Guides
Based on going through a Stripe shutdown and then spending weeks talking to processors.
Stripe closed or restricted my account
Stripe Closed My Account: What to Do in the First 72 Hours
A step-by-step checklist for when Stripe closes or restricts your account: protect your revenue, get your funds released, and move your customers to a new processor.
Read the guideStripe Holding Your Funds? How Long It Lasts and How to Get Them Released
Why Stripe holds your balance after a closure or review, how long holds usually last, and what you can do to get paid out faster.
Read the guideStripe Account Under Review: What Stripe Wants and How to Respond
Stripe asked for more information or paused payouts. Here's what the review is checking, what documents to send, and how to give yourself the best chance.
Read the guideHow payment risk review works
Why Stripe Closes Accounts After You've Already Started Selling
Stripe approves almost everyone instantly and reviews them later. Here's how that model works, the most common triggers for a closure, and why legit businesses get caught.
Read the guideHigh-Risk Merchant Accounts Explained (for Founders Who Aren't Doing Anything Wrong)
What 'high risk' really means in payments, why legitimate SaaS and AI businesses get labeled with it, what a high-risk merchant account costs, and what to watch out for.
Read the guideChargeback Ratio Explained: The Number That Decides Whether You Keep Your Processor
How chargeback ratios are calculated, the thresholds processors and card networks watch, and practical ways SaaS and AI businesses can keep disputes down.
Read the guideStripe's Restricted Businesses List, Explained for SaaS and AI Founders
What Stripe's restricted and prohibited business list means, the difference between 'prohibited' and 'requires approval', and what to do if your legal business is on it.
Read the guideAlternatives to Stripe
Stripe Alternatives in Japan: A Guide for Foreign Founders
Running a business in Japan and lost Stripe? How Japanese payment providers differ, what their underwriting checks (including the 特定商取引法 notice), and how to choose one.
Read the guideStripe Alternatives for AI Companies: Getting Paid When Your Model Looks 'Risky'
Why AI startups get flagged by instant-signup processors, which types of payment providers fit AI products, and how to prepare an application that gets approved.
Read the guideStripe Alternatives for SaaS After a Shutdown
A practical comparison of payment options for SaaS companies after Stripe: merchant of record, underwritten merchant accounts, and other processors, plus how to migrate subscriptions.
Read the guideMerchant of Record vs Merchant Account: Which Is Right After Stripe?
How merchant-of-record platforms like Paddle differ from your own merchant account, in tax, fees, control and risk, and which makes sense for your business.
Read the guideWhy Every Online Business Needs a Backup Payment Processor
A single processor is a single point of failure. How to set up a second one properly, without breaking any rules, so a shutdown doesn't stop your revenue.
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