Setting up Stripe payments for your conference

Airballoon uses Stripe to process registration payments. When attendees pay to register for your conference, the funds flow through Stripe and are deposited directly into your organization's bank account, with Airballoon's Platform Fee (and Stripe's processing fee) automatically deducted before disbursement. This page walks you through getting Stripe connected.

Before you begin

For creating a new account, gather:

• Your organization's legal name and full address
• Tax ID / EIN (US) or equivalent business number for your country
• A bank account where Stripe will deposit funds
• A government-issued ID for the authorized signer
• The signer's date of birth and home address

For connecting an existing account, you'll just need to be able to sign in to your organization's Stripe Dashboard during the OAuth flow.

Step 1 — Sign the Platform Services Agreement

1. 1

   Open the Conference Leadership Console for your conference and click the Payments tab.

2. 2

   Read the Platform Services Agreement. Key terms:

   • Platform Fee: 2.9% + $0.99 promotional rate per registration (deducted automatically) while AirCore's 3% is waived, for registrations processed on or before December 31, 2026 (subject to change); the standard 5.9% + $0.99 (AirReg 2.9% + AirCore 3.0%) applies after.
   • Stripe processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction (Stripe's standard rate; varies by region/payment method) — borne by your organization, separate from and not included in the Platform Fee
   • Refunds: you set your own refund policy. Platform & processing fees are non-refundable; you bear chargeback costs.
   • Liability: Airballoon's liability is capped at the Platform Fees you've paid in the preceding 12 months.
3. 3

   Fill in your organization details, the authorized signer's information, draw your signature on the canvas, and click Sign Agreement & Continue.

Step 2 — Connect your payment account

After the agreement is signed, the Payments tab advances to Connect Stripe. Pick one of:

Option A — Create a new Stripe Express account

Use this if your organization doesn't already have a Stripe account, or you want a dedicated account for this conference.

1. 1

   Click Create New Account → Continue to Stripe. You'll be redirected to a Stripe-hosted onboarding form.

2. 2

   Fill in:

   • Email and phone number for the connected account
   • Business type (typically Non-profit or Company for academic conferences)
   • Legal business address
   • Tax ID / EIN
   • Authorized signer's personal information (name, DOB, home address, ID)
   • Bank account for payouts
3. 3

   Submit. Stripe will verify the details (sometimes within seconds, sometimes within a few business days for additional verification).

4. 4

   You'll be returned to the Payments tab. Once Stripe confirms charges_enabled and payouts_enabled, the page advances to Ready to Accept Payments.

Option B — Connect an existing Stripe account

Use this if your organization already has a Stripe account (Standard type) for other purposes, and you want payouts from this conference to go to that account.

1. 1

   Click Connect Existing Account. You'll be redirected to Stripe's OAuth authorize page showing "Airballoon by Lumvex Labs uses Stripe to connect your accounts."

2. 2

   Sign in to your existing Stripe Dashboard (test or live to match the environment) and approve the connection.

3. 3

   Stripe redirects you back to Airballoon. The Payments tab advances to Ready to Accept Payments as soon as the connected account's capabilities sync.

After setup

Once both steps are complete, the Payments tab shows Ready to Accept Payments along with:

• Stripe Account ID (acct_...)
• Account type (Express or Standard)
• Status (Active)
• Business name as registered with Stripe

Test a registration

We recommend running through one test registration end-to-end:

1. 1
   Make sure your conference has at least one paid registration tier configured.
2. 2
   Open the registration flow as an attendee and complete a test payment using Stripe's test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 (any future expiry, any 3-digit CVC).
3. 3
   Verify the payment appears in your Stripe Dashboard under Payments, and that the registration shows as paid in the leadership console.

Where to find payouts and transactions

• Express accounts — limited dashboard at the URL Airballoon links from your Payments tab (look for "Open Stripe Dashboard").
• Standard accounts — full Stripe Dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com using your existing credentials.

Payouts typically arrive within 2 business days for established accounts, 7–14 business days for newly created accounts during Stripe's initial review window.

Fees at a glance

Example: a $500 registration nets approximately $469.71 to your organization at the promotional rate (Platform 2.9% + $0.99 = $15.49; Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 = $14.80). After the promotion ends, the same registration nets about $454.71 at the standard 5.9% + $0.99 Platform Fee.

Frequently asked questions

What is "Save with Link" during onboarding? Do I need it? Stripe Link is a separate Stripe consumer product that stores your contact and account info so you can autofill on other Stripe-powered websites. It's purely optional and has nothing to do with your connection to Airballoon. Whether you click "Save with Link" or "Finish without saving," the connected account Airballoon receives is identical. Pick whichever you prefer; we recommend "Finish without saving" unless you specifically want Link's autofill on other sites.

What if I made a typo in the signed agreement (e.g. wrong organization name)? Once signed, the agreement is on file and cannot be edited directly. Contact support@airballoon.ai with your conference name and the change you need. Material changes may require terminating the current agreement and signing a new one.

Can I disconnect my Stripe account later? Yes, but contact support — there's no self-service disconnect today. We'll mark the connection as inactive and you can connect a different account.

Why is my account in "Pending" / "Restricted" status? Stripe requires additional verification (proof of business, additional ID, bank statement, etc.) for some accounts. Check the email Stripe sent and follow their instructions, then return to the Payments tab to refresh the status.

Do I need a separate Stripe account per conference? You can use the same Stripe account (Option B) across multiple conferences your organization runs. Each conference is a separate connected-account record on Airballoon's side; using the same Stripe account on the receiving side is fine.

What card brands are supported? Whatever your Stripe account is enabled for — typically Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and many regional methods. Toggle these in your Stripe Dashboard under Settings → Payment methods.

Need help?

• Setup or agreement questions — support@airballoon.ai
• Stripe verification or payout questions — Stripe Support, accessible directly from your Stripe Dashboard
• Full Platform Services Agreement — read the agreement