Initial setup
This guide covers the one-time configuration that takes a new account from sign-up to taking real money. Work through it in order. Most operators finish in two to three hours, spread over a couple of days while Stripe verification runs in the background.
RentalTide operates in 46 countries. Where a step differs by country, this page says so rather than assuming you are in the United States.
Before you start
Have these to hand. Gathering them first turns a stop-start afternoon into a single sitting.
- Your business legal name and trading name, if they differ
- Your business address and contact phone number
- Your bank account details for payouts
- Your business or tax registration number for your country (see below)
- A square logo, at least 256 x 256 px
- Your tax rates, and whether your prices already include tax
What Stripe will ask you for
Stripe verifies every business before it will pay out, and the documents it asks for depend on where your business is registered. RentalTide does not decide this and cannot skip it.
- EIN for a company, or SSN for a sole proprietor
- Business address and legal name
- Bank account and routing number
- Government-issued photo ID for the account representative
Settlement currency: USD
- ABN (Australian Business Number), and ACN if you are a company
- Registered business address and legal entity name
- BSB and account number for payouts
- Government-issued photo ID (driver licence or passport) for the account representative
Settlement currency: AUD
Your tax is GST, normally a single 10% rate. Configure it as one tax line named "GST" rather than the multiple stacked rates a US operator would use.
- Business Number (BN) for a company, or SIN for a sole proprietor
- Business address and legal name
- Transit, institution and account number for payouts
- Government-issued photo ID for the account representative
Settlement currency: CAD
Sales tax varies by province. Most operators configure GST/HST, plus PST or QST where applicable, as separate tax lines so each reports independently.
- Company number from Companies House, or sole trader details
- VAT number if you are VAT registered
- Business address and legal name
- Sort code and account number for payouts
- Government-issued photo ID for the account representative
Settlement currency: GBP
Your tax is VAT. UK prices are normally quoted inclusive of VAT, so review the inclusive pricing setting described under Taxes.
- NZBN (New Zealand Business Number) or company number
- IRD number
- Business address and legal name
- Bank account number for payouts
- Government-issued photo ID for the account representative
Settlement currency: NZD
Your tax is GST, normally 15%, quoted inclusive.
- Company registration number in your country of registration
- VAT number if registered
- Business address and legal name
- IBAN for payouts
- Government-issued photo ID for the account representative
Settlement currency: EUR in the eurozone, otherwise your national currency.
Thirty-six countries onboard entirely self-serve, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong and most of the EU and EEA.
Ten more are supported but need us to help you onboard: Brazil, Denmark, Gibraltar, India, Indonesia, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. You will still see your country in the sign-up selector, and it routes you to our team rather than into a flow that cannot complete. Email sales@rentaltide.com and we will arrange it.
The setup wizard
Your first sign-in lands on a four-step wizard. It collects the minimum needed to create your account and your first location. Everything it asks can be changed later.
Step 1 — Profile information
Your name, email address (pre-filled and read-only) and phone number.
Step 2 — Business information
- Brand name — what customers see on receipts, confirmations and your booking page
- Brand type — tours, activities, accommodations, rentals or other
- What do you rent? — watercraft, powersports, bike or auto. This shapes the default terminology and inventory categories
- Website and company email — both optional
Step 3 — Store information
- Location name, shown with a live preview of your booking page URL
- Address, with autocomplete
- Store phone number
Step 4 — Customize
Two pricing decisions and two feature checklists.
Who pays the fees:
| Toggle | Options |
|---|---|
| Credit card processing fee | I'll absorb it / Pass to customer |
| Platform fee | I'll absorb it / Pass to customer |
Both can be changed at any time under Settings > Store settings. See Fees below before deciding.
Enable features — digital waivers, gas and fuel tracking, gift cards, staff assignments, tour mode, risk and compliance, booking holds, booking approval.
What will you use — marina management, maintenance tracking, AI voice calling, point of sale, staffing.
Every feature stays available whatever you pick here, and each one you enable adds fields to screens your staff use daily. Start with what you will use in your first week. Switch the rest on once the basics are running.
Business information
Settings > Business profile. These values appear on receipts, invoices and customer-facing pages.
- Business name — your legal or trading name
- Phone number — shown on booking confirmations and your public site
- Logo — square, at least 256 x 256 px
- Support email — where customer replies are routed
Location setup
A location is one physical site: a dock, marina or rental counter. Each has its own timezone, hours, taxes and Stripe account.
Timezone
Set the timezone of the physical site. Every booking time, operating hour and report uses it.
