- 1
the buyer pays at issue time
stripe charges the card and the funds settle into your connected stripe account on stripe's normal payout schedule (usually 2 business days).
- 2
the recipient redeems later
no money moves at redemption — the card balance just decrements. the cash already arrived when the buyer paid.
- 3
outstanding balances are a real liability
until a card is fully redeemed, you've collected money for goods/service you haven't delivered yet. mention this to your accountant — it shows on books as a deferred-revenue liability.
tipa $500 outstanding balance isn't the same as $500 of profit. plan inventory and labor as if those redemptions are coming, even though they don't drop new cash on you when they hit.
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