What You Can Do with the Registration Fee
Registration fee payments are processed through Stripe Connect, the same payment technology used by platforms such as Uber and Airbnb to pay their sellers. The platform acts solely as an intermediary:
- Price per competition: You decide the amount and the currency; this applies only to competition for which you want to charge an entry fee; the rest remain free.
- Secure payment by credit card: Participants pay through Stripe Checkout, so you'll never have to provide your bank information to each of them.
- Automatic payment: The money from each registration is transferred directly to your Stripe account, minus a small fee (a fixed amount plus a small percentage) that the platform keeps for processing the payment.
- Automatic refund: If you reject a request that had already been paid, the money is automatically refunded, including the portion that had already been transferred to your account.
How to Turn It On, Step by Step
- Connect your payment account. From "My Account" (or from your organization's payment settings, if you're registered with one), click "Connect to Stripe" and complete the sign-up process: ID and bank account. It takes about 5 minutes, and you only need to do it once.
- Enable Manual Approval. For any competition for which you want to be paid, enable the "Registration with organizer's authorization" option: this is a mandatory requirement, since the team or player is only created once payment has been confirmed.
- Activate the registration fee. Click the "Registration Fee" button and set the amount and currency.
- Share the link to your competition. When someone requests to join, they'll pay the fee by credit card before the request reaches your admin inbox.
- Approve or reject each request. If you approve it, the team, player, or pair is created. If you reject it, the payment is automatically refunded.
Real-life example: a 7-a-side football league with 12 teams
An organizer launches a 7-a-side football league and sets a registration fee of $30 per team. With a commission of 5% plus a flat fee of $0.50, the platform keeps $2 from each registration, so the organizer’s account receives $28 per team. Once the 12 teams are confirmed, the organizer collects $336, which is automatically deposited as soon as each application is approved, without having to track bank transfers or keep track of who has paid in a spreadsheet. Two teams accidentally register twice: the organizer rejects each duplicate application, and the payment is automatically refunded—no need to process any refunds manually.
Tips for Collecting Registration Fees Without Any Surprises
- Set an amount that comfortably covers your expenses: If the registration fee is too low to cover the platform's flat fee, the system will not allow you to activate it until you increase it.
- Check your Stripe account before opening the registration period: Confirm that the verification is complete (that it does not appear as "pending") so that payments will work from day one.
- Explain the payment terms in the competition rules: Clearly state that registration requires a fee and what it includes, so that no one is caught off guard when applying to register.
- Carefully decide when it is necessary to request manual approval: Billing only works if this feature is enabled, so carefully assess your situation if you previously had a direct entry without authorization.
- Reuse the same payment account: You can use your personal account for multiple competitions without needing to belong to an organization, or use your organization's account for all of its competitions, without having to log in with a different account each time.
Common Mistakes When Collecting Registration Fees Online
- Attempting to activate the plan without first connecting Stripe: The system will ask you to link a payment account before you can save the amount.
- Leave manual approval disabled: Without this, no fees can be collected, since payment must be confirmed before the team or player is created.
- Set an amount equal to or less than the minimum rate: The platform will notify you and will not charge the fee until the price covers it.
- Failing to periodically review pending requests: An application that has already been paid for but has not yet been approved or rejected remains pending; it is a good idea to check the competition management page frequently while the registration period is open.
Paid registration fee vs. free registration
Free registration (with or without the organizer's approval) is still available, as always, and is the default option for any competition. Paid registration is an additional option intended for organizers who need to cover actual expenses—venue rental, referees, prizes, equipment—and don’t want to manage payments manually. It’s only worth enabling if you’re going to require an actual payment to participate, not as a substitute for free manual approval when all you want to do is filter who registers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a company to set up Stripe?
No. You can link a personal account as an individual or as a self-employed person; Stripe Connect supports both options.
What happens if I reject a request that has already been paid for?
The refund is processed automatically, including the portion that has already been credited to your account. You do not need to handle the refund yourself.
Can I run both free and paid competition at the same time?
Yes. The registration fee applies to each competition and does not affect your other registrations.
Can I change the amount after posting the competition?
Yes, you can change the amount or currency at any time while the registration period is still open.
What if my competition isn't organized by anyone and I created it myself?
No problem: the amount will still be charged to your personal payment account; there's no need to create an organization.
What percentage of the commission does the platform keep?
A fixed amount plus a small percentage of the registration fee; the rest is transferred directly to your Stripe account.
Can I activate the rate without first enabling manual approval?
No. The registration fee requires manual approval to be activated, since the team or player is only created once payment has been confirmed.
Start collecting registration fees from your competitors
Create your competition for free and enable the registration fee as soon as you connect your payment account. Create your free account or Discover the competition to see how it works.