Stripe is a payment processing platform that lets businesses accept cards, digital wallets, bank payments, and dozens of other payment methods online and in person. It’s the engine behind checkout on many websites and apps, and it plugs into most major e-commerce platforms.
Beyond basic card processing, Stripe offers a hosted Checkout page, Payment Links you can share by text or email, Invoicing, Billing for subscriptions and recurring payments, and Terminal for in-person sales. Its developer tools are widely considered the best in the industry, which gives businesses a lot of flexibility to build exactly the payment flow they want.
Stripe is a strong fit for online businesses, subscription and membership services, and anyone with a developer on hand. Simple setups like Payment Links work without any code.
The standard rate is only the start. International cards, currency conversion, instant payouts, and add-on products like Billing and Tax carry extra fees, and disputes cost $15 each. Like most processors, Stripe can hold funds or pause accounts it considers high risk, and support is mostly by chat and email.
Long Island service businesses can use Stripe Payment Links or Invoicing to collect deposits and payments without building a full online store.