Accepting card payments with Stripe

With a Stripe account connected, your invoices can offer card payment. Your client pays by card and the invoice marks itself paid. Any admin can connect or disconnect Stripe. You don’t need to be the owner.

Connect Stripe

1. Go to Settings → Accounting.

2. In the Card Payments card, click Connect with Stripe.

3. On Stripe, sign in to your existing account or create a new one.

4. Complete the business details Stripe asks for.

Stripe sends you back to Settings → Accounting, and Billow confirms with “Stripe account connected successfully.”

If you cancel on Stripe, Billow shows “Stripe connection was cancelled or failed.”

Verification status

Stripe verifies your account before it can take payments. The Card Payments card shows where verification stands.

While Stripe reviews your account, the card reads:

Verification in Progress Stripe is reviewing your account details. This is usually quick, and no action is needed from you.

If Stripe needs something from you, the card turns orange:

Action Needed Stripe needs more information before your account can accept payments. Card payments can’t be selected on invoices until this is resolved.

Click Open Stripe Dashboard below that message and finish what Stripe asks for there. Billow picks up the change on its own, and you never need to reconnect.

Once the account is active, the card links to your Stripe Dashboard, where you manage your payout settings.

Card payments on invoices

An invoice’s payment method is either Bank Transfer or Card Payment (Stripe). Until your status is Card Payments Active, you can’t save an invoice with Card Payment (Stripe). If you choose it, the invoice form shows “You first need to connect Stripe to Billow to use Card Payments” with a Set up now button. Bank transfer keeps working in the meantime.

An active Stripe account doesn’t make card payment the default. If you also have a bank account, new invoices start on Bank Transfer and you choose Card Payment (Stripe) per invoice. Without a bank account, new invoices start on Card Payment (Stripe).

Switch a draft to card payment

Connecting Stripe doesn’t change any invoice you already created. To let your client pay an existing draft by card:

1. Open the draft.

2. Open the … menu at the top right of the page and choose Edit.

3. Set Payment Method to Card Payment (Stripe).

4. Click Save Changes.

Invoices you already sent keep the payment method they were sent with, because a sent invoice can’t be edited.

Fees and payouts

Stripe’s fees and payout schedule are between you and Stripe. Once your account is active, the Stripe Fees tooltip on the Card Payments card gives the standard rate: “Stripe charges approximately 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Fees are deducted automatically from your payouts.”

Billow takes no cut of what your clients pay you and never touches the money. Payouts land in the bank account you gave Stripe.

Disconnect Stripe

1. Go to Settings → Accounting.

2. In the Card Payments card, click Disconnect Stripe.

3. Click Disconnect Stripe again in the dialog to confirm.

The dialog reads:

Disconnect Stripe Account Are you sure you want to disconnect your Stripe account? Clients will no longer be able to pay invoices with their card until you reconnect.

Billow confirms with “Stripe account disconnected successfully.”

When disconnecting is blocked

Disconnect Stripe is disabled while any draft or unpaid invoice uses card payment. The card tells you how many, for example “You have 2 open invoices using Stripe. Remove Stripe as a payment method from these invoices before disconnecting.”

• For a draft, edit it and switch Payment Method to Bank Transfer.

• A sent invoice can’t be edited. Wait until it is paid, or delete it and send a new one.