Aplauso uses Stripe to securely collect all guest tip payments. There are two distinct Stripe integrations: one for collecting payments from guests (covered here) and one for paying out to employees (see Stripe Connect).
Guest Payment Methods
| Method | Stripe API Used |
|---|---|
| Apple Pay | Stripe Payment Request API |
| Google Pay | Stripe Payment Request API |
| Credit/Debit Card | Stripe Checkout (hosted redirect) |
| Room Charge | Room charge flow (no Stripe card used) |
Payment Flow
Apple Pay / Google Pay
- Kiosk detects the guest's device supports wallet payments.
- Aplauso calls the Create Payment Intent endpoint, which creates a Stripe PaymentIntent with the tip amount, service charge, and employee's Stripe account as the destination.
- The Stripe Payment Request API displays the native Apple/Google Pay confirmation sheet.
- Guest authenticates with Face ID, fingerprint, or device PIN.
- Payment is confirmed and the PaymentIntent status changes to
succeeded. - Stripe sends a
payment_intent.succeededwebhook event to Aplauso. - Aplauso marks the tip as finalized and updates the employee wallet.
Credit Card
- Aplauso calls the Create Checkout Session endpoint.
- Guest is redirected to a Stripe-hosted Checkout page (stripe.com domain).
- Guest enters card number, expiry, CVC, and optional billing ZIP.
- Stripe processes the charge.
- Stripe redirects the guest back to the Aplauso thank-you page.
- Stripe sends a
payment_intent.succeededwebhook to Aplauso. - Tip is finalized.
Stripe Webhook Events
Aplauso listens for the following Stripe events to update tip status:
| Event | Action |
|---|---|
payment_intent.succeeded | Finalizes tip; creates employee dividend records |
payment_intent.payment_failed | Marks tip as payment failed |
payment_intent.canceled | Cancels pending tip |
charge.succeeded | Supplementary confirmation |
charge.failed | Records charge failure |
charge.refunded | Processes refund and reverses dividend |
charge.dispute.created | Records chargeback/dispute |
Property admins do not need to configure Stripe webhooks - they are managed centrally by Aplauso.
PCI Compliance
- Card numbers are never entered on k.aplauso.io - they go directly to Stripe's servers via Stripe Checkout.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay use tokenized payment credentials - no card number is transmitted.
- Aplauso is not a PCI-DSS cardholder data environment; all payment data is handled by Stripe.
Service Charge
The service charge (default 5%) is added to the tip amount before the PaymentIntent is created. The total charged to the guest's card is tipAmount + (tipAmount * serviceChargePercent). The service charge covers Stripe's processing fees and Aplauso's platform cost.
Refunds
Refunds are handled through the Aplauso admin tools. When a refund is issued:
- Stripe processes the refund to the guest's original payment method.
- The
charge.refundedevent triggers Aplauso to reverse the corresponding dividend from the employee wallet. - If the employee has already withdrawn, the reversal creates a negative balance that offsets future earnings.
Contact support@aplauso.io to request a tip refund.