All Stripe Questions can be found through your Stripe Dashboard at https://dashboard.stripe.com/login. Anything from questions on refunds to payouts to contacting their support team can all be done right from the dashboard!
Introduction
What Is Stripe?
Stripe is a simple and powerful way to accept payments online. Stripe has no setup fees, no monthly fees, and no hidden costs. Millions of businesses—ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies—rely on Stripe’s software tools to accept payments securely and expand globally.
Stripe is available to businesses in 36 countries. With Stripe, you can accept all major debit and credit cards from customers in over 190 countries and 135+ currencies.
Is Stripe secure? Will I be PCI-compliant?
Yes! Stripe meets and exceeds the most stringent industry standards for security. Stripe is also audited by a PCI-certified auditor, and is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the highest level of certification available.
Is Stripe a gateway? Why should I use Stripe instead of other gateways?
Stripe is a complete solution that combines the functionality of a merchant account and a gateway in one, which means you only need Stripe to accept payments and deposit funds into a bank account. You cannot use existing merchant accounts or gateways with Stripe, as it functions as both already.
Getting Started
What are the Rates and How do I sign up for Stripe?
Please visit our website for rates and check out our 1 minute tutorial for creating an account.
What are the credit card processing and ACH transaction limits?
No limits on credit card or ACH transactions after initial account review period.
*If decided to test payments there is currently a $5.00 minimum. This only affects the internal testing environment and not real transactions.
What is the process and how long will it take?
In most applications, the account approval process is nearly instantaneous and you will be able to accept payments right away. If Stripe needs more information about your business or expects a longer delay in approving your account, they will reach out to you immediately.
What information and documents do I need to sign up for Stripe?
To sign up for a Stripe account, you’ll need an email address and password. To activate your account, Stripe needs details about you and your business, including your business website, tax information, business entity, etc. Common follow-up requirements include photo identification documents and address verification. For a full list of requirements, see Stripe’s Required verification information.
When should I contact Stripe?
You can contact Stripe about transaction-related or dashboard-related questions such as:
- Questions regarding a specific charge, refund, payout, or dispute
- Account-related issues, including account lockouts
- Using the Stripe Dashboard’s functionality and settings
How do I contact Stripe?
Contact Stripe’s support team through your Stripe Dashboard. Stripe can respond quickest if you use the following guidelines:
Log into Stripe first, then submit a request at contact support. Logging in ensures that Stripe knows which account you’re inquiring about, It also shows Stripe that you’re an authenticated user of the account.
Include formatted IDs to help solve your issue as quickly as possible. If your inquiry is regarding a specific card, please include as much information about the card as possible, such as the expiration date, last 4 digits of the card number, and the card brand. However, please never share or send a full card number or CVC. It's recommended including pertinent IDs such as:
- Customer Name: Johnny Example
- Customer Email: johnny@example.com
- Any other relevant Stripe IDs:
- Charges begin
ch_***orpy_*** - Transfers begin
tr_***
- Charges begin
Managing your Stripe account
Where can I find a demo of the Stripe Dashboard?
You can watch a video of the Stripe Dashboard on Stripe’s support site or online below.
What will my customers see on their credit card or bank statement? Can I set my statement descriptor?
You can set a static statement descriptor or the shortened descriptor (prefix) in the Stripe Dashboard. This value then appears on all customer statements for charges or payments. To learn more, see Statement descriptors.
How do I issue a refund?
Stripe offers you the ability to refund a customer charge, be it in full or a partial amount of the original charge. Learn how to issue a refund from your Stripe Dashboard, how long refunds can take to reach your customers, what to do if a refund is not received as expected, at Stripe’s refunds support page.
Stripe Payouts
How long does it take to get paid?
You will typically receive your first payout 7 days after the first successful payment is received.
For the 2nd payout and onward, your standard payout timing depends on your sign-up country. (e.g., businesses in the US paid out on a 2-day rolling basis)
You can also set a specific payout schedule from the Payouts settings page of your Stripe Dashboard. (By default, you are on an automatic everyday payout schedule.)
Stripe offers additional resources to troubleshoot any delayed or missing payouts.
Why is my first payout taking longer?
The first payout for every new Stripe account is made 7 days after the first successful payment is received. This initial payout timing requirement cannot be waived. Any changes made to your payout timing or payout method during this time will take effect after this initial delay. This delay allows Stripe to mitigate some of the risk inherent in providing credit services. To learn more about payout schedules, see Waiting period for first payout on Stripe.
Why is my payout delayed?
Account verification issues are the most common causes of a delayed or paused payout. If your payouts are paused or delayed, Stripe will send you an email requesting further action. Alternatively, you can visit notifications in your Stripe Dashboard to see the action required.
Some common verification requirements include:
To learn more about payout delays, see Delayed or missing payouts .