Everything you need to know about Acre
If you ever get stuck, contact Acre support and we'll help you out.
1. Getting Started
The goal is to get your first invoice to Sent — that's when your customer can pay.
Already connected? If Settings > Payments shows Connected, go straight to Invoices > New Invoice. Stripe Connect is what lets you charge cards; it's not the finish line. Adding a logo in Settings > Profile is optional and doesn't block sending.
Connect Stripe (if needed)
If Payments is not connected yet, open Settings > Payments and follow the steps. You can't save or send invoices until Connect is complete. Stripe moves money from your customer's card to your bank — one-time setup.
If you started but didn't finish, you'll see Incomplete. Click Complete Stripe Setup to pick up where you left off. When you're done, Payments shows Connected — then head to Invoices > New Invoice.
Your first invoice: Fill in Invoice Title, customer Name and Email, and at least one Line Item. Due at booking defaults to 50%. For a day trip or à la carte charge, skip Trip Details. Leave Let them pay the remaining balance over time unchecked for now. Click Save & Send, or Save as Draft and then Send from the invoice. Full details are in the next section.
2. Creating and Sending Invoices
Day trip or à la carte
For a single-day guide fee, gear rental, or other one-off charge, leave Trip Type, Start Date, End Date, and Number of Guests blank — clear any pre-filled dates or guest count if the form expanded them. Skip Save as template on your first send.
Before You Start
Make sure Settings > Payments shows Connected. You'll need your customer's name and email address.
How to Create an Invoice
Go to Invoices > New Invoice and fill out the form.
Customer Information: Enter Name and Email. Phone is optional (needed only if you want to text them the payment link). If they're a returning customer, start typing their name and Acre fills in the rest.
Trip Details (optional): Trip Type, Start Date, End Date, and Number of Guests show on the payment page when filled. Skip this section for day trips and à la carte charges.
Line Items: Add one row per charge (Description and Amount). Acre suggests charges from past invoices. Once line items are set, you can optionally click Add 7% Admin Fee (Starter) or Add 4.5% Admin Fee (Pro) — a suggested line item you can adjust.
Payment Structure — Due at booking:
| Option | How it works |
|---|---|
| Percentage | Customer pays a percentage upfront (default 50%), then the rest later. |
| Fixed Amount | Customer pays a set dollar amount upfront (like $500). |
| Full Payment | Customer pays the whole thing at once. |
Paying the rest over time (optional — not required for your first send): Check Let them pay the remaining balance over time, then pick Monthly plan or Pay anytime — not both. Leave it unchecked if you'll collect the rest later with Send.
On a Monthly plan, your customer can enroll in autopay at checkout so their card is charged for remaining payments on schedule. This needs a trip start date, a remaining balance of about $200+, and 2–12 payments. Pay anytime lets them pay toward the rest from the same invoice link with no automatic charges — each payment is at least $100 when more than $100 remains (otherwise they pay what's left). No trip start date, $200 minimum balance, or 2–12 payment count required.
Notes (optional): Customer Notes (shown on payment page) (example: "Please arrive by 6am") and Internal Notes (only visible to you).
Save as template: Optional — reuses these charges on future invoices (Section 4). Skip on your first send.
When you're done, click Save & Send, or Save as Draft to send later.
How to Send an Invoice
Open the invoice and click Send (the dialog title is Send to Customer).
Three ways to deliver:
- Email (on by default) — sends a secure payment link to their inbox.
- Text Message (off by default) — texts the same payment link. Confirm they agreed to receive texts. Payment confirmations and reminders use this same channel when enabled — not a separate SMS product.
- Copy Link — copies the payment URL. Pasting it into a text or DM still marks the invoice Sent.
The invoice status changes to Sent once you've delivered it.
You can open the same send dialog anytime. Before the deposit is paid it sends the full invoice; after the deposit is paid it sends a balance request (amount due and payment link) so they can pay the rest. On Pay anytime invoices after deposit, the button is Remind instead of Send.
Fixing an Invoice After You Send It
You don't have to cancel and start over. As long as nothing has been paid, open the invoice and click Revise. You can change line items, the deposit, the payment plan, dates, notes, and contact details — everything.
If the amounts change, Acre shows you the before and after and asks you to confirm. After you save:
- Your customer's payment link stays the same and shows the new total right away.
- Any checkout page they already had open stops working, so they can't pay the old amount by mistake.
- The invoice shows a reminder to send the update. Sending again is up to you — Acre never emails your customer without you clicking send.
Once your customer pays anything, amounts lock. From then on, price changes go through Adjust (Section 3), which keeps a clear record of what changed and why. You can still fix their email, phone, dates, and notes on the invoice — tap Change on those cards.
Two things never change once they exist, because they're legal records: a waiver a guest already signed, and a payment that already went through.
Understanding Invoice Statuses
Every invoice starts as a Draft. Once you send it, your customer pays a deposit, then the remaining balance. Once all payments are collected, you mark it complete. That's the whole process.
