New workspaces can't send customer-facing emails until they've connected a live payment gateway. It's a one-time step, and it happens automatically — there's nothing to request or wait on.
What you'll see
Until you connect one, your dashboard shows a banner asking you to connect a payment gateway, and messaging actions (like Message customer on bookings, customers, and departures) are disabled with a tooltip explaining why.
How to turn it on
Connect a live Stripe account from Settings → Connect Stripe. As soon as it's connected, messaging switches on automatically — the banner disappears and the disabled actions become available. A test-mode Stripe account doesn't count; it needs to be live.
See Connecting your Stripe account for how to set that up.
Good to know
This only affects customer-facing emails (booking confirmations, messages to travelers, and their portal login links). It doesn't affect your own team's access to Samba.
Once unlocked, it stays unlocked — even if you later disconnect Stripe.
If your dashboard says your account is under review instead of asking you to connect a gateway, contact Samba support.