# Connect to Stripe

[Stripe](https://stripe.com) is the merchant processor that Mavenseed uses for charges and recurring membership billing. We have integrated with the [Stripe Connect](https://stripe.com/connect) platform to enable you to use *your own* Stripe account for all payments. This puts you in full control and removes the middleman. **Your payments, in your account, paid out to your bank account on your terms.**  

There are no setup fees for connecting your Stripe account. The only fees are the normal transaction and processing fees that Stripe charges for payments, which are an industry standard of 2.9% + $0.30. That rate can typically be negotiated with Stripe once your account has sufficient transaction history.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Don't have a Stripe account? [Create one](https://dashboard.stripe.com/register) before you continue. You'll need to have your bank account information ready so that Stripe can make deposits. The verification process is instant and you should be setup in under 5 minutes.
{% endhint %}

Mavenseed needs to talk with your Stripe account in order to sync and record payments, plans, and service products. This happens through the use of [Stripe Connect](https://stripe.com/connect).

### Stripe Connect

Each site is connected to its own Stripe account. This is useful in cases where you may run multiple sites, and prefer each to have its own Stripe account for accounting purposes. All charges and subscriptions are created within **your** Stripe account.

**To connect your account:**

1. From within the main application, head to your account/sites
2. Locate the site, then click on "Gateways" using the action dropdown
3. Click on "Connect with Stripe"

After connecting your Stripe account you will be able to process credit card transactions.

**To disconnect your account:**

1. Go to your sites Settings menu
2. Click on Gateways
3. Click on "Disconnect Stripe"

{% hint style="info" %}
**Why don't you offer PayPal as an integration?**

We're currently researching PayPal for our Mavens, though a big deterrent for us is PayPal is behind when compared to Stripe for digital good fraud protection. 
{% endhint %}


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