Starting this spring, new customers will manage everything related to donations and event payments right inside of Planning Center—no need to visit Stripe’s website.

Stripe will still process payments behind the scenes, but new customers won't need to interact with Stripe. Instead, Planning Center will provide everything churches need directly in our product: setup, reporting, support, and the lowest processing fees available.

By bringing the complete payments experience into Planning Center, we can focus on what we do best: building church-focused tools, providing support from people who understand ministry, and keeping the best giving and event rates on the market.

Current customer? Nothing to see here. 

This is a technical change for new customers, one that lets them get up and running with Planning Center without a secondary Stripe dashboard. Current customers still have everything needed to process donations and event payments in their existing Stripe and Planning Center accounts.

As we help new customers get set up with giving and event payments in Planning Center, we’ re also working to expand what’s possible for all churches!

Processing fees are still the lowest available.

Our processing fees are 2.15% + $0.30/transaction for credit cards and 0% + $0.30/transaction for ACH bank transfers. (Fees differ for those in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.)

Processing fees are a real cost for churches, and especially impact smaller churches with lower volume. By bringing the payments experience more fully into Planning Center, we're in a better position to continue offering the lowest possible cost for churches.

Questions? Some quick answers. 

What we learn from new customers will shape what comes next, and we'll keep you updated every step of the way. Here are some things we can confidently answer today!

  1. Can I switch now if I’m an existing customer? Not yet. We're starting with new customers and will share more about when existing customers can transition.

  2. Are there any new features that we don’t have in Stripe? Not yet, but we want that! With our new technical foundation there is a possibility for us to build new features.

  3. Will processing fees be higher? No. We're committed to keeping fees the lowest available on the market for churches: 2.15% + $0.30 for credit and debit cards, and 0% + $0.30 for ACH bank transfers. (Fees differ for those in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.)

  4. Are there any additional fees? There are always fees associated with international cards, ACH bank transfer failures, and so on—no changes here. These are costs that current customers are already responsible for. For new customers, the only difference is that Planning Center will be applying these fees, not Stripe. (See here for a full list of these one-off fees.)

  5. What happens to my current Stripe setup? Nothing. Existing customers keep their current experience until we're ready to offer the transition, and we'll communicate about that well in advance.

  6. Stripe still processes payments, so what's actually different? The experience around setup, reporting, and support now lives inside Planning Center rather than requiring a separate Stripe dashboard. For churches, that means simpler onboarding, better visibility, and support from a team that can see the full picture.

Why Stripe? Our trusted partner for 11 years.  

Planning Center started working with Stripe 11 years ago. Since then, we’ve partnered with them to help tens of thousands of churches across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia process billions of dollars in donations. 

Because of Stripe: 

  • It’s easy for donors to connect their bank to your church thanks to Stripe.
    Stripe maintains relationships with banks and financial institutions so that a donor from any bank or credit union with any card can get their donation to your church. 

  • Planning Center, your church, and donors can process and give. International and national law is complex, and Stripe knows how to navigate it. Stripe ensures all organizations (nonprofits and businesses alike) stay compliant with evolving financial regulations.

  • Your donor’s financial information is protected by Stripe’s fraud detection system. They offer an unmatched level of protection against card scammers in an online world rife with fraud. 

That's not work we want to reinvent. 

So while Stripe does what they do best, we’ll stay focused on our core purpose: helping churches help people!

We're excited about this next step for our customers and our system, and we're looking forward to sharing more. 

💙 Planning Center