Host pays or guests pay? Choosing who covers the event camera
Event Camera can be paid for by the host ($2 per guest) or by each guest when they join ($2.50). How the two options work, and which suits weddings, chapters, clubs and venues.
Every Event Camera event has one payer: the host, or the guests. You choose when you create the event. Here's how each works and when to pick it.
Option 1: the host pays
You buy a seat for each person who'll use the camera, at $2 per guest, per event. You count as one guest, so 50 guests plus you is 51 seats, or $102.
- You pay once, by card at checkout or by emailed invoice, and the camera opens for your guests.
- Guests just scan, enter their first name and email, and shoot. There's nothing for them to pay.
- Need more seats? Add them from the event page at any time.
- Seats are for one event. Unused seats aren't refunded, so it's worth a realistic headcount. (See the refund policy.)
Best for: weddings, birthdays, company events and anything where you're the host in the traditional sense. It's a gift to your guests, like the favors or the photo booth.
Option 2: guests pay
Each guest pays $2.50 when they join, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your own seat as host is free, and you set the maximum number of guests.
- When a guest scans the code, they enter their name and email, then pay on a secure Stripe page. Their seat is held for 30 minutes while they pay.
- Once paid, the camera opens straight away. The same phone keeps its seat, so closing the tab doesn't mean paying again.
- You pay nothing up front, and there's nothing to estimate: each guest covers their own seat.
Best for: chapters and student groups where members split costs anyway, club nights and venue events, meetups, races and community events, and any event where asking the host to pay for strangers doesn't make sense.
Free seats for some guests: guest codes
On a guests-pay event you might still want certain people to join free: officers, the guest of honor, a performer, the venue staff. Guest codes handle this. You buy free seats at $2 each under a code you choose (say, VIP or EXEC) and give the code to those people. When they join, they enter the code and skip payment. Each code has the number of uses you bought, and you can see how many have been used.
Side by side
| Host pays | Guests pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2 per guest (you count as one) | $2.50 per guest; host free |
| Who pays | You, once, before the event | Each guest, when they join |
| Guest experience | Scan, name, shoot | Scan, name, pay, shoot |
| Guest limit | Seats you've bought | Maximum you set |
| Free seats for some guests | Everyone's free | Guest codes ($2 per seat) |
| Good for | Weddings, birthdays, company events | Chapters, clubs, venues, community events |
Can I switch later?
Yes, with limits. A host-pays event can switch to guests pay until you've paid for it. A guests-pay event can switch back to host pays until the first guest has joined and paid. After that, the choice is fixed for that event, which keeps everyone's payments simple.
Promo codes
From time to time we run promotions. If you have a Memory Rolls promo code, enter it at checkout, whether you're a host buying seats or a guest paying to join.
Not sure which to pick? If you'd pay for the drinks, pay for the camera. If everyone's chipping in, let them chip in. Start an event and choose who pays when you create it.