FAQs

We answer questions below about Paythen, split billing and more. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Ask us via live chat or email – hello@paythen.co.

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  • 1. What is Paythen?
     

    Paythen is a no-code billing and payment system that works with Stripe (for payment processing) and lets businesses offer payment plans and split payments in under a minute. Create highly flexible plans and let customers pay for your product or service via a payment plan or upfront. Once you create a plan, we generate an easy payment link you can add on your site or share with your customers via email or social. It's beautifully simple, but very powerful with features designed to improve your customer experience, while reducing admin, and giving you powerful insights.

    Paythen requires Stripe to work. Once you sign up, we'll ask you to connect your Stripe account.

  • 2. Is Paythen available in my country?
     

    Paythen is available anywhere Stripe is. If you can sign up for a Stripe account, you can use Paythen. Stripe is currently available to businesses based in over 40 countries (please see notes below for 'preview' countries), and almost anyone anywhere through Stripe Atlas. These are the countries supported by Stripe (and Paythen) at the moment:

    You can accept payments in most currencies Stripe supports (over 130) – at the moment you can't accept zero decimal currencies with Paythen. There are some exceptions and limitations based on your account's currency. View the full list and more info here.

    Are you in a country where Stripe is in preview?
    Countries that show "Preview" above might have limited functionality as Stripe is just getting started there.You can read more about each supported country, including Stripe fees and sign up for a Stripe account here. Different preview countries might have different limitations.

    For some countries, because of legal and Stripe restrictions, Paythen fees cannot be automatically deducted from each transaction like they usually are. In these cases, you can still use Paythen as normal – but your billing will be done monthly at the end of each month via a credit or debit card.

    For some preview countries (like Indonesia and the Philippines), Paythen might only work if you have set up a Stripe account using Stripe Atlas but not if your account is based in your home country and currency. This is because of legal limitations in these countries that don't allow external platforms based in other countries to connect to locally-based accounts.

    Is your Stripe account based in Japan?
    Japan based accounts can use and accept payments with Paythen in all other currencies except JPY at the moment. Paythen does not support zero decimal currencies at the moment but we expect to add support in the future.

    Is your Stripe account based in India? 
    Accounts based in India can currently only accept payments in INR using Paythen – we will be adding support to accept other currencies too, but at the moment, only INR payments can be accepted. If you're using Stripe Atlas with a USD account, then this does not apply.

    Is your Stripe account based in Indonesia or the Philippines? 
    Unfortunately at the moment, due to legal and/or Stripe limitations, Stripe accounts based in Indonesia or the Philippines cannot connect to platforms like Paythen that are based in other countries, like Paythen is. We hope to support both countries in the future if and when this changes. You can use Paythen if you have a US based Stripe account created via Stripe Atlas though.

    If Stripe is not available in your country, we recommend looking into Stripe Atlas. It's a great way to form a US company remotely and get all the benefits that come with it.

  • 3. Does Paythen work with other payment processors?
     

    No. Paythen is designed to work with Stripe. This is because Stripe is the leader in terms of the features, flexibility, security, ease of use, global availability, and more when it comes to payment processors. We believe it is the best payment processor available for most businesses in the countries it is available. Building Paythen to work with Stripe means we can offer you advanced features that would be impossible with most other payment processors. We have no short-term plans of integrating with other payment processors but will re-evaluate this position as needed.

  • 4. How do integrations work in Paythen?
     

    Paythen has some direct integrations – a native WordPress plugin that lets you offer Paythen in minutes on your WooCommerce store (more), a companion product called Cardivo (built by us) that lets you offer digital gift cards that are redeemable on your Paythen plan pages, WooCommerce store or even manually for other scenarios (more).

    For Shopify, because of API access limitations imposed by Shopify, there is an email-based workflow that sends customers an eamil with their payment plan link once they check out. Read more on that here.

    For all other integrations and workflows, we have our fully featured and constantly improving Zapier app that lets you send data from Paythen into other systems, or lets you send custom payment plan links via email based on actions in your other systems. Using our Zapier app, you can send data to and trigger payment plans from over 6,000 other tools so most workflows you can envision are available.

    At the moment, Paythen does not have an open, publicly accessible API. If this is something you're interested in, let us know via the chat icon as that helps as prioritize future features better.

  • 5. How can I see Paythen in Zapier?
     

    You'll see Paythen just like other apps when you log into your Zapier account and start setting up a zap. You can also go to this page to get started with Paythen and Zapier. If you have any questions or issues, we're here to help.

  • 6. What support do we get?
     

    We offer personalized support via email, chat and self-service to all our customers. Most support enquiries are answered and resolved within an hour. We're happy to help with almost anything related to getting you set up, whether it's within Paythen or on your site/store. Just ask.

  • 7. Does Paythen work with WooCommerce?
     

