A complete guide to setting up online payment collection for service estimates — from connecting Stripe to getting your first deposit in your bank account.
Navigate to the Payments section in BidSwift Settings. Connect your existing Stripe account or create a new one. The setup process takes about 10 minutes and requires your business information and bank account details.
Once connected, estimate links will include payment options. You can choose to collect a deposit at approval or full payment — configure the default in your estimate settings.
For large jobs (holiday lighting, landscaping), set a 25–50% deposit requirement. For recurring lawn care, many contractors collect full payment per visit via the estimate link.
Generate and send a normal estimate. When the customer clicks the link, they'll see the approval and payment option. They can pay by card directly from the estimate page — no account creation required.
All collected payments appear in your BidSwift dashboard and your Stripe account. Funds typically deposit to your bank account within 2 business days.
Customers who pay a deposit are 3× less likely to cancel than those who haven't committed financially.
Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Factor this into your pricing if you plan to pass the cost along to customers.
You never need to ask for payment separately — the estimate link handles everything in one step.
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