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💳 Pillar guide · Paid events
AI Agent Ready
11 min read

How to charge for your events & sell tickets online any event, any amount, 2.7% flat.

From a $5 cover on an open-mic night to a $250 charity-gala ticket, from a $20 supper-club deposit to a $500 conference day pass — Who's In is the fastest way to charge real money for a real event, with all major cards plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link, Apple/Google Wallet passes, and every penny paid out to your Stripe account — never ours.

Stripe Connect · PCI-DSS Level 1 · Funds go to your Stripe, not ours

Apple Pay logoGoogle Pay logoLink logoVisa logoMastercard logoamazonpay+ all major cards
Updated 22 April 2026 Guide · Payments & Ticketing
No sign-up required for guests · Every feature free forever

Short answer

To charge for an event: create it on whos-in.app/create, toggle Paid ticket or Deposit, set a price, connect Stripe (10 minutes, one time), share the link. Customers check out with all major cards plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link.

  • Flat 2.7% — no per-ticket surcharge, no monthly
  • Funds to your Stripe account
  • 135+ currencies, 60+ payout countries
  • Apple & Google Wallet ticket passes
  • Automatic waitlist & reconfirmation
  • Deposits, tiered tickets, one-tap wallet checkout

Your money. Your Stripe. Not ours.

Ticket revenue, deposits, and donations never touch a Who's In bank account. Every payment flows directly from the customer's card (or wallet) into your own Stripe Connect Standard account — an account you own, you log into, and you can disconnect at any time. Stripe settles to your local bank on their standard schedule (typically T+2 banking days).

We only ever see the platform fee (2.7% of what you charge) that Stripe routes to us at the moment of payment. We hold no funds, we cannot withdraw from your Stripe, and we cannot refund on your behalf without your explicit action. This is the same architecture Shopify, Lyft, and Substack use for their creators.

  • PCI-DSS Level 1 — the highest tier, audited by Stripe
  • 3DS2 SCA for UK & EU card payments
  • Card numbers never touch our servers
  • Fraud & chargeback protection via Stripe Radar
  • GDPR & UK GDPR compliant data handling
  • You can leave at any time — your Stripe stays yours

Whether you're running a Tuesday-night comedy showcase, a 400-seat charity ball, a Shakespeare-in-the-park fringe show, an underground supper club, or a two-day tech conference, you have one problem in common: you want to charge the right amount, in the right currency, through a checkout your attendees actually recognise, without losing a third of your take to fees — and without some middleman sitting on your money.

This guide is every answer to "how do I charge for my event?" in one place. If you already know Who's In and just want the template list, skip to use cases. If you've never heard of us, start with the how-it-works section and the payment methods. Everything on Who's In is free to try.

Powered by Stripe Connect

Every payment method your attendees already use

Stripe Connect powers checkout on every paid event, every ticketed show, every deposit, and every donation on Who's In. One integration, every global and regional payment rail your customers expect.

Cards

Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, Diners, UnionPay.
  • Visa logoVisaWorldwide
  • Mastercard logoMastercardWorldwide
  • Amex logoAmexWorldwide
  • Discover logoDiscoverWorldwide
  • JCB logoJCBAsia
  • UnionPayUnionPayChina
  • Diners logoDinersWorldwide

Digital Wallets

One-tap checkout — no card entry, highest conversion.
  • Apple Pay logoApple PayWorldwide
  • Google Pay logoGoogle PayWorldwide
  • Link · by Stripe logoLink · by StripeWorldwide
  • amazonpayAmazon PayWorldwide

Availability depends on your Stripe Connect country and the customer's location. Who's In charges a flat 2.7% platform fee on paid tickets — Stripe's standard processing fees apply on top (typically 1.5–2.9% + a small fixed amount per transaction, varies by country and payment method). Free events incur zero fees.

Every event you can charge for

Twelve of the most common paid-event formats, each with a purpose-built landing page that covers defaults, pain points, and a comparison against the big incumbents. Pick the one that matches what you're running — or start from scratch if none quite fit.

