People sign up for events and services every day—conferences, online courses, fundraising campaigns, and much more. However, there’s often a noticeable difference between a simple sign-up form and one that also collects fees. A registration form that includes payment fields can make the registration process easier for both businesses and customers. It shortens the overall process, reduces the chance of missed payments, and offers immediate confirmation that the sign-up was successful.

Below, we explore registration forms with payment options, including mistakes to avoid and how Stripe can power these forms.

What’s in this article?

• What is a registration form with payment integration?
  
• Why should businesses use registration forms with payment?
  
• What are the key features of a good registration form with payment?
  
• What tools can create registration forms with payment integration?
  
• How does Stripe simplify registration forms with payment?
  
• What are common mistakes to avoid with these forms?
  
• What industries benefit most from registration forms with payment?
  

What is a registration form with payment integration?

A registration form with payment integration is a sign-up page or widget that allows a customer to provide their information (e.g., name, email, phone number) while also collecting a fee. It typically includes fields for credit card details or other payment methods. Customers fill in their information, pay with their preferred method, and get a receipt or confirmation message at the end.

With a combined registration and payment form, businesses don’t need to send a follow-up invoice or divert customers to a separate payment portal. These forms are commonly used for:

• Conference registration

• Workshop enrollment

• Membership sign-ups (e.g., gyms, online clubs)

• Fundraising pages

• Ticketed events (e.g., concerts, expos, charity galas)

• Subscription-based offerings (e.g., courses, monthly services)

Why should businesses use registration forms with payment?

Some businesses assume a separate payment process works well. However, that extra step can lower the number of customers who complete payment. A well-built, integrated form can help reduce that issue. Other benefits include:

• Convenience for customers: Fewer steps mean a faster experience. Customers don’t have to wait for a second email or look for a new link. They fill in their information, pay, and get immediate verification that they’ve completed a successful enrollment or purchase.

• Consistent data collection: When a registration form combines all information, businesses can avoid typos and missing fields. These can happen if customers have to re-enter the same information in multiple places. The registration form captures payment, contact information, and any other details at the same time.

• Fewer abandoned registrations: Customers might get distracted or hesitate with a multistep process. If one form handles everything, the chances of customers leaving before paying can decrease.

• Real-time revenue tracking: With these forms, businesses can immediately know how many customers signed up and how much money came in. This can help with planning, especially when organizing an event and needing to track capacity or estimate resource allocation.

• Positive brand image: A single-step registration and payment page signals that a business is well prepared. It’s a small detail, but it shows consideration for customers’ time, which can affect how they perceive a brand.

What are the key features of a good registration form with payment?

Some payment-enabled forms are clunky and feel confusing, while others are simple and direct. Here are the main features that tend to matter most:

• User-friendly layout: In general, registrants don’t want to see a lot of text or excessive mandatory fields. In fact, forms with fewer than five fields have a conversion rate of nearly 20%, while the rate for those exceeding 50 fields drops to about 9%. Keep the design tidy with clear labels, short instructions, and a minimal number of clicks.

• Secure payment options: Payment details are sensitive. Payment forms should integrate with reputable payment processors and follow best practices for data protection. Consider which payment methods are most dependable and well recognized when deciding which to accept.

• Dynamic pricing or discounts: Some events or offerings have tiered pricing, such as “early bird” discounts, group rates, or coupon codes. A good registration form easily handles these variations so customers can see exactly how much they’re paying before they click “submit.”

• Automatic confirmation: Once a customer pays, a confirmation page or email reassures them that the business received their registration.

• Data export and reporting: Some forms only allow businesses to see sign-ups on the form host’s website, while others allow businesses to export data in various formats to use in their internal systems. If a business needs to keep records or analyze sign-ups, it helps to have a flexible tool that can export data as a comma-separated values (CSV) file or integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) software.

• Mobile optimization: Many people browse on their phones. Registration forms should be easy to fill out on smaller screens without excessive scrolling or too-small text.

What tools can create registration forms with payment integration?

A range of platforms and services can combine a sign-up flow with billing fields. Some are designed for event organizers, while some work best with membership websites or ecommerce. Below, we break down some of the most common options.

Website builders with built-in payments

Platforms such as Wix have a form builder that also includes a payment feature. These are better for smaller projects where toggling between programs is unsuitable. However, options for customization and supported payment processors might be limited.

Event registration platforms

With sites such as Eventbrite and Meetup, businesses can create an event page, manage responses, and charge admission. They’re popular for public gatherings, workshops, and seminars. These sites often offer helpful extras—including event promotion tools—although the branding options might revolve around the platform rather than the company.

