Stripe is a payment processing platform: the infrastructure businesses use to accept cards and digital wallets, online and in person. It powers payments for millions of businesses, from solo sellers to Amazon, handles 135+ currencies, and pays out straight to your bank account. If you've bought something online in the last decade, there's a good chance Stripe processed it, even though you never saw the name.
That last part is why this post exists. Stripe is deliberately invisible to consumers, so the two questions we hear constantly are "what is Stripe?" and "what is this Stripe charge on my statement?" And since our app is called Payment for Stripe, it's worth being clear about what's Stripe and what's us.
What does Stripe cost?
Stripe charges per transaction, with no monthly fee for standard processing. In the US:
- Online payments: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
- In-person payments: 2.7% + 5¢ per transaction
Creating a Stripe account is free at stripe.com. You only pay when you get paid.
Why is Stripe on my bank statement?
If you're a consumer seeing Stripe (or stripe.com) on a card statement, a business you bought from uses Stripe to process cards. The charge is from that business; Stripe is just the processor in the middle. If you don't recognize the purchase, contact the business first, and your bank second.
Can Stripe take in-person payments?
Yes. Stripe Terminal supports physical card readers, from the $59 Stripe Reader M2 up to countertop smart terminals, plus Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android. However, Stripe's own tools are built for developers: using Terminal directly means writing code against their SDK.
So what is Payment for Stripe?
Payment for Stripe is an independent app, built by PocketVendor Inc, that connects to the Stripe account you already have and turns your phone into a point of sale, with no code. Charges, card readers, Tap to Pay, payment links, receipts, customers and subscriptions, all running on top of your own Stripe account. We've been a Stripe Verified Partner since 2015.
To be explicit, because the name causes confusion: the Payment app is not owned by Stripe Inc. "For Stripe" means it works with Stripe, the way a case is "for iPhone." Your money flows through your own Stripe account; the app adds 1.2% per sale, with no monthly fees.
How do I get started?
Create a free account at stripe.com if you don't have one, download the Payment app, and connect the two. You can take your first charge in about 60 seconds.
Learn more about how it all fits together: https://paymentforstripe.com/guides/what-is-stripe
