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Payments and billing

Bonfire collects payments from your members through Stripe Connect. You connect your own Stripe account once, and members check out via Stripe for paid tiers and memberships. Bonfire takes a 0% platform fee on memberships — Stripe's standard processing fees still apply. This guide covers connecting Stripe and managing member billing.

This page is about members paying you. To manage your own Bonfire plan bill, see Admin → Billing and the Understanding billing guide.

Connect Stripe

  1. Go to Admin → Payment Setup (/admin/payments).
  2. Enter your Publishable Key and Secret Key from your Stripe Dashboard.
  3. Optionally add a Webhook Secret so Stripe can notify Bonfire of payment events.
  4. Click Connect Stripe. Once linked, members can check out for your paid tiers.

Your keys are encrypted before storage and are never exposed in the browser or logs. Payments go directly to your Stripe account.

Manage payouts

Payout schedule, method, and currency are configured in your Stripe dashboard. Because the connected account is yours, money from member checkouts lands directly in your Stripe balance. From Stripe you can:

  • Set your payout method and currency.
  • Review the payout schedule.
  • Check pending and completed payouts.

Handle subscriptions

  • See active subscribers in Admin → Members (tier shows on each profile).
  • View MRR, new subscriptions, and churn in Admin → Analytics.
  • Cancellations and plan changes flow through Stripe and update the member's access automatically.

Refunds and invoices

Issue refunds and access invoices from your Stripe dashboard:

  1. Open your Stripe Dashboard and find the customer or payment.
  2. Issue a refund — the member's access updates accordingly.

Members receive Stripe-generated receipts and can manage their own subscription and payment method through Stripe's customer portal.

Keep your tier names and descriptions clear: they appear on member receipts and the Stripe checkout screen.

Related

  • Set up paid memberships
  • Understanding billing
  • Manage membership tiers

FAQ

What fees apply? Bonfire takes 0% on memberships. Stripe's standard processing and payment fees apply per your Stripe account.

Where do members manage their subscription? Through Stripe's customer portal, reachable from their account — they can update cards or cancel there.

Can I issue a partial refund? Yes, from your Stripe dashboard. Access adjusts based on the refund and subscription status.

Are taxes handled? Stripe handles tax collection per your Stripe Tax configuration, so you don't calculate them manually.