Stripe gives you several ways to let a customer pay over time. None of them is called a “payment plan,” and each solves a different part of the job. Here’s how each works and what it leaves to you.
Option 1: A subscription that ends
Best for: equal monthly payments with no deposit.
- In the Stripe Dashboard, create a product with a recurring monthly price equal to one installment.
- Create a subscription for the customer with that price.
- Set the subscription to cancel after the final payment date, or use a subscription schedule with the right number of iterations.
What you’ll track yourself: the deposit, the agreed total, the remaining balance and any change to a single payment. Forgetting the end date means billing one month too many.
Option 2: One invoice per installment
Best for: deposits, uneven amounts and customers who prefer to pay each bill.
- Create a customer in Stripe.
- When each payment is due, create an invoice for that installment and send it. Stripe hosts the payment page.
- Record each payment against the plan.
What you’ll track yourself: the schedule, when to send each invoice and what’s left, usually in a spreadsheet.
Option 3: Payment Links each month
Best for: very occasional plans.
Create a Payment Link for each installment amount and send it when the payment is due. It’s quick, but nothing ties the payments together.
Option 4: Buy now, pay later at checkout
Best for: online checkout where you want to be paid up front.
Enable a BNPL payment method such as Affirm, Klarna or Afterpay in your Stripe payment method settings. The provider pays you, approves the buyer and collects from them, and you pay a merchant fee per sale. See payment plans vs. BNPL.
Comparing the options
| Deposit | Agreed total and balance | Customer accepts schedule | Effort per plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ending subscription | Separate | No | No | Low to set up, high to change |
| Invoice per installment | Yes | Spreadsheet | No | High |
| Payment Links | Yes | Spreadsheet | No | High |
| BNPL | Provider’s terms | Provider’s ledger | Provider’s terms | Low |
Option 5: Payment plan software on your Stripe account
Cadence combines option 2 with the parts Stripe leaves out. You set the total, deposit and installments once. The customer accepts the exact schedule through a private link. Each installment is issued as a Stripe-hosted invoice from your account, and the balance updates only when Stripe confirms a matching payment.
Cadence’s Stripe collection is currently in a sandbox pilot, and today the customer pays each invoice; automatic charging of a saved card is planned. See how it works.