Cheerful + Stripe integration

How the Stripe integration works

You do not connect Stripe yourself: it runs on Cheerful’s Stripe Connect platform. Creators get a Stripe Express account that can only receive payments, set up from a link with no Cheerful login.

What can you do with Cheerful and Stripe?

5 ways influencer teams use this connection today. Each one is something the integration does now, not a roadmap item.

• Pay influencers by card where you negotiated with them

  Once a creator’s rate is agreed, pay it from Cheerful with your card instead of collecting W-9s and bank details over email.

  1. Rate agreed in the thread
  2. You pay by card in Cheerful
  3. Stripe transfers it to the creator

• Onboard creators to payouts without a Cheerful account

  If a creator has not set up payouts yet, the payment waits and Cheerful drafts an onboarding email in their thread for you to review and send.

• Record Venmo, Zelle and check payments to creators

  Record payments made outside Stripe at no fee, settle approved affiliate commissions, and export the whole ledger as CSV for finance.

• Export influencer payouts as CSV for finance

  The payout ledger exports as a CSV, so your accountant gets every creator payment, on and off Stripe, in one file.

• Settle approved affiliate commissions

  Commission balances you have approved are settled through the same payout flow as flat fees.

What the Stripe integration does

Card payments carry a processing fee on top of the creator’s fee.

• Charges your saved card and transfers the fee to the creator
• Creates receive-only Stripe Express accounts for creators
• Drafts a payout onboarding email for creators who are not set up
• Records off-platform payments (Venmo, Zelle, check) at no fee
• Settles approved commission balances
• Exports payouts as CSV

How to connect Stripe to Cheerful

Setup takes 3 steps. Stripe is built into Cheerful, so there is nothing extra to install on the Cheerful side.

1. 1

   Save a card on your Cheerful account.

2. 2

   Pay a creator from their thread or the payouts view.

3. 3

   If the creator is new to payouts, review and send the onboarding email Cheerful drafted; the payment goes through once they finish.

What the Stripe integration does not do

Stated plainly, so you can plan around it before you connect.

Cheerful and Stripe: common questions

Can I pay influencers through Cheerful?

Yes. Cheerful uses Stripe Connect: you pay by card, and the money goes to the creator’s own Stripe account, which they set up from a link without a Cheerful login.

Do I need my own Stripe account?

No. Payouts run on Cheerful’s Stripe Connect platform. You only need a saved card on your Cheerful account.

Which countries can creators be paid in?

Creators need to be in a supported country: the US, the UK, Canada, Switzerland or the European Economic Area.

Can I pay creators by bank transfer?

Not yet. Card payments work today; paying by US bank transfer is coming soon.

Does paying creators through Cheerful cost anything?

Card payments carry a processing fee on top of the creator’s fee. Recording payments you made off-platform is free, and Cheerful itself is free to start.

Often connected alongside Stripe

• SignWellNative integration · E-signatureSend creator contracts from the inbox, signed on their collaboration page
• WWooCommerceNative integration · E-commerceFree gifting orders and per-creator coupons for WordPress stores
• ShopifyNative integration · E-commercePlace $0 gifting orders and create a discount code for each creator
• DocuSignConnected app · E-signatureSend your creator agreement from a DocuSign template when terms are agreed

See all integrations, or read which tools Cheerful integrates with for the native integrations and the ones that do not exist yet.