How to charge for an event in five steps

This is the whole flow. It takes about ten minutes end-to-end, most of which is the one-time Stripe onboarding. Every subsequent event is 60 seconds to launch.

  1. 1

    Create your event

    Pick a template (Comedy, Open Mic, Karaoke, Theatre, Gala, Workshop…) or build from scratch. Takes 60 seconds.

  2. 2

    Toggle "Paid ticket" or "Deposit"

    Set a price, currency, and capacity. Add optional tiers (early bird, VIP, student, member).

  3. 3

    Connect Stripe (one time, 10 minutes)

    Link your existing Stripe account via OAuth, or create a new one. No webhooks to configure, no API keys to paste.

  4. 4

    Share the link

    Your event page has all major cards plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link live out of the box.

  5. 5

    Run the door

    QR scanner on your phone. Waitlist promotes automatically when someone drops. Funds in your Stripe next banking day.

Why organisers pick Who's In for paid events

Eight features that compound into a meaningfully better economics than the incumbents — particularly on the small-to-medium events (10–500 attendees, $10–$250 ticket) where fee structure matters most.

Flat 2.7% platform fee

No per-ticket surcharge, no monthly. Eventbrite is 3.7% + $1.79/ticket — we're half the cost on a $15 ticket.

Stripe Connect, your account

Funds land in your Stripe account, not ours. Payouts typically T+2 banking days.

135+ currencies

Charge in your local currency. Customers pay in theirs. FX handled at Stripe rates.

PCI-DSS Level 1

Highest card-data security. You never touch card numbers. We never store them.

Apple / Google Wallet passes

Ticket renders as a wallet pass. QR scanner at the door works offline.

Automatic refunds & receipts

Customer-facing refunds are one click. VAT-capable receipts emailed on purchase.

Payouts in 60+ countries

Stripe Connect Standard — link your existing Stripe account or create one in 10 minutes.

No-show safeguards

Morning-of reconfirmations, automatic waitlist promotion, offline QR check-in.

Exactly what you pay

Our fee structure is three sentences long. No tiers, no surcharges, no monthly, no credit-card-required-to-start.

  • Free events → free forever. No credit card, no trial, no feature gate.
  • Paid events → 2.7% flat Who's In platform fee. No per-ticket surcharge, no monthly. This is a Who's In platform charge that's in addition to Stripe's standard processing fees (typically 1.5–2.9% + a small fixed amount per transaction, varies by your country and the payment method used).
  • Payouts to your Stripe account, typically T+2 banking days. Not a held balance on our side.
Straight talk on fees: the 2.7% is the Who's In platform fee — what we charge to provide the software, support, Stripe Connect orchestration, wallet-pass issuance, waitlists, QR check-in, fraud evidence auto-packaging, and everything else. Stripe's own processing fees apply separately and are paid to Stripe, not to us. Exact Stripe rates depend on your country and the customer's payment method — see stripe.com/pricing for authoritative numbers. The worked examples below use $15 ticket as reference points and show the Who's In platform fee only; Stripe's processing fee is additional on both Who's In and every comparison competitor.

Worked examples

Ticket priceWho's In (2.7%)Eventbrite (3.7% + $1.79)You save
$10$0.27$2.16$1.89/ticket
$25$0.68$2.72$2.04/ticket
$75$2.03$4.57$2.54/ticket
$150$4.05$7.34$3.29/ticket
100 × $25 tickets$67.50$272$204.50 saved

How Who's In compares on paid events

Versus the three platforms most organisers consider: Eventbrite, Luma, and Partiful. Numbers from each platform's public pricing page as of April 2026.

FeatureWho's InEventbriteLumaPartiful
Platform fee on paid ticket2.7% flat3.7% + $1.793%Paid tier only
Fee on a $15 ticket$0.41$2.35$0.45N/A on free
Free eventsFree foreverFreeFreeFree
Apple / Google PayYesYesYesLimited
Link by Stripe (one-tap checkout)YesNoNoNo
Deposits / reserve-holdYesNoNoNo
Automatic waitlist promotionYesPartialManualNo
Apple / Google Wallet passesYesPro plan onlyNoNo
Payouts to your own StripeYes (Connect Standard)NoNoNo

See the full breakdowns: Eventbrite alternatives (2026) · Full comparison page.

