Some agencies prefer to handle everything themselves: adding customers, assigning plans, and sending payment links, without ever asking the customer to log into the platform.
This guide walks through that workflow using Stripe checkout sessions generated from the customer record inside the platform.
What you will need first
#Before you can generate checkout links, make sure the one-time Stripe setup is already complete.
Steps and details
- Connect your Stripe account in
Business -> Billing & Revenue -> Connect Stripe - Create at least one custom plan in
Business -> Billing & Revenue -> Custom Plans - Make sure the plan already has a Stripe price linked for monthly, yearly, or both billing cycles
Step 1: Add the customer to your platform
#Start by creating the customer record yourself so the customer exists in the platform before any checkout link is generated.
Steps and details
- Make sure you are in your agency sidebar: if a bar at the top says
You're ina customer, clickBack to Agency; if your sidebar shows theAgency/Customerswitcher, selectAgency - Click the
Add Customerbutton at the bottom of the left sidebar - Fill in the customer details
- Add
Full Name,Email AddressandBusiness Name. All three are required - If Stripe Tax is enabled, fill in the
Tax Informationsection:Countryis required, postal code is optional - Select a plan from the dropdown so the customer is tied to the subscription you want to sell
- Under
Account Access, leaveEmail login credentials to customerturned off - Click
Create Customer
Leaving the login-credentials toggle off is the key step. The customer will not receive a login invitation.
Step 2: Generate a checkout link
#After creating the customer, you land on the Manage Customer page. Scroll to the Stripe Information section, then look for the Checkout Sessions area below it.
Steps and details
Use the Plan to bill dropdown to pick which plan to charge them for. It defaults to their assigned plan. The Monthly and Yearly options below depend on which Stripe prices the selected plan has.
Monthly Subscriptionappears if the plan has a monthly Stripe priceYearly Subscriptionappears if the plan has a yearly Stripe price- Click
Generate Sessionnext to the option you want - Copy the generated Stripe Checkout link from the text field
- Send the link however you want, such as email, WhatsApp, or text message
The customer goes straight to Stripe-hosted checkout. No login or account setup is required on their side.
Important things to know
#Checkout links expire after 24 hours, so use Regenerate if the customer does not complete checkout in time
Steps and details
- Trial periods are included automatically if the assigned plan has a trial configured
- If
Stripe Taxis enabled in the platform, checkout calculates and collects tax automatically based on customer location - You can generate both monthly and yearly links for the same customer when the plan supports both
- After the customer pays, the subscription appears on the
Manage Customerpage underStripe Information
What if a customer is on a trial and has not added a payment method?
#If the customer was created with a trial period, they can show as on trial in the platform before a payment method is on file.
Steps and details
In that case, the Checkout Sessions area adapts and shows an Add Payment Method option instead of creating a new subscription.
Generate that link and send it to the customer so Stripe can collect their card details before the trial ends.
Managing the customer going forward
#Everything you need stays on the Manage Customer page after the subscription is live.
Steps and details
- Switch their plan from the plan section
- Cancel with the
Cancel Subscriptionbutton, choosing immediate or end-of-period. Pausing is only available for customers on non-Stripe plans. - Use
Sync Subscriptionif anything looks out of sync with Stripe - Review payment method, subscription dates, and current status in the Stripe details section
- Find all customers later under
Business -> Customers -> Manage Customersin the left sidebar