How to set up Stripe

Connect Stripe and guests can pay by card, SEPA direct debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more. The money goes straight to your bank account.

What Stripe is

Stripe is one of the largest and safest payment providers in the world, used by millions of businesses from tiny shops to the biggest companies there are.

It holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification, the highest security level in the payments industry, which means payment data is protected to the strictest standard that exists.

When somebody contributes on your wishlist, Stripe handles the payment and transfers the money to your bank account. Wishlist.de never has access to that money at any point, and never sees card numbers or bank details. What we store is the amount, whether it went through, and the transaction reference.

Why Stripe

• Guests need no account — anyone can pay without signing up anywhere
• Lots of payment types — card, SEPA, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more
• Top-level security — PCI DSS Level 1, encrypted in transit
• You choose the payment types — in your own Stripe dashboard
• Accepted well beyond Germany — which countries and which payment types actually work is Stripe’s call, not ours, and it differs from country to country

There’s one cost: 3% for the platform, plus Stripe’s own fees. You see it while you connect the account.

Connecting your Stripe account

Step 1: Open the settings

Open your wishlist, go to the settings tab, find the section asking how you want to receive money, and choose card and more through Stripe.

Step 2: Connect

1. Press connect — you’re taken to Stripe
2. Create a Stripe account there, or sign in with one you have
3. Enter your details — name, address, bank account
4. Confirm your identity

Tip: have your IBAN handy, and an ID document in case Stripe asks for it. Stripe has to confirm who you are — that’s a legal requirement, and it protects everyone involved. It usually takes a few minutes.

Step 3: Wait for the check

Stripe then reviews your account. Usually that’s minutes; sometimes longer. The settings show you where it stands: that Stripe is still checking, that something is missing and you should carry on, or that the account is connected and guests can pay. There’s a button to refresh the status whenever you want.

Important: card payments start only once Stripe confirms the account — and until then nothing about your list changes. A list with no online payment yet keeps working exactly as before: guests reserve gifts and pledge contributions. A list already on PayPal keeps taking PayPal right through the check. Once Stripe confirms the account, a creator page switches to card payments by itself; on any other list you switch it on in the settings, by choosing Credit card & more (Stripe) and saving.

Step 4: Done

It depends on when Stripe confirms. If the account is already confirmed when you come back from Stripe, the list you set up from switches to card payments right there — whatever its occasion. If confirmation arrives later, only a creator page switches by itself, and only one that had no online payment yet; any other list keeps what it had until you choose Credit card & more (Stripe) in its settings and save. Your other lists keep what they have, with one exception: any other creator page of yours that still had no online payment switches too. A payment method you once chose is never swapped under you.

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What guests see

1. They enter an amount and press Pay now
2. A secure payment page opens, served by Stripe
3. They pick how to pay — card, SEPA and whatever else your account offers
4. The payment goes through
5. You get a notification — unless you switched those emails off — and the money is transferred to your account. On a surprise list that note goes to the co-owner instead, or to nobody if there is none; the money still reaches you either way

Your guests don’t have to register anywhere or create an account.

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Payouts

Stripe transfers the money automatically to the bank account you gave during setup.

• Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay — normally in your account within a few working days
• SEPA direct debit — longer, because the bank transfer itself takes longer
• Your very first payout — slower than the rest while the account is new, then it speeds up
• Automatic — you do nothing, payouts just happen
• Overview — your Stripe dashboard lists every payment and every scheduled payout

For the current schedule and the exact fees, check your Stripe dashboard — those are Stripe’s numbers, not ours.

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Your Stripe dashboard

Once you’re set up you have a Stripe dashboard showing every payment that came in, every scheduled payout, and the detail and status of each one. The link to it sits in your wishlist settings, next to the payment method.

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Security and privacy

• PCI DSS Level 1 — the highest certification in the payments industry
• Encrypted — every payment detail is encrypted in transit
• No card data with us — Wishlist.de never sees card numbers or bank details. What we do store is what the payment was: the amount, whether it went through, and the transaction reference
• Direct — money moves between your guest and you; Wishlist.de never touches it
• Stripe holds the payment data under its own rules and retention periods, and personal data may be transferred to countries outside the EU — the privacy policy sets out the safeguards

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Common questions

Do I need a registered business?

No. Stripe works for private individuals, and we set the account up as an individual for you.

Can I use Stripe and PayPal at the same time?

No. It’s one payment method per wishlist. You can switch whenever you like.

What if I want to disconnect Stripe?

Change the payment method in the settings at any time. Payments already made are unaffected.

Do I have to pay tax on what I receive?

That depends on where you live and how much it is. Under German law gifts between friends and family are generally tax-free up to €20,000 per person over ten years; the rules differ from country to country. For larger amounts, or anything commercial, ask a tax advisor.

What if the setup doesn’t work?

The settings show you what’s still missing — carry on from there. If it still won’t work, write to us at kontakt@wishlist.de.

What is money instead of a gift?

A per-wish setting that lets guests send you money instead of buying the product. It works with Stripe, with PayPal, and even with no online payment at all. A creator page has it switched on for the whole list. Every other list has no whole-list switch at all — there you decide per wish, and that route needs no Stripe. More on that →