Beyond flat-price tickets

Three payment patterns that the incumbents don't handle well — and that Who's In makes first-class.

Deposits & reserve-holds

For supper clubs, karaoke booth bookings, private dining, theatre season passes, or any event where you want a commitment without charging the full cover. Set the deposit amount (e.g. $20 of a $60 meal), charged immediately; settle the balance on the night via cash, card, or an automatic Stripe invoice. Drops no-show rate by 60–80% versus free RSVPs.

One-tap wallet & Link checkout

Apple Pay and Google Pay surface automatically on supported devices, and Link by Stripe remembers returning customers for a one-tap checkout. Biometric one-tap typically converts 2–3× higher than manual card entry, which lifts conversion on higher-priced events (conferences, festivals, gala tables, multi-day workshops). You're paid in full to your own Stripe account either way.

Donation add-on for charity events

Any ticketed event can enable an optional donation field at checkout — "add £5 to support the cause" — so supporters can give more than the ticket price without a separate ask. Donations flow through the same Stripe account, are receipted automatically, and can be reported separately for gift-aid or tax purposes.

Security, compliance & the bits nobody asks about until something goes wrong

PCI-DSS Level 1

Card data never touches our servers. Stripe handles tokenisation end-to-end.

3DS2 Strong Customer Authentication

Enabled by default in the UK & EU. Dynamic challenge flow only when the issuer requires it.

GDPR + UK GDPR compliant

Attendee data stays in the EU / UK where required. DPA available on request.

Chargeback evidence auto-packaged

Purchase trail, QR scan record, device fingerprint, and IP bundled automatically when you dispute.

Frequently asked questions

How do I charge for my event on Who's In

Create your event, toggle on "Paid ticket" or "Deposit", set a price and currency, connect your Stripe account via OAuth (one-time, ~10 minutes), then share the link. Customers check out with all major cards plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link. Flat 2.7% platform fee; Stripe's standard processing fee applies on top. Funds go to YOUR Stripe account, payouts T+2.

What's the cheapest way to sell event tickets online?

Who's In is 2.7% flat — roughly half of Eventbrite's 3.7% + $1.79 on most price points. On a $15 ticket that's $0.41 vs $2.35. Lower fees only exist on self-hosted open-source options, which require technical setup and lose you Apple Pay / Google Pay / Link by default.

Can I take deposits instead of full-price tickets?

Yes. Deposit mode is built for supper clubs, karaoke booth holds, theatre season bookings, and any event where you want a commitment without the full upfront charge. Set the deposit amount, charged immediately — settle the balance on arrival or via a Stripe invoice.

Does Who's In support Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link?

Yes — all three are on by default on every paid event. Apple Pay appears on Safari/iOS, Google Pay on Chrome/Android, and Link by Stripe offers one-tap checkout for returning customers. Customers see only the methods most likely to convert based on their device and location.

Is Who's In good for charity fundraising?

Yes. Charity balls, galas, sponsored walks, fun runs and auctions all use Who's In. Flat 2.7% saves ~$175 per $10,000 raised vs Eventbrite. An optional donation-upsell field at checkout lets attendees add a gift as they book.

Which countries can payout?

60+ countries via Stripe Connect Standard — UK, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, every EU state, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, and more. Payouts in your local currency, to your local bank.

Do I need a Stripe account before I start?

No. Create one during onboarding in ~10 minutes, or link your existing Stripe via OAuth on the /settings page — no re-verification needed.

What about refunds and chargebacks?

One-click partial or full refund from your dashboard — our platform fee is refunded automatically. Chargebacks go through Stripe's standard dispute flow; we auto-package the evidence (purchase trail, QR scan, device fingerprint, IP). Event ticketing wins disputes 70%+ of the time with auto-evidence.

Stop losing a third of your take to ticket fees.

Create your first paid event in 60 seconds. Free events free forever; paid events 2.7% flat.

Related Reading

Back to BlogPublished 21 April 2026 · Updated 22 April 2026