fromscratch
Help center

Take payments in your store

Connect your own Stripe account in one click, test with a test card, add PayPal, Klarna or Apple Pay from your Stripe dashboard, or keep manual payment.

Updated 4 min read
On this page
  1. Option 1: Connect Stripe (recommended)
  2. Option 2: Your own Stripe keys
  3. Test before you go live
  4. More payment methods: PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay…
  5. Keep manual payment too
  6. On the live store
  7. Disconnect
  8. Countries Stripe doesn't support
  9. FAQ
  10. Related

A new store takes orders without payment: the checkout offers « Manual Payment », the order is recorded and nobody is charged. That's perfect for testing, for cash on delivery or bank transfers. To accept cards and other online payment methods, your store uses Stripe, built into the commerce engine. The money goes straight to your own Stripe account — FromScratch never holds it.

  1. Open your store project and click Payments in the top bar. The Card payments panel opens.
  2. Click Connect Stripe. You're taken to Stripe's own page: sign in to your Stripe account, or create one.
  3. Accept the connection. You come back to your project with the message « Stripe is connected — turning it on in the shop ».
  4. The panel shows Stripe connected, with a Test or Live badge, then « Turning it on in the shop… (about a minute) ».
  5. When it reads « Card payment is offered at the shop's checkout. », the checkout of your preview takes payments.

You don't need to send a message to the agent: the switch happens on its own, even if your workspace was asleep.

Note

If the Payments panel only shows a hint about Variables instead of the Connect Stripe button, one-click connection isn't available — use option 2.

Option 2: Your own Stripe keys

  1. In your Stripe dashboard, open Developers › API keys.
  2. In FromScratch, click Variables in the top bar and add two rows:
    • STRIPE_API_KEY — your secret key (sk_test_… for test mode, sk_live_… for real money),
    • STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY — the publishable key of the same mode (pk_test_… or pk_live_…).
  3. Click Save, then ask the agent:
Example prompt
I added my Stripe keys in Variables. Turn on card payments in the shop.

Warning

Never paste a Stripe key in the chat. Keys belong in Variables only — see Environment variables.

Test before you go live

Start in test mode (test keys, or a test Stripe account). At the checkout, pay with the card 4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry date and any CVC. The order appears in the store admin as paid, and the payment appears in your Stripe dashboard in test mode. Payments are captured automatically: the money is taken when the order is placed.

To go live, switch to live keys (or connect your live Stripe account), let the shop apply it, and test once more with a real card for a small amount.

More payment methods: PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay…

There's nothing to build. The checkout uses Stripe's payment form, which shows every method you turn on in your own Stripe dashboard (Settings › Payment methods): cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna, SEPA, Bancontact, iDEAL and more. Stripe only shows the methods that fit the currency, the amount and the buyer's country. Methods that leave your site (PayPal, Klarna, iDEAL…) bring the customer back to the checkout, which places the order. Stripe's list of methods is at docs.stripe.com.

Note

Apple Pay and Google Pay also need your shop's domain registered in Stripe, and they don't appear inside the preview frame. Stores created before this payment form arrived keep a card-only form, which still works.

Keep manual payment too

When Stripe is on, the « Manual Payment » option disappears so customers can't order without paying. If you want both — for example cash on delivery — ask:

Example prompt
Keep the manual payment option next to card payment, and call it "Pay on delivery".

On the live store

Your published store reads the same keys. After turning payments on, republish the shop once: the panel reminds you with « Republish the shop to take payments on the live site. » See Publish and update a shop.

Disconnect

Disconnect Stripe in the Payments panel removes the connection: the shop goes back to manual payment (« Stripe disconnected — the shop is back to manual payment »). Republish for the live site to follow.

Countries Stripe doesn't support

Stripe only works for businesses in the countries it supports (for example, it doesn't onboard Tunisian businesses). Local payment gateways aren't built in; « Manual Payment » (cash on delivery, bank transfer) stays available.

FAQ

Does FromScratch take a commission on my sales?

The payment goes directly to your Stripe account; Stripe's own fees apply.

Where do I refund an order?

Orders show their Stripe payment in the store admin, where refunds are handled; your Stripe dashboard shows them too.

Can a website that isn't a store take payments?

There's no Payments button outside stores. Ask the agent to add what you need; any key goes in Variables. See Get paid.

Was this page helpful?