Form-building tools with payment fields

Services such as Jotform and Wufoo allow businesses to create drag-and-drop forms and typically have direct integrations with Stripe or other payment solutions. That means a business can design the form in a more customized way, embed it on its site, and handle transactions without customers leaving the page.

WordPress plugins

If a business’s site runs on WordPress, several plugins combine forms and payment processing. Gravity Forms, WPForms, and Ninja Forms all have payment integration add-ons that sync with Stripe to process transactions.

Custom code with payment libraries

Some businesses prefer to build forms from scratch, using front-end frameworks and hooking into Stripe’s application programming interfaces (APIs). This route is more flexible but also more resource-intensive. However, with developer bandwidth, a business can shape the entire experience.

How does Stripe simplify registration forms with payment?

Stripe has developer-friendly tools, but it also has several no-code and low-code options. That means you don’t have to be a software engineer to add a payment field to your registration form. Here are a few ways Stripe can help at every level of tech proficiency:

Low-code options

Stripe Elements is a low-code option that lets you embed a prebuilt payment field into your form. You can customize the design to match your brand’s colors and fonts, but Stripe manages the underlying functionality—calculating totals, handling different card types, and working with digital wallets—which reduces the guesswork around the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance and security.

No-code options

Stripe Checkout is a ready-to-use product that provides a secure, hosted payment page with no coding required. You can link it directly from a registration form or embed a button that leads customers to a Stripe-hosted page. This is especially useful if you want to move quickly and avoid heavy development.

Another no-code option is Stripe Payment Links. If your registration form is simple—such as a Google Form or survey tool that doesn’t handle payments natively—you can add a payment link to direct customers to a payment page. Stripe automatically handles the checkout page, and you can track payments in your Stripe Dashboard.

Developer-friendly APIs

If your team loves to code and wants to craft a custom experience, Stripe offers comprehensive APIs. You can use them to integrate direct calls to Stripe for a personalized form that still leverages Stripe’s reliable and secure infrastructure.

What are common mistakes to avoid with these forms?

Once you begin creating a registration form with payment fields, you might encounter unexpected problems that can lead to missed revenue or customer complaints. Below are some of the most prevalent pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Overly complicated form fields

It can be tempting to ask for a lot of information, but requiring too much up front can drive away customers who don’t want to spend 10 minutes filling out a form. Trim the fields down to what’s required; you can always collect additional data later.

Unclear pricing or hidden fees

Make sure the total is displayed plainly before a customer clicks “pay.” If you need to add taxes or service fees, show them. Customers appreciate transparency.

Weak security measures

Data encryption isn’t optional. Using a reputable payment processor is the simplest way to keep data safe rather than storing raw credit card details in your own database. Instead, use your payment provider’s encryption and tokenization features.

Lack of confirmation messages

Some forms redirect to a blank page or generic “thank you,” which can leave registrants unsure if you’ve received their payment. An easy-to-read success page or email receipt helps reassure new registrants.

Poor mobile experience

If your form doesn’t function well for mobile, you can lose potential sign-ups. Make sure the form has buttons large enough to tap easily, legible text, and payment fields that work well on smaller screens.

Not testing before launch

Broken fields, mismatched currency symbols, or incorrect discount codes happen frequently. Doing a quick test run (or a few test runs) helps you discover and fix any awkward issues before your form is live. Test your form from different devices and browsers.

What industries benefit most from registration forms with payment?

Any sector where sign-ups and fees are involved can benefit from combining registration with payment. That said, certain industries see the biggest advantage, including:

• Events and conferences: From large-scale expos to small workshops, event organizers manage attendance fees, seat availability, and sponsor add-ons. A unified registration and payment form helps track ticket sales, capacity, and upgrades (e.g., VIP seating).

• Educational courses and tutorials: Online platforms that offer digital courses, language schools, and private tutoring often handle repeat enrollments, sometimes at different price tiers. A single form that captures contact information and tuition can save administrators and students time.

• Nonprofits and fundraising: Some nonprofits hold ticketed events, such as charity dinners, while others hold events that require registration fees, such as 5K runs. A form that contains all of the necessary information without requiring customers to visit multiple pages can encourage more customers to complete the donation or sign-up process.

• Gyms and fitness classes: Spin classes, yoga retreats, and personal training sessions are often sold in multisession packages. A form that captures membership details and payment reduces friction for those who want to reserve a spot quickly.

• Professional associations: Trade groups, local business coalitions, or specialized clubs often charge annual fees or offer sponsorship opportunities. A combined registration and payment form keeps members from missing deadlines or forgetting to pay.

• Software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscriptions: If you’ve built a software service that charges a recurring fee, a unified sign-up form that bills monthly or annually can reduce confusion and get customers onboarded right away.