Take PayPal Payments on Your Booking Calendar
Chasing an invoice after the session is how you end up working for free. If you already use PayPal, a scheduling app that collects the payment at the moment someone books removes the chase entirely. Here is exactly how it works, including the parts most pages leave out.
How it works
- You add your PayPal email address to CalendarPA and set a price on a booking type.
- A client picks a time on your booking page and goes through PayPal checkout.
- PayPal charges them and pays your account directly.
- The booking is confirmed, the calendar event is created, and both of you get a confirmation email.
Where the money actually goes
Straight to you. Your PayPal address is set as the payee on the order itself, so the payment is between your client and your PayPal account. CalendarPA never holds the funds and there is no payout delay on our side to wait for, because there is no payout on our side.
To be precise about fees, because "no cut" and "no fees" are different claims: CalendarPA takes no percentage of what you charge. PayPal still charges you its own transaction fees on the payment, exactly as it would anywhere else. That part is between you and PayPal.
Connecting takes an email address
There is no OAuth flow, no merchant application and no waiting for approval. You enter the PayPal email address you want paid, type it a second time to confirm, and you can take payments immediately.
Because it is just an address, it is worth being careful: we check that it is a valid email address, not that it belongs to you or to a PayPal account at all. An address with a typo sends your clients' money somewhere you cannot reach. That is why the field is entered twice. Check it, and take a test booking before you publish.
What you can charge for
Anything you can put on the calendar:
- A single appointment at a fixed price.
- A pack of credits a client buys once and spends on bookings later.
- A whole recurring series, paid for in one checkout.
Refunds and cancellations
You refund a PayPal payment in PayPal itself, from your own account, because that is where the money went. CalendarPA picks the refund up from PayPal: a full refund cancels the booking, and a partial one is recorded against it. If you cancel the booking first, CalendarPA reminds you to refund in PayPal.
Which plans include this
PayPal works on every plan, including the free one. The one limit to know: a free account can have a single active payment provider, so you can run PayPal or Stripe but not both until you upgrade. Paid plans have no limit. The full breakdown is on the features page.
Common questions
Can I use PayPal with a scheduling app?
Yes. CalendarPA takes PayPal at the moment someone books, rather than invoicing afterwards. You set a price on a booking type, the client pays through PayPal checkout as part of booking, and the slot is only confirmed once the payment goes through.
Does the money come to me or to CalendarPA first?
Directly to you. Your PayPal address is the payee on the order, so funds move from your client to your PayPal account. We never hold them, which also means there is nothing to wait on for a payout.
What does it cost?
CalendarPA takes no percentage of your bookings. PayPal charges its own transaction fees on each payment, the same as it would on any other PayPal payment, and that is between you and PayPal.
How do I connect PayPal to my booking calendar?
Add your PayPal email address in your payment settings and confirm it by typing it again. There is no OAuth step and no merchant approval to wait for, so you can take a payment straight away.
What if I enter the wrong PayPal email?
The payments go to that address, not to you. We validate that the address is well formed, but we cannot check that it is yours or that a PayPal account exists for it, which is why it is entered twice. Take one test booking after setting it up and confirm the money arrives before you publish the link.
Can I refund a PayPal booking?
Yes, in full or in part, from your PayPal account. CalendarPA does not issue PayPal refunds itself, but it reads the refund back from PayPal and updates the booking: a full refund cancels it.
Is PayPal available on the free plan?
Yes. The limit on the free plan is the number of payment providers you can have active at once, which is one, so PayPal on its own is fine, and running PayPal alongside Stripe needs a paid plan.
Try it
PayPal is available on the free plan, so you can set up a paid booking type and take a real payment without upgrading first.
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