As an Employee: Accepting an Invitation

Most employees join Aplauso through an invite code from their property manager or employer. If you have an invite code:

  1. Go to auth.aplauso.io (or open the Aplauso mobile app).
  2. Enter your phone number or email address and verify with the 6-digit OTP code.
  3. Complete the initial setup form: first name, last name, and country.
  4. When prompted for an invite code, enter the 8-character code your manager gave you.
  5. Your account is linked to your property, organization, and department automatically.
  6. You are then guided through the employee onboarding wizard - a 4-step flow to set up your profile, choose a guest rating prompt, connect Stripe for payouts, and launch your personal QR code.

See The Employee Onboarding Wizard for a detailed walkthrough of each step.

Your invite code is 8 characters (letters and numbers, no ambiguous characters like O, I, 0, or 1). Invite codes are valid for 7 days from when they were created and can typically only be used once.

As a Property Manager: Starting a New Account

If you are setting up a new property on Aplauso:

  1. Visit aplauso.io and click Get Started or go directly to auth.aplauso.io.
  2. Enter your email or phone and complete the OTP verification.
  3. Complete initial setup: enter your name and country.
  4. The onboarding wizard walks you through setting up your profile, connecting Stripe, and getting your QR code.
  5. From the management dashboard, you can then:
    • Create your organization
    • Add your first property
    • Set up departments and outlets
    • Invite your team

Connect Your Stripe Account

All Aplauso accounts that receive tips need a connected Stripe account for payouts. During the onboarding wizard (Step 3 - Get Paid), you can choose Live or Training before connecting Stripe. Training mode lets you rehearse the Stripe flow with test data only, while live mode connects the real account that receives real payouts. If you skip this step, you can connect later from Settings > Payment and click Connect with Stripe. You will need:

  • Full legal name
  • Date of birth
  • Last 4 digits of SSN (or equivalent ID for non-US)
  • Bank account number and routing number for payouts

This takes about 5 minutes and is handled entirely by Stripe - Aplauso does not store your banking details.

What Happens After Setup

Once your account is created and onboarding is complete:

  • Your personal QR code is generated automatically.
  • Your earnings wallet is ready to receive tips.
  • You receive a welcome email series with tips for getting started.
  • You can open the Aplauso mobile app and sign in with the same credentials.
  • Tips and ratings start appearing in near-real time.