Stripe Connect with custom user / payment flow as payment processor

[Kerwin]

I'm aware that using Stripe Connect in the fully custom mode requires a lot more work from my end, but I'm confident I can handle the programming. The question is what UK laws apply to companies processing payments? PCI-DSS and GDPR are two that spring to mind but are there any others I am ignorant of that I need to follow? This will be an international site.

I want to use Stripe Connect in custom mode because I want a 100% customised version for my site, which I can't get with the easier options.

 

[mattk]

Isn't the whole point of Stripe Connect that they handle all the personal and card data, meaning you don't have to worry about compliance?

Do you have a payments background? If not, I'd strongly advise using an off the shelf product, rather than trying to navigate PCI DSS compliance.

Similarly, if you're doing an MVP you want as little technical complexity as possible until you've proved there is a market for your idea. Implementing a custom payments process sounds like an unnecessary complication at this point.

 

[Kerwin]

Isn't the whole point of Stripe Connect that they handle all the personal and card data, meaning you don't have to worry about compliance?

Do you have a payments background? If not, I'd strongly advise using an off the shelf product, rather than trying to navigate PCI DSS compliance.

Similarly, if you're doing an MVP you want as little technical complexity as possible until you've proved there is a market for your idea. Implementing a custom payments process sounds like an unnecessary complication at this point.

Stripe Connect Standard and Express do handle card and personal data for you but Stripe Connect Custom leaves everything up to you.

I do have a background in programming and system administration (including securing servers) so I'm not totally in the dark. If I went with Stripe Standard and wanted to upgrade to Custom I'd be a bit concerned that the work to convert everything would cause problems for my customers as Stripe Connect Standard requires customers to sign up to their own Stripe account whereas Stripe Connect Custom allows you to handle all of that.

 

[mattk]

What are you trying to achieve? I thought you were planning to offer hosting services? Trying to build a custom card process from day one sounds like an unnecessary expense.

I've seen plenty of people invest a lot of time and money in ideas, only for them either to not take off (no market) or even worse get beaten to market by another product.

My advice would be get something out there. You will have to adapt your offering once you're live anyway. At least this way you'll have real customers you can get use cases from, rather than trying to think up everything your customers might want yourself.

 

[Kerwin]

What are you trying to achieve? I thought you were planning to offer hosting services? Trying to build a custom card process from day one sounds like an unnecessary expense.

I've seen plenty of people invest a lot of time and money in ideas, only for them either to not take off (no market) or even worse get beaten to market by another product.

My advice would be get something out there. You will have to adapt your offering once you're live anyway. At least this way you'll have real customers you can get use cases from, rather than trying to think up everything your customers might want yourself.

Fair points. Thank you for your reply. I guess I just overthink things sometimes. I'll start with a simple payment solution in that case.

 

[James'Supplements]

With my last company, I used stripe to collect payments on my website and then a foreign exchange broker to collect the funds and convert them when I needed to. Check our NewbridgeFX, a guy called Jack Murphy helped me out with the whole lot. Honestly a lot easier when a finance guy speaks about it