Integrating with Stripe for online card payments

About Stripe

Stripe is an online card payment service provider that handles card payments for "pay" event tickets, online card donations and online booking charge payments. Regardless of the cardholder's local currency, card payments are always processed in the local currency set for your ChurchSuite account. No card details are maintained within ChurchSuite.

A transaction fee is deducted at source by Stripe from each card payment processed, with the 'net of fees' amount deposited in your designated bank account. Stripe makes payouts to your designated bank account in batches and at a frequency set in your Stripe account settings. The Stripe Transfers report is designed to help you reconcile the payouts on your bank statement, providing a breakdown of gross payments, transaction fees, net payments and the total payout transfer amount.

UK customers: For eligible UK-registered non-profit organisations, one-off and recurring card payments accepted through ChurchSuite via Stripe are subject to a 2.2% + 20p transaction fee for UK standard cards (higher fees apply to UK premium cards, EEA and International cards). The transaction fee deducted consists of two parts - a 1.2% + 20p processing fee to Stripe and a 1% application fee to ChurchSuite. For more information, click here. To ask about your eligibility as a non-profit, please email support+prioritygb@stripe.com requesting Stripe's non-profit pricing be applied to your account - you'll need to send the email from the email address linked to your Stripe account and cite your UK-registered charity name and number.

Organisations not registered with Stripe as a non-profit are subject to Stripe's standard pricing of 2.5% + 20p transaction fee for UK standard cards (higher fees apply to UK premium cards, EEA and International cards), comprising 1.5% + 20p to Stripe and 1% ChurchSuite application fee.

EU customers: Organisations are subject to Stripe's standard pricing of 2.5% + 0.25 € transaction fee for EU standard cards (higher fees apply to EU premium cards and International cards), comprising 1.5% + 0.25 € to Stripe and 1% ChurchSuite application fee.

North American customers: Eligible US & Canadian non-profit organisations can access a special charity rate of 2.9% + 30c (+1% for International cards). The transaction fee includes a 2.2% + 30c transaction fee to Stripe and the 0.7% ChurchSuite application fee. These fees are among the lowest of any card handler in the world! When you complete your Stripe integration, you'll receive an email from ChurchSuite explaining how to claim these charity rates. To enquire about your eligibility as a non-profit, email nonprofit@stripe.com requesting Stripe's non-profit pricing be applied to your account - you'll need to send the email from the email address linked to your Stripe account, citing your non-profit organisation name and proof of IRS tax exemption.

For further information about transaction fees in other regions, refer to Stripe's website - remember to add the ChurchSuite application fee referred to above.

Fees are correct as of 1st April 2024

Apple Pay & Google Pay

As an alternative to entering card details, those making online payments for event tickets, donations and booking charges can choose to pay by Apple Pay or Google Pay when using a supported device/browser and where the cardholder has set up that payment method on their device. Those using Google Chrome will see a Google Pay option and those using Apple Safari will see an Apple Pay option.

Completing the Stripe Integration

Navigate into the Integrations section of your Account Settings and click on the Stripe integration.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Integration. To open a Stripe account, you will need some basic information about your organisation. Click Add account to begin the process.

The Stripe account form opens. You can Connect to an existing account and enter account login details when prompted, or click Create a new account and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the new account opening process.

When prompted, click Authorize access to this account to connect ChurchSuite to the Stripe account.

Need multiple signatures?

While the Stripe integration is used for funds being deposited into your bank account (e.g. from event ticket sale proceeds, donations or booking charges), Stripe requires a direct debit to be completed for your bank account to meet any refunds being processed by you (e.g. event ticket refunds). Since most church/charity/non-profit bank accounts require multiple signatories on the account, here's how to set up your Stripe account so that you receive a "multiple signature mandate"...

When you open a new Stripe account, select your Country and complete the Your product sections.

Continuing down the page, specify your Type of business - select Nonprofit organization. Ignoring the 'company' terminology, complete the form fully. For the Company number, enter your charity number, adding leading zeros to ensure the number is eight digits. Non-profit organisations without a company number or charity number should enter eight zeros in the Company number field.

Continue down the form and complete the Your details section for the designated individual in your organisation who will be Stripe's account contact - typically, this would be a treasurer, chair of trustees, finance contact, warden, etc...

In the Additional owners section, add your authorised signatories:

Finally, complete the remaining questions and enter your organisation's bank details.

Please be aware that the consent wording at the end of the form will still read as follows...

Stripe will then correctly designate your account as a "non-profit". You can still complete the Stripe integration - at this stage, the account-opening process is asking you to make a direct debit request. Complete the set-up process by clicking to Authorize access to this account (which will complete the linking between your Stripe account and ChurchSuite and activate your Stripe account).

Stripe will now work with you directly by providing you with a Direct Debit Form that has space for multiple signatories. To request a direct debit form, write to Stripe at support.stripe.com/email. They'll email you a direct debit mandate that includes their/your DD reference, which can then be completed, signed and returned to Stripe as per their instructions. They also recommend sending a copy of the mandate to your bank.

