This guide is for store owners. It explains how to connect your own Stripe account to your WAStore, and how to fix the most common problems.
The short version: you connect your own Stripe account once. After that, customers see a "Pay with card" option at checkout alongside your existing payment methods. Money goes straight into your Stripe account — WAStore never touches it, and takes no commission.
Before you start
- Requires Pro. Free stores can't connect Stripe (they can still use manual payment methods — bank transfer, cash, PayPal links, etc.).
- You need a Stripe account, or you'll create one during setup. If you don't have one yet, that's fine — Stripe will walk you through creating it.
- Have ready: your legal name and date of birth, a home address, a bank account to receive payouts, and (if you have a business) basic business details. Stripe asks for this directly — WAStore never sees or stores it.
- Check your store's currency. Card payments work with almost every currency, but a small number aren't supported for card charges. If yours isn't, you'll see a message about it and can keep using manual payment methods instead.
How to connect
- Go to Dashboard → Settings → Payment.
- Under "Accept card payments (Stripe)", click Connect with Stripe.
- You'll be redirected to Stripe's own signup/verification pages. Fill in:
- Your business type and location
- Your legal name, date of birth, and home address
- Business details (website, what you sell)
- A bank account for payouts
- Identity verification (Stripe may ask for a photo ID)
- When you're done, you're sent back to WAStore automatically.
- Your Settings page will show one of two states:
- Setup incomplete — Stripe still needs something from you. Click Finish setting up Stripe to pick up exactly where you left off.
- Connected — you're done. Card payments are now live on your store.
That's it — nothing else to configure. "Pay with card" starts appearing at checkout automatically once you're Connected.
What happens after you're connected
- Customers see a Pay with card button next to your existing "Place order" button at checkout. Both stay available — connecting Stripe never removes your other payment methods.
- When a customer pays by card, the order is created automatically, already marked as paid, the moment the payment succeeds. You don't need to do anything.
- Money settles directly into your own Stripe balance. WAStore is never in the middle of the payment.
- Payouts to your bank happen on the schedule you set in Stripe (daily, weekly, or manual) — manage this from your own Stripe dashboard.
- Stripe's own processing fees apply (typically a small percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction — see your Stripe dashboard for your exact rate). WAStore charges 0% on top of that, same as every other payment method.
Troubleshooting
"Setup incomplete" won't go away. Stripe needs more information before it can activate your account (a missing document, an unverified detail, etc.). Click Finish setting up Stripe in Settings → Payment — it reopens Stripe's form exactly where you left off, so you don't have to start over.
Stripe says it can't verify my identity. Double-check that your legal name, date of birth, and address exactly match a government-issued ID. Small mismatches (a nickname instead of your legal name, a typo in your address) are the most common cause. Stripe may also ask you to upload a photo of an ID — this is Stripe's own requirement for verifying who's receiving the money, not something WAStore asks for or sees.
Customers don't see "Pay with card" at checkout, but Settings says Connected. Check your store's currency in Settings → General — a very small number of currencies aren't supported for card payments. If that's not it, try refreshing the checkout page; the option appears the moment your account finishes activating.
A customer says their card was declined. This happens on the customer's side (their bank or card issuer), not WAStore's or yours. Ask them to try a different card, or use one of your other payment methods instead.
I need to issue a refund. Refunds are done directly in Stripe, not in WAStore — click Manage on Stripe in Settings → Payment to open your Stripe dashboard and refund the payment from there.
I want to update my business details, bank account, or payout schedule. All of that lives in your own Stripe account. Click Manage on Stripe in Settings → Payment to edit it directly — WAStore doesn't store these details and can't change them for you.
I clicked Disconnect — what happens to my Stripe account? Nothing. Disconnecting only removes the link between WAStore and Stripe — "Pay with card" stops appearing at checkout, but your Stripe account itself is untouched and keeps working normally. You can reconnect it any time from Settings → Payment.
I downgraded from Pro — does my Stripe connection stop working? No — if you were already connected, card payments keep working at checkout. You'll just need to reactivate Pro to see the connection status or manage it again from Settings.
Something else went wrong. Use the "Suggest a feature" button in your dashboard (bottom-right) to reach the WAStore team, or email admin@wastore.app — mention "Stripe Connect" so it gets routed correctly.