Stripe

Getting paid smoothly is one of the most important things for your business! This guide will walk you through setting up a Stripe webhook (which lets Stripe seamlessly talk to Hostel Mate) and then finding and adding your Secret key in the Finance Portal. It’s a very straightforward process, so let's get right into it!

---

Step 1: Set Up the Webhook in Stripe

Let's begin by configuring the webhook so Hostel Mate immediately knows when a payment occurs.

1. Go ahead and log in to your Stripe Dashboard.

2. Navigate over to Developers → Webhooks.

3. Click on Add destination and make sure you select the exact following Events:

   • checkout.session.completed

   • checkout.session.async_payment_succeeded

   • checkout.session.async_payment_failed

4. Choose Webhook endpoint as your Destination Type.

5. Set up the Configure destination to save your new webhook. In the Endpoint URL field, just drop in this exact URL:

https://api.hostelmate.co/api/v1/online/stripe/process-request

---

Step 2: Generate Your Stripe Secret Key

Fantastic, the webhook is ready! Now we need the secret key to grant access.

1. Stay logged in to your Stripe Dashboard.

2. Look for the 'Secret key' and copy it so we can drop it right into Hostel Mate.

Testing tip: We absolutely recommend using Test mode while you're learning the system. Once everything looks perfect and you're ready for real guests, just flip both your Stripe Dashboard and the Finance Portal over to Live mode.

---

By the way, Hostel Mate naturally checks for valid webhook events the moment you connect Stripe. Creating the webhook first (like we did above) ensures everything connects flawlessly on the first try!

---

Step 3: Add Your Stripe Secret Key

We're almost done! Let's pop that key into your account.

1. Hop over to your Finance Portal → Payment Processing → Stripe.

2. In the API Key field, simply paste the Secret key you just grabbed from Stripe:

   • Drop the sk_test_... one in if you are just testing.

   • Drop the sk_live_... one when you are taking real bookings.

3. Hit Save to lock everything in.

4. Optional but highly recommended: Hop into Stripe, turn on Live mode, and run a tiny test payment to see the magic happen in real time!

Quick reminder: Use Test mode while testing. When you're ready to go live, make sure to switch both the Stripe Dashboard and the Hostel Mate Finance Portal to Live mode.

---

Once you've saved those two fields, Hostel Mate will automatically check that:

• Your Secret key is completely valid.

• The webhook is actively listening for your payment events.

As soon as that verification is done, you're all set to securely accept Stripe payments for your bookings!

Troubleshooting

Running into a small hiccup? No worries, here's what to check:

• Webhook not firing: Double-check that you picked those exact three required events and pasted the Endpoint URL perfectly without any extra spaces.

• Signature errors: Try re-copying your webhook signing secret from Stripe and update it inside Hostel Mate.

• Test vs Live mix-up: Make sure Stripe and Hostel Mate are both set to Test, or both set to Live. Mixing them up is totally normal but causes errors!