Here's what each status means:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | You created the invoice but haven't sent it yet. Only you can see it. |
| Sent | Your customer received the payment link but hasn't paid yet. |
| Deposit Paid | Your customer paid the deposit. They still owe the remaining balance. |
| Adjusted | You changed the price after the deposit was paid (see Section 3). |
| Paid in Full | All money has been received. |
| Completed | The trip is done and everything is settled. This is the final status. |
| Cancelled | You cancelled the invoice before any payment was made. |
| Refunded | You issued a full or partial refund. |
Recording an offline payment
If a customer pays by cash or check in person, open the invoice, click More, then Record Payment. Choose Cash, Check, or Other. No Acre fee applies on offline payments.
To undo a recorded offline payment, click Void on that row in payment history — the balance is restored and the customer is not notified. Card payments use Issue Refund, not Void.
Waivers (optional)
If you use liability waivers, set them up under Settings > Documents. Turn on Require a liability waiver on an invoice if needed. Each guest receives the waiver after the first payment is recorded. A signed waiver does not change if you revise the invoice. Skip this entirely if you don't use waivers.
Finding an Invoice
Use the search bar and filters at the top of the Invoices page to find what you're looking for. You can search by invoice number, customer name, email, or trip title. You can also filter by status or time period (last 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, this year, or all time).
When you have filters active, you'll see small labels showing what's applied. Click the X on any label to remove that filter.
3. After Your Customer Pays
Adjusting the Price
Sometimes the price changes after a deposit is paid. Maybe the trip went an extra day, you added another guest, or you're giving a discount.
Open the invoice and click Adjust. Add one row for each change. Give it a label and an amount. Use a positive number to add a charge (like "+$200 for extra day") and a negative number for a credit (like "-$100 group discount"). Credits reduce the amount due but can't make the invoice total go below zero—the maximum credit is the original invoice amount.
After you save, the invoice status changes to "Adjusted" and the new balance updates automatically.
Click More, then Notify Customer, to send your customer an email explaining the updated amount.
Collecting the Remaining Balance
When your customer is ready to pay the rest, open the invoice and click Send. That opens the send dialog with the remaining balance and a link to pay.
If you turned on Pay anytime, they can already pay from that same invoice link — you don't have to Send to unlock payment. The button on those invoices is Remind; use it when you want to nudge them.
When they pay, the status moves to Paid in Full.
Common question: What if my customer says they paid but I don't see it? Payments can take a few minutes to show up. If it's been more than an hour, check Settings > Payments > View Stripe Dashboard or contact Acre support.
Marking an Invoice Complete
Once all money is collected, open the invoice and click Complete. This closes the invoice out. It's the final step.
4. Invoice Templates
Templates save a set of charges and trip details for invoices you run often.
To create a template: When creating an invoice, check Save as template and give it a name (like "3-Day Whitetail Package").
To use a template: On desktop, open Templates in the sidebar. On a phone, open Invoices and tap the templates icon at the top. Find the one you want and click Use Template. A new invoice opens pre-filled — update the customer info and dates.
Each template card shows the name, trip type, a preview of the charges, the total amount, and how many times you've used it.
5. Booking Requests and Your Booking Page
Your Booking Page
Your booking page is a public link that customers can visit to request a trip without you sending them anything first. Share it on your website, social media, or in emails.
To find your booking link, go to Settings > Sharing (Booking Link). Click Copy to copy it to your clipboard.
Seeing and Responding to Requests
When a customer fills out your booking page, their request appears under Booking Requests in your sidebar.
Each request shows the customer's name, email, requested dates, group size, species, and any notes they left.
Here's what you can do with each request:
| Status | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Pending | Click Create Invoice (it fills in the customer's info for you automatically) or click Decline. |
| Invoice Created | Click to view the invoice you made from this request. |
| Declined | No further action needed. |
Adding a Booking Button to Your Website
If you have your own website, you can add a "Book a Trip" button that opens your Acre booking form.
Go to Settings > Sharing (Website Integration). You can customize the button text, see a live preview, and copy a small piece of code to paste into your website.
If you built your website on Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, search for "[your platform] add custom code" for step-by-step instructions. You can also contact Acre support and we'll walk you through it.
6. Contacts
Contacts are customers Acre saves automatically when you create an invoice or someone submits your booking form. There's nothing to set up, and you don't add contacts by hand.
Open Contacts to see everyone in one list — last trip, what they've paid, and anyone with a balance due. Tap a name for their profile: call, text, or email them, check invoice history, and leave notes (preferred times, party size, and so on).
Due to rebook highlights customers whose last trip was about a year ago with nothing new on the books — a nudge to reach out.
When you create an invoice, start typing a customer's name and Acre will still suggest matches from this list. Click a match and their name, email, and phone fill in automatically.
Email can't be edited. It's how Acre ties a contact to their invoices. If they book again after you delete a contact, Acre recreates it.
7. What Your Customer Sees
When your customer opens a payment link, they see a clean, professional payment page. It shows your logo and business name at the top, followed by the trip details (type, dates, group size), a breakdown of every charge, and a large button to pay.
