Testing the Kiosk in Sandbox Mode - Test Cards and Environment Switching

Before going live, always test the full guest tip flow in sandbox mode - a separate environment that uses Stripe test keys and isolated data, so no real money moves and no live tips are recorded.

What Sandbox Mode Does

In sandbox mode:

• An orange "SANDBOX MODE" banner is pinned to the top of every kiosk page
• Stripe test cards are used - no real charges occur
• Tip and rating data is written to the sandbox Firestore collection, completely separate from live data
• All payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Credit Card) are available in test mode

How to Access the Sandbox Kiosk

The environment is controlled server-side. Your Aplauso account manager or PropertyAdmin can toggle your property or a specific employee to sandbox mode. When active, simply opening the normal kiosk URL will display the sandbox banner automatically.

Alternatively, the kiosk URL responds to the environment setting in the API - check with your admin that the API environment for your test recipient is set to sandbox.

Stripe Test Cards

Use these card numbers to simulate successful payments in sandbox:

For any test card:

• Expiry date: any future date (e.g., 12/29)
• CVC: any 3-digit number (e.g., 123)
• Billing ZIP: any 5-digit ZIP (e.g., 10001)

Simulating Apple Pay / Google Pay in Sandbox

In sandbox mode, Stripe's Payment Request API uses test credentials:

• On a real iPhone/iPad: Apple Pay shows a "Test" badge but the flow runs normally
• On Android: Google Pay shows a "Test mode" label

You can run the full wallet payment flow without any real charge occurring.

Testing Room Charge

Room charge testing requires a configured visit in the sandbox environment. Create a test visit with a known room number, then enter that room number on the kiosk room charge screen. The lookup validates against sandbox visit records.

End-to-End Test Checklist

Before deploying to production, verify each of the following:

• Kiosk URL loads the correct recipient (name, photo, prompt text)
• Rating step: tapping each star shows the correct feedback label
• Flow advances automatically after 800ms (no extra tap needed)
• Tip presets show the correct amounts for this recipient
• "No, Thank You" submits rating-only and goes to thank-you
• "Other Amount" opens numeric keypad and respects $9,999 maximum
• Service charge is displayed correctly before payment
• Apple Pay / Google Pay button appears (if applicable)
• Credit card payment completes with test card 4242 4242 4242 4242
• Thank-you page shows correct recipient name
• Confetti animation fires
• Tip appears in the employee's sandbox wallet (check Wallet tab in the mobile app with environment set to sandbox)

Switching to Live

When you are ready to go live:

1. Confirm your property is set to the live environment in the management dashboard.
2. Open the kiosk URL - the orange SANDBOX banner should not appear.
3. Run one final test with a real $1 tip to confirm end-to-end payment works and the tip appears in the live wallet.
4. Deploy to your service areas.