    Yes it does. The Paythen WooCommerce plugin is now available for all Paythen users. Read more about our WooCommerce functionality here. If you're interested in using the WooCommerce plugin, just create your free Paythen account, switch ON the WooCommerce integration, and install our WordPress plugin. Here's a step by step guide.

    The current version of the Paythen WooCommerce plugin will let you offer a Payment Plan option on the checkout page. You will have defined some parameters of the payment plan beforehand. Here's an overview:

    1. You install our WooCommerce plugin and configure a few options
    2. On the checkout page, your customers will see a new payment plan option
    3. They will place the order and be taken to the Paythen plan page to complete payment. Your WooCommerce order status will be "On-hold" while they complete payment.
    4. Once they have successfully signed up to the payment plan, they'll be brought back to the WooCommerce order confirmation page and the order status will change to "Processing".
    5. Customers will get an email from Paythen with their payment plan details and dates, in addition to any emails you have configured in WooCommerce
    6. You can see their payment plan and information in the Paythen dashboard
    7. Your customers will be automatically charged for each future payment

    Start your 7 day free Paythen trial to see if it's right for you.

  • 8. Does Paythen work with Shopify?
     

    Yes, but with an email based workflow. There is no Paythen app for Shopify because of limitations imposed by Shopify. Your customers will get an email with a link to start their payment plan after completing the checkout on your Shopify store. Read more here and check out our Shopify demo store.

  • 9. Is Paythen a buy now, pay later service? How is it different?
     

    No. Paythen is not a buy now pay later credit service like AfterPay. We use AfterPay as an example below, but the points below apply to most buy now, pay later services like Klarna, Affirm and many others.

    Once you create a plan in Paythen, your customers get to choose to pay the full amount immediately or via a payment plan that you've defined. Both options require your customers to use their credit or debit card to pay. This means 100% of your customers can choose a payment plan option instead of only those that get approved for credit.

    • AfterPay is a credit service. With Paythen, your customers can get get a payment plan, but they can use their existing credit or debit card to do so.
    • AfterPay is like a mini-loan, with Paythen, there is no credit provided – this is not only more responsible, but also more flexible and better. Your customers get to choose how they want to pay, and which payment method they want to use, while you pay lower fees and deliver a better customer experience.
    • AfterPay has a fixed 8 week repayment period. This is rigid, and can still be very high for high value items. With Paythen, you can set the payment plan interval to whatever you want – weekly, monthly, fortnightly, or any other custom interval – and you also choose how long it goes for.
    • AfterPay takes away your direct relationship with your customer – and build their brand, instead of yours. With Paythen, there is little to no Paythen branding involved – we just give you the mechanism to offer split payments, while giving you the reporting and flexibility you need.
    • AfterPay takes away a big chunk of your profit margin with each transaction. With Paythen, you get to decide – you pay a low 2% per transaction with no monthly or other fees. You do pay the payment processing fee to Stripe, which is the payment processor.
    • Paythen is a complete billing and payment system that gives you ease of use, reporting and insights and important features for your customers whereas AfterPay and others are just credit providers.
    • Paythen is built on top of Stripe – the world's most popular (and in our opinion, the best) online payment processor. This means from day one, you can accept payments in hundreds of currencies.

    We go into more depth on the comparison as well as the pros and cons of BNPL vs Paythen in this article.

  • 10. What is Zapier? How does it work?
     

    Zapier is a tool that lets you send data between over 3,000 popular tools, in minutes, and with no code. At Paythen we've been using Zapier for many years to automate repetitive tasks, send data from one tool to another, get notifications where we want them, and so much more.

    With Paythen's Zapier app, you can send customer data you've collected in Paythen, to any other tool you use, from Google sheets, Gmail, Slack, CRM systems and thousands of others. Here's an intro to Zapier to get started.

    If you're new to Zapier, get ready to be blown away! Zapier will make you and your business 10x more productive.

  • 11. Does Paythen work without Stripe?
     

    No. Paythen works with Stripe to process payments. Once you sign up, we will ask you to connect your existing Stripe account or create a new one.

  • 12. Is there a free plan?
     

    No. There is a free 7 day trial though, with no limitations and no credit card needed. During your trial, you pay no Paythen fees either. To continue to offer a quality, secure product, free plans aren’t sustainable.

  • 13. Are there any other fees?
     

    With Paythen, there are no fees during your trial, and after that, a low 2% fee per transaction you process through Paythen. Keep more of your revenue where it belongs – in your pocket. As with all billing systems, this is separate to Stripe’s fees.

  • 14. I use Stripe already. Why should I use Paythen?
     

    Paythen is built on top of Stripe to take advantage of the built in features, and world-leading payment processing Stripe already offers. Paythen builds on top of that to offer powerful features specifically for businesses that offer or are planning to offer payment plans to their customers. Paythen makes the creation, sharing and reporting on payment plans super easy.

