The checkout flow guides customers from cart to confirmed booking in three steps. It supports multiple payment methods, promo codes, gift cards, member discounts, split payments, and deposit options. There are three checkout variants: standard rentals, gift card purchases, and membership purchases.
Checkout steps
Step 1: Personal Information
The customer enters their contact details:
- First name and last name (required)
- Email address (required)
- Phone number
- Any additional required fields configured in your location settings
Returning members can log in at the top of this step to pre-fill their information and unlock membership pricing. The login uses a loyalty/member session that pulls their profile, membership tier, and available credits.
Step 2: Review
A complete summary of the order including:
- Booking dates, times, and duration
- Inventory items and quantities
- Add-ons and protection plans
- Itemized pricing with subtotal, taxes, fees, and total
- Deposit amount (if deposit-only payment is configured)
- Promo code and gift card redemption fields
- Cancellation policy disclosure
Step 3: Payment
Secure payment processing via Stripe:
- Credit/debit card -- standard card entry
- Apple Pay and Google Pay -- available when the customer's browser supports them
- Split payment -- divide the total across multiple payment methods or installments
- Deposit -- pay a configurable deposit amount now with the balance due later
- Gift card -- apply a gift card balance toward the total
The payment step handles the Stripe payment intent creation, confirmation, and error handling. A confetti animation plays on successful booking.
Checkout variants
| Variant | URL | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | /checkout | Standard rental booking checkout |
| Gift Card | /checkout/gift-card | Gift card purchase flow |
| Membership | /checkout/membership | Membership subscription enrollment |
Features
Member login and discounts
Returning members can log in during checkout to:
- Pre-fill their personal information
- Apply their membership discount automatically
- Use available credits toward the total
- Access member-only pricing
Promo codes
Customers enter a promo code in the Review step. The system validates the code against:
- Expiration date
- Usage limits
- Minimum spend requirements
- Product/category restrictions
A valid code adjusts the pricing in real time.
Gift card redemption
Customers can apply a gift card balance toward their total in the Review step. The gift card balance is verified in real time and the remaining amount is deducted from the total due.
Split payment
The split payment option allows customers to divide the total across multiple payment methods or split the bill into installments. The number of installments can be configured, and each installment amount is calculated automatically.
Cart recovery
If a customer abandons checkout, their cart and personal information are automatically saved. RentalTide generates a recovery URL that can be:
- Included in automated cart recovery emails
- Sent manually by staff from the Cart Recovery dashboard
When the customer returns via the recovery URL, their cart and information are pre-populated.
Private booking links
Staff can generate a private booking link that pre-populates the cart with specific items and optionally includes a staff note. The link can be sent directly to a customer via email or messaging.
Checkout notes
Location settings can configure checkout questions -- additional fields that appear during the personal information step. For tour products, checkout questions can be defined at the product level and appear as part of the booking flow.
Configuration
Configure checkout behavior in your Location Settings:
- Required fields -- choose which customer information fields are mandatory
- Add-ons -- configure upsells that appear during checkout (protection plans, equipment extras)
- Payment options -- enable full payment, deposit-only, or payment plans
- Terms -- link to your terms and conditions (customer must accept before paying)
- Cancellation policy -- displayed during the review step so customers understand the policy before committing
- Credit card processing fee -- optionally pass the CC processing fee to the customer (displayed as a line item)
Keep required fields to a minimum to reduce checkout friction. Make sure pricing is clear and itemized on the review step. Enable cart recovery to automatically save abandoned carts. Test the full checkout flow regularly, including promo code and gift card redemption.
Payment declined -- Ask the customer to try a different card. Check Stripe for detailed decline reasons (insufficient funds, incorrect CVC, etc.).
Error during checkout -- Refresh the page and try again. If the issue persists, check Stripe's status page for outages.
Promo code not applying -- Verify the code is valid, has not expired, and meets any minimum spend or usage limits. Codes are case-sensitive.
Cart expired -- If the customer waited too long, their cart may have timed out. They will need to re-select their items and start checkout again.
Deposit amount showing as zero -- Ensure your deposit configuration uses a non-zero percentage or fixed amount. A deposit amount of $0 is valid and indicates no deposit is required.
Member discount not applying -- The member must log in through the checkout before the review step. Verify the membership tier has discounts configured.