What payment methods are available?

When you confirm a booking, you can choose between paying the full amount upfront or securing your date with a deposit. Here's how each option works, including the exact terms based on your booking size.

Full payment

You pay the total amount upfront, in one payment, to confirm your booking.

Deposit

You pay a percentage upfront to secure your date, with the remaining balance charged automatically before your event — no action needed from you when that happens. The exact terms depend on the size of your booking. The deposit option is only available when your booking is made more than 30 days before the event. The specific terms then depend on your total booking value:

When the deposit option is available

Standard bookings (below €3,000)

• Minimum booking value: €600 (required for the deposit option to be available at all)
• Deposit: 30%
• Remaining balance: 70%
• Balance due: 14 days before the event
• Grace period: if payment isn't received by 7 days before the event, the booking is automatically cancelled

Large events (€3,000 or above)

• Deposit: 50%
• Remaining balance: 50%
• Balance due: 21 days before the event
• No grace period — if payment isn't received by the deadline, the booking is automatically cancelled

A few things to know about the deposit

• The deposit must be paid by credit or debit card — this is because the remaining balance needs to be charged automatically later, which requires a payment method that can be securely saved.
• The remaining balance is charged automatically to the same card — make sure that card stays valid through your balance due date.
• Missing the balance deadline cancels the booking automatically — for standard bookings, you have a short grace period (until 7 days before the event); for large events, there's no grace period at all, so it's worth paying attention to the reminder emails.

Why these options exist

Chefs plan ingredients, staffing, and logistics ahead of your event, so payment is required to confirm your booking. Offering both a full-payment and a deposit option — with different terms based on booking size — balances flexibility for you with the certainty chefs need to commit to larger, more complex events.

💡 If your event qualifies for a deposit, keep an eye on your email around the reminder dates — missing the balance deadline cancels the booking automatically, with no grace period at all for large events.

All payments on ChefMaison are processed securely through the platform. Here's what you can pay with.

Available payment methods

When you click Pay on a chef's proposal, you'll see the payment options available for your country. Depending on where you're booking from, this may include:

• Credit or debit card
• PayPal
• Klarna
• Apple Pay and Google pay
• Billie: Invoice and pay later
• Other local payment methods (availability depends on your country/region)

Note: The exact options shown at checkout vary by country and may differ from what's shown to guests booking from elsewhere.

Available depending on your country (mostly Europe-focused)

Since Stripe tailors checkout by country, guests booking from certain countries may see additional local options, such as:

• iDEAL (Netherlands)
• Bancontact (Belgium)
• EPS (Austria)
• MB WAY and Multibanco (Portugal)
• Bizum (Spain)
• Revolut Pay and Satispay
• SEPA Bank Transfer (Eurozone)

These aren't shown to every guest — only when relevant to the country you're booking from.

A note on the deposit option

If you choose to pay a 30% deposit rather than the full amount upfront, payment must be made by credit or debit card. This is because the remaining balance is charged automatically closer to your event, without you needing to do anything at that point — which requires a payment method that can be securely saved and charged again later. If you'd rather use a different payment method, choose full payment upfront instead, where a wider range of options may be available.

Do you accept cash?

No. All payments must go through ChefMaison, which is what keeps both you and your chef protected — secure payment handling, support if anything goes wrong, and a clear cancellation policy. Payments made outside the platform aren't covered by any of this.

💡 If your preferred payment method isn't showing at checkout, try switching between the deposit and full-payment options — the available methods can differ between the two.

Reference: docs.stripe.com/payments/payment-methods/overview

Updated on: 02/09/2026