Help › Connect Stripe

Connect Stripe to take paid subscriptions

Applies to: sites that want paid memberships or tips. You need a Stripe account and about 15 minutes. DRAFT: not final.

Ghost uses Stripe to take card payments. The money goes straight from your readers to your own Stripe account, and from there to your bank. Margin Notes does not touch it and takes no cut: you pay us the flat hosting fee only. Stripe charges its own processing fees, and Ghost does not add a fee of its own on top. [FILL IN: confirm both statements, and the current Stripe fee wording and link, before publishing]

Before you start

A Stripe account. Create one at stripe.com. If you already have one for another business, Ghost recommends making a separate account for your publication.
Country. Your business or personal country must be one Stripe supports. [FILL IN: link to Stripe's list of supported countries]
Business details and a bank account in Stripe's own setup, so Stripe can pay you out.
Tax. You are the seller of your subscriptions, so VAT and income tax are your responsibility. [FILL IN: short neutral note and a pointer to Stripe Tax or a local tax authority page; we are not tax advisers]
Moving from Substack? Use the same Stripe account you used there so existing subscriptions can carry over.

Connect Stripe to your site

Sign in to your admin area (/ghost/ after your site address).
Open Settings → Membership and find Tiers.
Click Connect with Stripe. [FILL IN: check the exact button name and menu path in your current Ghost version]
A Stripe page opens. Sign in, then choose the Stripe account to connect, or create a new one.
Stripe shows a secure key. Copy it and go back to Ghost.
Paste the key into the box and click Save Stripe settings. The page now shows your Stripe account as connected.

[FILL IN: add 2 screenshots: the Connect with Stripe button and the connected state. Blur any account IDs.]

Create your first paid tier

In Settings → Membership → Tiers, click Add tier.
Give it a name, a short description and benefits, such as "All posts" or "Weekly letter".
Set a monthly and a yearly price. Prices you create in Ghost appear in your Stripe account automatically.
Save. Visit your site in a private window and subscribe with a test card to check the whole flow. [FILL IN: test-mode instructions: does your Ghost version support Stripe test mode, and how to switch it on and off]

Check that you get paid

In Stripe, make sure your bank account and identity details are complete. Until they are, payouts stay on hold.
Payout timing depends on your country and on Stripe. [FILL IN: link to Stripe's payout schedule]
Refunds, disputes and invoices are handled in your Stripe dashboard.

Disconnect Stripe

[FILL IN: steps for disconnecting in Ghost, and what happens to existing subscribers. Test on a spare site first. Do not guess: cancelling the connection can stop renewals.]

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to try
The Stripe window doesn't open	Allow pop-ups for your site, or try another browser. [FILL IN: confirm]
"Connect with Stripe" is missing	[FILL IN: possible causes, such as the site not running over HTTPS or members being turned off]
A reader's payment failed	[FILL IN: Ghost and Stripe retry rules and where to see them]
Something else	Write to hello@marginnotes.me with your site address and a screenshot.

Last updated: [FILL IN date]