOS. Card readers, QR codes, payment links, saved cards and online deposits need Stripe.
What if I remove FullColumn from my Stripe Dashboard?
FullColumn is disconnected straight away, and saved cards are forgotten. Any payment still under way is marked to check in your Stripe Dashboard.