Stripe adds a Pay Now button to every Xero invoice. Your client clicks it, pays by card, and the money is in your account — no BACS setup, no transfer delays, no chasing.
What Is Stripe
Stripe connects to Xero and adds online payment capability to every invoice you send. It removes the friction between your client wanting to pay and the payment actually arriving.
Stripe adds a payment link to every Xero invoice automatically. Clients see a Pay Now button and can pay by credit card, debit card, or bank transfer immediately — without setting up a payee in their banking app.
When a Stripe payment is received, Xero is updated automatically — the invoice is marked as paid and the payment is reconciled against the correct bank transaction. No manual matching.
Set up recurring billing for retainer clients in Stripe. Monthly payments are collected automatically on the due date. No invoice chasing, no manual collection, no client forgetting to pay.
Clients in the US, Europe, or anywhere internationally can pay by card in their local currency. Stripe handles the conversion. You receive GBP. No postal cheques, no wire transfer delays.
See all payment activity — what has been paid, what is pending, what has failed — in Stripe's dashboard. Integrated with your Xero AR data for a complete picture of outstanding receivables.
Stripe Radar uses machine learning to detect and block fraudulent transactions automatically. Enterprise-grade fraud prevention available to every UK SME with no additional configuration.
Why Stripe
Stripe has become the default payment infrastructure for UK businesses that want to get paid faster. Here is what makes it the right choice.
Why it wins against waiting for BACS: A client who wants to pay a BACS invoice has to log in to their banking app, find the pay section, add a new payee with sort code and account number, enter the reference, and wait 1–3 business days for the transfer to arrive. A client paying by Stripe clicks one button and the money arrives the same or next business day. The friction reduction alone changes behaviour.
What You Can Do With It
Stripe does more than add a payment button. Here is the full range of what it enables in a properly configured Xero setup.
Stripe connects to Xero and adds a Pay Now button to every invoice automatically. No manual setup per invoice. Every invoice you send from Xero includes a direct payment link from the moment you enable it.
Clients can pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or direct bank debit. The more payment options available, the more likely a client pays immediately rather than deferring.
For clients on monthly retainers, Stripe can collect payment automatically on the same date every month. The client authorises once, payments are collected without any action from either party.
US and international clients pay by card in their local currency. No postal cheques, no wire transfers, no unpredictable settlement times. Stripe converts to GBP and remits to your UK bank account.
When a Stripe payment is received, Xero is updated automatically — invoice marked paid, payment recorded, bank reconciliation matched. Zero manual work in Xero after a Stripe payment.
If a client's card payment fails, Stripe automatically retries at intelligent intervals rather than requiring manual follow-up. Failed payment notifications are sent to the client automatically.
Better Together
Stripe is the collection end of the cash cycle. Here is how it connects to the rest of the Fintelwise stack.
Xero raises the invoice. Stripe adds the payment link. The client pays immediately. Xero reconciles automatically. The full invoice-to-cash cycle in one connected flow.
ApprovalMax ensures invoices only go out after the right internal sign-off. Stripe ensures payment is collected immediately when they do. No premature invoices and no slow collection.
Stripe collects from clients globally in their local currency. Airwallex pays suppliers globally in their local currency. Both sides of the international cash cycle handled.
Fathom reads Stripe payment data via Xero to produce accurate cash flow forecasts. Expected payment dates reflect actual Stripe collection patterns rather than theoretical payment terms.
Who Benefits Most
Any B2B service business with outstanding invoices benefits from Stripe. These industries see the highest impact on payment speed.
High invoice volume, clients slow to pay via BACS. Stripe payment links on placement invoices transform collection speed. US clients can pay by card rather than posting cheques.
Monthly retainer billing automated via Stripe recurring. Project invoices collected on delivery rather than 30 days after. Cash flow normalised.
Matter invoices with payment links. Clients pay on delivery of advice rather than deferring. Disbursements collected with card payment option.
Project milestone payments, retainer collection, international client payments. Stripe handles all three payment patterns in one integration.
Monthly service fees, project invoices, licence fees. Recurring billing for SaaS-style revenue. International clients paying in USD or EUR.
Stage payments on larger projects with payment links. Final account invoices with immediate card payment option. Reduces late payment significantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Stripe has a native Xero integration. When connected, Stripe adds a Pay Now payment link to every Xero invoice automatically. Payments received via Stripe are reconciled in Xero automatically — the invoice is marked paid and the payment is matched to the bank transaction.
Stripe charges a percentage fee per transaction — typically 1.4% + 20p for European cards and 2.9% + 30p for non-European cards in the UK. There are no monthly fees or setup costs. Current UK pricing is available at stripe.com/gb/pricing. Fintelwise does not resell Stripe licences.
Stripe removes the payment friction that causes slow collection. Rather than waiting for a client to set up a BACS transfer, they click a button on the invoice and pay immediately by card. The money typically arrives in your Stripe account within 2 business days and transfers to your bank account on a regular schedule.
Yes. Stripe Billing handles recurring payment collection. Retainer clients authorise their card once and payments are collected automatically on the same date each month. This eliminates the manual invoicing and chasing cycle for recurring revenue.
Yes. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment security certification. Card details are never stored on your systems. Stripe Radar uses machine learning to detect and block fraudulent transactions automatically.
Most businesses see measurable improvement in payment speed within the first invoicing cycle after implementation. Clients who previously took 30–45 days via BACS typically pay within 2–5 days when a Stripe payment link is available.
Book a free 30-minute scoping call. We will map your current collection process and show you what a Stripe implementation looks like alongside your existing Xero setup.