The page is secured and encrypted. Your customer's card information goes directly to Stripe and never touches Acre.
After paying, they see a confirmation screen. If there's a remaining balance, the page clearly shows what's still owed.
8. Calendar Integration
On any invoice that has trip dates, you can add the trip to your calendar so you don't forget a booking.
Open the invoice, click More, then choose Google Calendar or Download .ics:
Google Calendar opens Google Calendar with the event already filled in. Download .ics downloads a calendar file that works with Apple Calendar, Outlook, and most other calendar apps.
The event includes the trip dates, customer name, and your business name.
9. Settings and Account
Go to Settings using the gear icon or the sidebar. The sections are Profile, Payments, Plan, Sharing, Documents, Security, and Data.
Profile
Add your business name, phone number, logo, and website. Your business name and logo show up on invoices and your booking page. Click Save Profile when you're done. Profile is optional and doesn't block sending invoices.
Payments
Connect Stripe so you can accept card payments. See Getting Started for the walkthrough. Once connected, click View Stripe Dashboard to see payouts and transaction history. Payouts follow your connected Stripe account's schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly — not a fixed day for everyone).
If setup is incomplete, click Complete Stripe Setup.
Plan
Acre offers two plans:
| Starter | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Free | $199/month |
| Fee on each payment | 3.99% | 1.49% |
| Best for | Getting started | High-volume businesses |
To upgrade, click Upgrade to Pro and enter your payment method. Your plan updates right away.
To manage your Pro subscription (update payment method, view billing history, or cancel), click Manage Subscription.
Sharing
Your public Booking Link and Website Integration embed code live here. Click Copy on the booking link to share it anywhere. See Booking Requests and Your Booking Page for the website embed.
Documents
Set up a liability waiver under Liability Waiver if you use one. Optional — skip if you don't.
Security
Change your password under Change Password.
Data
Click Download My Data to get a ZIP file with all your information: invoices, contacts, booking requests, templates, and your business profile. This is useful for your own records, for your accountant, or if you ever want to move to a different system.
Click Request Account Closure to open a pre-filled email to the Acre support team. Your account is not deleted right away. The support team will confirm with you before anything is removed.
10. Troubleshooting
Cancelling an Invoice
If you need to cancel an invoice you've sent but that hasn't been paid yet, open it, click More, then choose Cancel Invoice. The payment link stops working immediately and your customer can no longer pay through it.
You can only cancel an invoice before any payment has been made. If your customer already paid something, you'll need to issue a refund instead.
Issuing a Refund
Open a paid invoice, click More, then choose Issue Refund.
The refund amount defaults to the full amount your customer paid. If you only want to refund part of it, lower the amount.
Choose a reason from the list (customer request, correction, or other). If you pick "other," you'll need to type a short explanation.
Stripe sends the refund back to your customer's original payment method. This process is handled by Stripe (not Acre) and typically takes 5 to 10 business days. Let your customer know so they aren't waiting on you for the timeline.
Acre does not keep its platform fee on refunds. Stripe does not refund their processing fee — that cost is absorbed by Acre. Your customer receives the full refund amount back to their original payment method.
If you refund the full amount, the invoice is marked "Refunded."
Disputes and Chargebacks
A dispute (also called a chargeback) happens when a customer contacts their bank to reverse a payment. This is rare, but it can happen.
When a dispute is opened, you'll see a red alert banner on the invoice.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Needs Response | You need to submit evidence to the bank showing the charge was legitimate. Contact Acre support right away for help. |
| Under Review | Evidence has been submitted. The bank is making a decision. |
| Won | The bank sided with you. Your payment is restored. |
| Lost | The bank sided with your customer. The payment is reversed. |
Banks have strict deadlines for responding to disputes. If you see one, contact Acre support as soon as possible so we can help you respond in time.
11. Glossary
Invoice: A bill you send to a customer for a trip. It lists what you're charging for, how much, and gives the customer a link to pay.
Deposit: The first payment a customer makes to hold their spot. It's a portion of the total amount.
Balance: The remaining amount a customer owes after paying the deposit.
Revise: Editing an invoice you already sent but that hasn't been paid yet. Everything is still changeable and the payment link updates immediately.
Adjustment: A change you make to the price after the deposit is paid. This could be an added charge or a credit.
Payout: When Stripe sends the money you've collected to your bank account. Payouts follow your connected Stripe account's schedule — see Settings > Payments > View Stripe Dashboard.
Dispute (Chargeback): When a customer asks their bank to reverse a payment. You may need to provide evidence that the charge was valid.
Booking Request: A request that comes in when a customer fills out your public booking page. You can accept it by creating an invoice or decline it.
Template: A saved set of charges and trip details that you can reuse when creating new invoices for the same type of trip.
Stripe: The payment processor Acre uses to move money from your customer's card to your bank account. Stripe handles all card information securely.
Stripe Dashboard: A separate website (managed by Stripe) where you can see your payouts, transaction history, and account details.
Last updated: August 2026