    • Connect your Stripe account
    • Create your plan in seconds
    • Share the easy payment link with your customers or add it to your site
    • Your customers can choose between upfront payment and payment plan options at the time of purchase - this makes them more likely to complete the transaction
    • Get powerful insights and reports

    Your customers can also manage their own payment plans, change their payment info, view past receipts, see how much they've paid vs. owing, and even repay early anytime. Start with a free 7 day trial to see if Paythen works for your business. Your customers will love it. We hope you do too.

  • 15. Can I offer Google Pay payment plans to my customers?
     

    Yes you can. Paythen makes it easy to offer Google Pay payment plans. Your customers can pay in seconds for your Paythen payment plan using their Google Pay account via a compatible browser or device. They will just need to enter their name and email, then click the GPay button to complete payment. This will open the standard GPay authorisation pop up where applicable and then their payment plan will begin.

    For the "Pay your way" payment plan type, customers can choose to pay for the upfront or payment plan option using Google Pay. See live examples of Google Pay Payment Plans and other plan types available in Paythen here.

    In addition to Google Pay, your customers can pay via any credit or debit card, Apple Pay or even Alipay where applicable (Alipay works for single payments only). Google Pay is automatically ON on your Paythen account.

  • 16. Can I offer Apple Pay payment plans to my customers?
     

    Yes you can. Paythen makes it easy to offer Apple Pay payment plans. Your customers can pay in seconds for your Paythen payment plan using Apple Pay on their Mac, iPhone or iPad. They will just need to enter their name and email, then click the Apple Pay button to complete payment. This will open the standard Apple Pay authorisation pop up where applicable and then their payment plan will begin. How Apple Pay is authenticated differs based on the user's Apple devices.

    For the "Pay your way" payment plan type, customers can choose to pay for the upfront or payment plan option using Apple Pay. For all plan types available in Paythen, customers can choose to pay via Apple Pay if they prefer. There is no extra charge from Stripe or Paythen for accepting Apple Pay payments compared to standard credit and debit cards. Offering your customers the choice to pay with Apple Pay and other options typically helps improve conversion rates and increases sales.

    In addition to Apple Pay, your customers can pay via any credit or debit card, Google Pay or even Alipay where applicable (Alipay works for single payments only). Apple Pay is automatically ON on your Paythen account. No manual setup is needed.

     

  • 17. What is Stripe?
     

    Stripe is the world’s leading payment processor — they handle the underlying payment infrastructure to ensure your customers’ payment information is secure. Millions of businesses across the world use Stripe as their payment processor. Paythen works with, and requires, Stripe. When you start your free Paythen trial, you can connect your existing Stripe account or create a new one in seconds. Paythen is a Stripe verified partner.

  • 18. Can I use Paythen with JotForm or other form tools to offer payment plans?
     

    Yes you can – with most of the popular form builders. As long as your form builder allows you to set a custom redirect url after form submission, you can get your customers to complete the form, then redirect them to the Paythen plan payment link to complete payment (or the other way around).

    Using Paythen is super easy if you intend to charge all your customers the same total payment plan amount – eg: $1,000 over 10 weekly payments. To do this, all you have to do is create a payment plan in Paythen and add the link to that as the success redirect url in your form submission settings.

    However, Paythen isn't limited to just that – in most cases you're using a form builder like JotForm, Gravity Forms or others because you want to offer your customers a selection of different products or services and the total amount payable for each customer can be different. You can also use Paythen in this instance where each customer's payment plan amount is going to be different, as long as your form tool supports passing the total to the success page url. We know you can definitely do this with JotForm and Gravity Forms but most form builder tools should have this capability.

    Here is a demo JotForm form that shows you exactly how the flow would work for customers when you want to offer a payment plan using JotForm and Paythen.

                     

    Your customers will fill out the form in your form tool, click on the CONTINUE button, and be shown their own custom payment plan page to complete their payment and begin their payment plan. You can even add optional additional admin fees if you prefer.

    To create a similar set up and offer payment plans using your JotForm form (or other form builder), these are the steps. We'll use JotForm as an example below but this works with most form builders:

    1. Create your free Paythen account
    2. Create a template in Paythen by following these steps, then copy the template link
    3. Go to your JotForm dashboard and create your form with all the fields you want
    4. Open the form settings page where you can edit the behaviour of the form after submission
    5. Choose the "Redirect to an external link after submission" option and in the url box, paste in your Paythen template link which will be like this: https://app.paythen.co/template/jy76dxr
    6. Now add the following information after the template link:?plan_name={name} payment plan&price={totalamount}&name={name}&email={email}So once you are done, the full URL field will look like this: https://app.paythen.co/template/jy76dxr?plan_name={name} payment plan&price={totalamount}&name={name}&email={email}Noting that only plan_name and price are the two required fields. The reason we pass name and email is to make it simpler for your customers to not have to fill out their own name and email again on the payment page.The values in the curly brackets eg: {name} and {totalamount} come from your form. These actual values will vary based on the form builder you're using.
    7. You can complete the steps on this demo JotForm form to see how the flow will work for your customers.
    8. Specifically for JotForm, there is a hidden field here that gets the total amount from your form and passes that to the success URL. This uses the calculation widget field – you can read how that works here.