For further information, see Stripe's support page on multi-signatory mandates.

After setting up your new Stripe account (or connected to an existing Stripe account), you are returned to the Stripe Integration page. You are now ready to receive card payments! You can return to the integration page at any time should you need to make changes - to Edit and update the Account name and local payment methods (see next section), Delete an account or Reset the integration entirely.

Enabling local payment methods

Stripe is used for Card payments, including payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay. The Stripe integration also supports a range of local payment methods - giropay, Przelewy24, Bancontact, iDeal and EPS - based on your Account Country and Currency (Set in Setting > Profile). The use of additional payment methods is subject to opt-in and may be subject to different transaction fees (explained below). Click Edit to open a pop-up through which the account Name can be changed:

The Edit pop-up lists the available Payment methods. In the following example for a UK ChurchSuite account, only the Card payment method is supported (including Apple Pay and Google Pay):

...while this example is for a Netherlands ChurchSuite account. Tick as appropriate from the list of available Payment methods for your country and Save the changes.

The selected payment methods will now be available to those making one-off online donations and paying for event tickets and booking charges.

Local payment methods - FAQs

Fees are correct as of 1st April 2024

Bancontact

Countries: Belgium & Netherlands
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.35 + 1% ChurchSuite application fee

EPS

Countries: Austria only
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.25 + 2.6% combined fee (Stripe 1.6% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)

giropay

Countries: Germany only
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.25 + 2.4% combined fee (Stripe 1.4% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)

iDeal

Countries: Netherlands only
Currencies: EUR only
Fees: Fixed fee of €0.29 + 1% ChurchSuite application fee

Przelewy24

Countries: Poland only
Currencies: PLN only
Fees: Fixed fee of 1zł + 2.9% combined fee (Stripe 1.9% + ChurchSuite 1% application fee)

Adding additional accounts

When integrating a single Stripe account, payouts for payments for all Giving Funds, Booking Types and Calendar Categories are made to the bank account designated in that Stripe account's settings. By integrating other Stripe accounts, payments for donations to selected Funds, booking charge payments for selected booking "Types", and ticket payments for selected event Categories can be paid out to different bank accounts. Here's how:

Working within the Stripe integration, click Add account.

Follow the earlier instructions to add additional accounts - either connecting another existing account from the list, creating a new Stripe account, or using the email address drop-down to Switch users to a different existing Stripe account. For each account, remember to click Authorise ChurchSuite to access this account, after which you will be redirected back to the integration page.

The additional accounts are added to the Accounts list. The Default account is used for online donations to All funds, online booking charge payments for All types and online ticket sales for events in All categories. You can change the Default account by selecting Set as default from the account Actions of one of the other accounts listed.

You can also Edit a non-default account to assign payments for selected Giving Funds, Booking Types and Calendar Categories so that future card payments are paid out to the bank account linked to one of the other Stripe accounts. On the Edit pop-up, you can optionally change the Stripe account Name, choose local Payment methods, select the Funds, Types and Categories to be assigned to the Stripe account and click Save. All future card payments related to those funds/types/categories will now be paid out as Stripe Transfers to the bank account associated with that Stripe account.

Note: When assigning funds/types/categories to a different Stripe account or changing the Default account, any existing recurring donation pledges (and any card payments currently processing) will continue to be paid out to the original Stripe bank account they were first set up on. Changes to fund/type/category assignments or to the default Stripe account will only affect future card payments and new recurring donation pledges. If you wish for existing recurring card donation subscriptions to be directed to a different Stripe bank account, you should ask the giver to cancel their existing pledge and set up a new one.

In the example below, card payments for the "Building Project" Fund have been assigned to the second Stripe account. All other card payments for event tickets for all categories, bookings charge payments for all booking types and donations for all other funds remain assigned to the Default Stripe account.

Stripe transaction limits

The only limit to the maximum amount you can receive by a card payment is a technical limit. The Amount value supports up to eight digits (e.g., a value of 99999999 for a USD charge of $999,999.99). See https://stripe.com/docs/currencies

Resetting the Stripe Integration

Should it become necessary - and typically, only if advised to do so by ChurchSuite Support - you can Reset the Stripe integration. You should consider carefully the following consequences before taking this action:

Payment requests for existing recurring donation pledges linked to the Stripe account will stop.
'Card' will no longer show as a donation Method in Donate.
Givers will be unable to manage their pledge using the 'Manage giving' link found in My ChurchSuite and pledge confirmation emails.
Users will be unable to manage a giver's pledge from the Pledges tab of a giver's profile.
The Stripe Transfers report will cease collecting details of future Stripe payouts.
The Online Donations and Subscriptions report will no longer show live data from Stripe.

If the original Stripe accounts are later reintegrated and pledges are still active in the Stripe account, pledge donations will resume being collected from those givers and added to the Giving module.

To reset the integration, head to the Integrations section in your Account Settings and to the Stripe page. From here, click Reset: