The Aplauso kiosk supports four payment methods. Each guest sees the options that are available for their device and enabled for your property.
Apple Pay
Auto-detected - the Apple Pay button appears only when:
- The guest is on an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac with Safari)
- Safari is the browser
- The guest has a card set up in Apple Wallet
How it works:
- The kiosk requests a payment via Stripe's Payment Request API.
- Apple Pay's native confirmation sheet slides up showing the merchant name, total amount, and the card to be charged.
- The guest authenticates with Face ID, Touch ID, or double-click.
- Stripe confirms the payment and the guest lands on the thank-you page.
No card number is ever typed. The kiosk never captures the guest's Apple Wallet details.
Google Pay
Auto-detected - the Google Pay button appears when the guest is on an Android device (or Chrome on desktop) with Google Pay set up.
The flow is identical to Apple Pay - Stripe's Payment Request API handles detection and the native Google Pay sheet handles authentication.
Credit Card (Stripe Checkout)
When the guest taps Credit Card:
- They are redirected to a Stripe-hosted Checkout page - a secure, Stripe-branded payment page.
- The guest enters their card number, expiry, CVC, and optionally billing postal code.
- After successful payment, Stripe redirects back to the Aplauso thank-you page.
Why a redirect instead of an in-page form? Stripe Checkout is PCI-DSS compliant out of the box - card data is handled entirely by Stripe's servers. Aplauso never processes or stores card numbers.
If the guest cancels on the Stripe Checkout page, they are returned to the payment selection screen and can try a different method.
Charge to Room
Only available when your property has room charging enabled (configured by your property admin). When enabled, a "Charge to Room" button appears alongside the other payment options.
How it works:
- Guest taps Charge to Room.
- They enter their room number and registered guest name (exactly as it appears on their hotel reservation).
- The system validates the room against the property's open visit records.
- On success, the tip is added to their stay folio - they settle it at checkout with the rest of their bill.
- The employee still receives the tip in their Aplauso wallet immediately; the room charge settles through the property's PMS.
To enable room charging: Contact your Aplauso account manager or configure the recipient in your property settings (requires PropertyAdmin access).
Service Charge
All payment methods include a service charge added on top of the tip amount. The default is 5%, but this is configurable per property. The service charge is shown transparently on the payment screen before the guest confirms.
Example:
- Tip: $10.00
- Service charge (5%): $0.50
- Total charged to guest: $10.50
The employee receives the tip amount ($10.00). The service charge covers Stripe processing fees and Aplauso's platform cost.
Supported Currencies
| Currency | Code | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| US Dollar | USD | United States |
| Canadian Dollar | CAD | Canada |
| Mexican Peso | MXN | Mexico |
Currency is set per property and cannot be changed by the guest.
What If No Wallet Payment Is Available?
If the guest's device does not support Apple Pay or Google Pay (e.g., an older Android without Google Pay set up, or Firefox on desktop), only the Credit Card button is shown. The kiosk gracefully hides unavailable payment options.