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Connect your own Stripe account for card payments

Save your own Stripe key, choose test or live mode, switch on the Card payments connection and test it so customers can pay invoices by card.

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Owner
Hosting
Any hosting
Devices
Web browser
Business
All businesses

Checked against Pop Dispatch 0.1.0

Card payments go straight to your own Stripe account. You save your Stripe key once, switch on the Card payments connection and test it. After that, invoices can have payment links and pay links.

Before you start #

  • Only the owner does this.
  • You need your own Stripe account. In Stripe's dashboard, find your secret key. A test key starts with sk_test_ and a live key starts with sk_live_. A restricted key starting with rk_ also works.
  • Start with a test key to practise. Swap to the live key when you are ready for real payments.

Steps #

  1. Open Settings, then "Online payments". Type the secret key and choose "Save the key". The page then shows the mode (Test or Live) and the last four characters, and never the key itself.
  2. Open Settings, then Connections. Find the card "Card payments (Stripe)". It shows the mode and the last four characters, for example "Test mode, key ending 4242".
  3. If the card lists "Still needed:", save the key as in step 1.
  4. Tick "Switch on Card payments (Stripe)". A message confirms: "Card payments (Stripe) is on."
  5. Choose "Test connection". When Stripe accepts the key, the message reads "Stripe accepted your key" with the mode. The card keeps the result under "Last test".
  6. To go live, return to Settings, Online payments, choose "Replace the key", save your sk_live_ key and test again.
  7. To tell Pop Dispatch about payments automatically, set up the Stripe webhook. See "Set up card payments".

What you see afterwards #

  • An invoice with a balance can make a payment link, and can send it by email or text.
  • Test mode takes no real money. Use Stripe's test cards.
Technical details
  • The key is saved by PATCH /settings/payments/stripe (owner), sealed with a key derived from the vault's data key, and never returned. The connection card calls GET /connections for its status and POST /connections/stripe/test for the test, which asks Stripe for your balance.
  • A key saved before the Connections page existed keeps working until the owner switches the card off.
  • The mode is read from the key: a key with _live_ in it is live.

If something goes wrong #

  • "Save your Stripe secret key in Settings, Payments.": the card still needs the key. Save it in Settings, Online payments.
  • "That does not look like a Stripe secret key": paste the secret key, which starts with sk_ or rk_, and leave out the publishable key.
  • The test fails with a message ending "Check the key in Settings, Payments.": Stripe rejected the key. Save a fresh key and test again.
  • Customers pay but the invoice does not update: save the webhook signing secret as described in "Set up card payments".