FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers for groups, merchants, and platforms.
Groups
- Do I need to download an app?
- No. PayShare works in the browser through a link or QR code when a merchant offers it.
- Can everyone see group progress?
- Yes. Participants in the session can see who has joined and how close the group is to completion.
- Do I pay PayShare or the merchant?
- You pay through the merchant’s payment provider (for example Stripe). PayShare coordinates the group session; it does not become the merchant of record.
- What happens if not everyone pays?
- If the group does not finish before the session ends, PayShare marks the session expired — or cancelled if the organiser or system cancels it. The booking or order is not confirmed through PayShare. Authorized payment holds are released, and any shares that were already captured are refunded through the merchant’s payment provider. How long funds take to reappear depends on that provider. What happens to the booking itself is controlled by the merchant.
- What happens if the booking is cancelled?
- When the merchant refunds in their payment provider, PayShare refunds the participant shares from that session and emails guests. Timing still depends on the provider.
- Is PayShare an expense-sharing or bill-split app?
- No. PayShare is merchant group-checkout technology for online bookings and orders. It is not a flatmate expense tracker, IOU app, or consumer wallet.
- Is PayShare BNPL?
- No. PayShare does not lend money or split one person’s payment over time. It lets multiple people pay their own shares for the same booking or order.
- Does PayShare store my money?
- No. PayShare is not a bank, wallet, or stored-value account. It does not hold pooled customer funds.
Merchants
- How do I connect PayShare?
- Install PayShare from the Stripe App Marketplace on the Stripe account that takes customer payments. Open PayShare in Stripe and follow the setup steps. If you control your checkout, add Split with others beside Pay now. If another platform controls your checkout, that platform needs to support PayShare.
- What happens if there’s a refund?
- Refund Split sessions from the PayShare Stripe App (or the merchant refund path PayShare provides) so participant shares and application fees reverse correctly. Guests then get a confirmation email from PayShare. Avoid double-refunding the same charge in Stripe Dashboard alone.
- How do I get charged?
- Like your payment provider, PayShare takes a fee on the transaction (collected as a Stripe application fee on completed Split payments). The fee is 1%, capped at NZD $100 equivalent per session. Foreign-currency equivalents use PayShare reference exchange rates, refreshed monthly. Stripe processing fees apply separately. Details: /pricing.
- Does PayShare replace Pay now?
- No. PayShare adds a group checkout option where it makes sense. Your existing single-payer checkout can stay available.
- Does PayShare replace my payment provider?
- No. PayShare runs on your own Stripe account as a Stripe App. Payments, payouts and disputes stay in Stripe.
- Is PayShare a wallet or pooled group account?
- No. PayShare does not create a shared stored-value balance. Each participant pays through your payment provider.
- Who controls the booking or order?
- You do. PayShare coordinates the group session; you keep inventory, confirmation, cancellation, fulfilment, and the customer relationship.
- Who confirms the booking?
- Your system does, from the share payments on your Stripe account — not from a browser redirect.
- What happens when a session expires?
- Join and pay stop. Authorized holds are released and captured shares are refunded through your payment provider. Whether the booking stays pending for a retry is your decision.
Platforms
- How do Stripe merchants get started?
- They install PayShare from the Stripe App Marketplace, choose your platform, and connect with a one-time code in your PayShare setting. You add Split with others to your checkout once for every merchant.
- Which payment providers are supported?
- PayShare runs on Stripe.
- How does our platform add PayShare?
- Install PayShare on your platform’s own Stripe account, choose “I operate a platform”, and follow the setup steps. The Stripe platform guide at /docs/stripe/platform covers the full integration.
- Does PayShare hold our customers’ money?
- No. Payments run on the merchant’s payment provider. PayShare does not create a pooled wallet.
- How does our system know the group has paid?
- From Stripe. Each share is a payment on the merchant’s Stripe account carrying the PayShare session and order reference in its metadata. Confirm the order from those payment events. Browser success pages are for display only and must not mark an order paid.
- Can we offer PayShare to only some merchants or properties?
- Yes. You turn PayShare on per property or store in your own payment settings, and only show Split with others where it is on.