You can change a timezone later, but existing bookings do not shift. A booking taken under the wrong timezone keeps its original time and has to be corrected by hand. Getting this right on day one is the single cheapest thing on this page.
Operating hours
Define when the location is open for each day of the week. Your public booking page only offers slots inside these hours. Individual dates can be overridden from the calendar for holidays, weather closures or private events. See Holidays and closures.
Taxes
Under Settings > Store settings > Taxes you can configure up to five tax rates per location.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Tax name | Display name, for example "GST", "VAT", "Sales Tax" |
| Tax rate (%) | 0 to 20%, in 0.1% increments |
| GL code | Accounting code, mapping to GL 3050 to 3064 |
| Apply to bookings | Whether this tax applies to rental bookings |
| Apply to slips | Whether this tax applies to marina slip charges |
Each tax appears as its own line on customer invoices and reports separately, which is what you need at filing time.
Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and most of the EU charge one national rate.
Configure one tax line:
- Australia: GST, 10%
- New Zealand: GST, 15%
- United Kingdom: VAT, 20%
Prices in these markets are normally advertised inclusive of tax. Turn on Show inclusive pricing under Settings > Store settings > Pricing display so customers see one all-in number rather than a base price with tax added at the end.
The United States and Canada stack rates from different authorities.
Configure one line per authority so each reports separately:
- United States: state, county and city as separate lines
- Canada: GST or HST, plus PST or QST where applicable
Prices in North America are conventionally shown exclusive of tax, with tax added at checkout. Leave inclusive pricing off.
Connect Stripe
RentalTide processes payments through Stripe. Each location connects its own Stripe account, so money moves from your customer to your bank without passing through us.
- Go to Settings > Payments.
- Select your country. This is pre-selected from your browser locale, so check it. It sets your settlement currency and cannot be changed afterwards without creating a new account.
- Click Connect with Stripe and complete Stripe's onboarding with the documents listed above.
- Once approved, the location can accept cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Stripe usually verifies within one to two business days, and longer if documents need manual review. Nothing else in setup depends on it, so begin it first and keep configuring while it runs. You cannot collect money until it clears.
If you already have a Stripe account, RentalTide links it through Stripe Connect. Your existing Stripe dashboard, payouts and reporting are unchanged.
Terminal setup
To take payments in person, register your reader under POS > Terminals. Supported hardware: Stripe Reader S700, M2 and BBPOS WisePOS E. See Terminals.
Fees: who pays
RentalTide charges 4.9% of booking value, and card processing is billed separately at your local rate. Full detail, including the per-booking cap on paid plans, is on the pricing page.
Each fee can be absorbed by you or passed to the customer, set independently under Settings > Store settings > Pricing and payments.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Charge application fee (platform fee) | Adds the 4.9% platform fee as a customer line item |
| Charge interchange fee (credit card fee) | Adds card processing as a customer line item |
Under RBA regulation, card surcharging is prohibited in Australia from 1 October 2026. Australian locations see a warning against the interchange fee toggle.
The setting is not blocked in software, because the rule is yours to comply with and the timing of your own change is your decision. If you operate in Australia, plan to absorb card processing and price it into your rates rather than surcharging at checkout.
Passing 100% of both fees to the customer is visible at checkout and is the most common cause of abandoned bookings, because guests compare the total against competitors rather than your headline rate.
The usual settlement is to absorb card processing, pass some or none of the platform fee, and build the rest into your rates. Cart recovery will show you what your own abandonment looks like either way.
Staff invitations
Invite your team from Settings > Staff management.
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full access to all settings, reporting and staff management |
| Manager | Bookings, POS, operations and reporting. Cannot manage billing or other admins |
| Staff | Day-to-day operations: check-in, walk-ups, POS register, journey board |
- Click Invite staff.
- Enter their email address and select a role.
- Assign them to one or more locations.
- They receive an email to set their password.
Then set weekly schedules under Staffing > Schedule. Shifts drive the manifest and determine who appears on the journey board.
For what each role actually needs to be taught before opening day, see Training your team.
Waivers
Most rental operations require a signed liability waiver before departure. Configure yours under Fleet > Waivers.
- Paste your waiver text or upload a PDF.
- Choose when it is presented: at checkout, on the next-steps page, or at check-in.
- Enable the signature requirement. Customers sign on their own phone or a shared tablet.
Signed waivers are stored against the booking and can be viewed or downloaded from the booking detail page.
RentalTide stores and presents whatever waiver you provide. The wording, and whether it is enforceable where you operate, is a matter for your own lawyer and insurer.