     

    If you're trying to set up a workflow with any form builder and Paythen, get in touch with us via the chat icon and we'll help you get this up and running.

  • 19. How can I easily split payments in 4 (or 8) using Stripe?
     

    Paythen makes it easy and painless to split payments in 2, 4, 8, 12, or any number of installments using your Stripe account. Create a Paythen payment plan, choose the number of split payments, whether you want these to be charged weekly, fortnightly, monthly or any other custom interval and get a link you can share with your customers or add to your eCommerce site in minutes.

    To get started, you just need to create your free trial account with Paythen, connect your existing (or new) Stripe account, and create a new plan link where you configure the number of split payments and a few other details. Our friendly support team is here to help in case you have any questions or get stuck anywhere.

    Paythen is a verified Stripe partner and is an easy-to-use tool designed to help you sell more with less hassle by offering split payment options to your customers. Split payments is a powerful way to improve your sales, reach more customers and improve your business.

  • 20. Does Shopify offer payment plans?
     

    Yes, Shopify does offer payment plans with its own solution – Shop Pay Installments. There is a catch though – it only works for eligible US based merchants using Shopify Payments and the Shop Pay payment method.

    And your customers also have to be eligible to use this method. If the cart amount is over $999, your customers have to complete a credit check and pay interest.

    If you are an eligible merchant and your customers are based in the US, then Shop Pay Installments is a great solution for payment plans on Shopify. However if you're based outside the US or just want more control over how your payment plans work and you sell to a broader audience, you can try Paythen Payment Plans for Shopify. Your customers choose the Payment plan option at checkout, then get an easy link via email to pay for their payment plan. You decide whether or not you want to add additional fees, how much to charge upfront vs. later, whether you want to charge weekly, monthly and over how long.

    An important distinction between Paythen and Buy Now Pay Later providers is that while you pay super low fees (2%) and have full control and flexibility over your payment plans and customer relationships, you get paid as your customers pays you, not upfront.

    You can read more about how Paythen's Shopify payment plans work here or see it in action on our Shopify Demo Store. Or ask us anything via the chat icon. We can help get this up and running on your store.

Key features

Paythen is designed to improve your customer payment experience and conversions while giving you powerful and simple features to understand and improve your business. Here are some of the key features, but the best way to see if it works for you is to try it with a free 7 day trial.

Easy payment plans

Offer your customers a buy now, pay later option set by you, to increase conversions and sales.

No-code, no-fuss setup

Once you connect your Stripe account, it takes under a minute to get started using Paythen.

Flexible plan types

Offer payment plans, pay your way plans where customers can choose, subscriptions or one-off payments.

Easy payment links

An easy to share payment link that works on any website and any device - matching your brand.

Flexible discount codes

Offer seasonal discounts & promotions with flexible discount codes that work on all plan types.

Integrate with other apps

Send Paythen data to over 6,000 other apps with our Zapier integration.

Automated reminders & emails

We automatically send handy reminders before payments & follow-ups if a payment fails.

Encourage early repayments

Offer customers on a payment plan an easy way to repay early at any time – increasing your cashflow.

Payment plans or subscriptions

End charges after a set number of payments or continue indefinitely. Choose what works for you

Change payment info easily

Your customers can change their card info anytime they want, with zero time spent by your team.

Customer summaries

Your customers want to know what they’ve paid, and how much they owe. Now they can.

Payment receipts

Reduce support time spent sending customers copies of their receipts. All receipts available to them 24 x 7.

Get powerful, simple insights

Useful, easy to understand reports at the company, product and customer level.

Custom branding

Easily change the colors and logos shown on customer facing pages and some emails.

Flexible billing intervals & more

Choose any billing interval you can think of, add a setup fee, trial period and lots more for each product.

We get paid when you do

With our simple, low 2% fee, we only get paid when you do. No fixed or hidden fees. No fees during your free trial either.

Many payment methods

Let your customers pay with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, plus region-specific cards like Discover & UnionPay.

We’re getting better every day

With regular updates based on your feedback, Paythen constantly gets better and more useful for you and your customers.

Try it free for 7 days.
No credit card required, ever.

We’ll ask you to connect your Stripe account or create a new one once you sign up. Paythen works with Stripe.