Articles on: Accepting payments from athletes

Enabling additional payment methods via Stripe (e.g DirectDebit, PayTo)

Liveheats, via Stripe, supports a range of payment methods for event and membership registration, so you can choose which payment methods to make available to atheltes during checkout.
Must-knows:

  • Which methods an athlete sees at checkout depends on what your organisation has enabled in Stripe, and on what Stripe supports for the athlete's card, bank, and country. Payment method availability varies significantly around the world; see Stripe's guide to payment method types for background on why.
  • Asynchronous payment methods like Direct Debit take longer to clear than card payments. Unlike card payments, they need to be individually turned on in your Stripe Payment methods settings. See for details on how to enable additional (non-standard) payment methods in Stripe.


Standard payment methods

The standard payment methods below are automatically enabled in your Stripe account and are available to athletes when purchasing an event or membership registration.

  • Credit and debit card: Visa, Mastercard and others. See Stripe's supported card brands for the full list, which varies slightly by region.
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay: Available automatically on supported devices and browsers, no extra setup required.

Non-standard payment methods

Stripe also has many non-standard payment methods, which can be enabled in your Stripe account. Once enabled, athletes will also be able to choose to pay with these additional methods during checkout, if they are available in the country/region. Some examples include:

  • Direct Debit: Funds are debited directly from the athlete's bank account. The specific direct debit scheme used depends on the athlete's country, for example, BECS Direct Debit in Australia or ACH Direct Debit in the US, and typically takes a few business days to clear. See Stripe's bank debits overview for how these work by region.
  • PayTo: A real-time bank-to-bank payment method available in supported regions, which the athlete approves via their banking app. See Stripe's real-time payments overview for where this is available.


How to enable additional (non-standard) payment methods in Stripe

  1. Log in to Stripe and go to Settings > Payments
  2. Enable the additional payment methods you want to offer athletes. For further details, refer to Stripe's documentation: Activate a new payment method

Also, for the complete, up-to-date list of every payment method Stripe supports and where, see Stripe's supported payment methods overview.


Please note: Payment methods such as (DirectDebit) are asynchronous payment methods and are useful for athletes who prefer not to use a card, but often take 2-3 days for the payment to clear. The payment status of an event entry or membership is a standalone entry or membership status, meaning an entry can be confirmed whilst payment is still processing. See these articles for more details: Understanding event entry payment status, Understanding a member's membership payment status


Common questions

Can I choose which payment methods are offered?
Card payments are available by default once you have connected Stripe. Non-standard methods (including asynchronous payment methods like Direct Debit) are opt-in; you can choose which specific methods you want to offer from your Stripe Payment methods settings.


Why don't I see Apple Pay or Google Pay as an athlete?
These only appear on devices and browsers that support them, and require the athlete to have a card saved in their wallet.


Why don't I see Direct Debit or PayTo as an athlete?
These depend on your organisation having that specific payment method turned on in your Stripe Payment methods settings, and the method being supported in your country. See Stripe's payment method support page for coverage by country.


Are there extra fees for async payment methods?
No extra fees, but the Standard Liveheats and Stripe transaction fees still apply. See How Liveheats transaction fees work for details.

Updated on: 12/10/2026