Website checklist
Make sure your website aligns with card network standards and e-commerce best practices.
This page contains a list of the common elements—such as accurate product descriptions, clear policies, and proper security features—that each business on Stripe should address on its website. Adhering to these recommendations reduces the risk of customer confusion and disputes. It also helps you meet Stripe’s standards and the standards set by the credit card networks.
Our Stripe Shop Terms of Use are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To ensure compliance with card network rules, feel free to use the Stripe Shop Terms as a starting point as you build your site.
Besides only listing the name of the product or service, you can help customers with their purchasing decision by providing detailed text descriptions of what you’re selling. For physical goods, include multiple pictures and information about material, colors, and other details. This is also an important measure to protect against potential disputes: setting the right expectations up front gives your customers a clear idea of what they get for their money.
If we review your website and find that it isn’t clear what you’re selling, we may contact you with recommendations for improving the description.
To support international purchasers, clearly display the currency associated with the prices on your site. Listing only the currency symbol may not be enough, so be as explicit as possible when showing prices.
Make sure your customers can find multiple contact methods on your site, including direct communication channels, such as email addresses, phone numbers, and live chat (something besides contact forms). Low-friction communication is key to providing a good customer experience and heading off misunderstandings early on, helping to avoid disputes.
If we review your website and can’t find a clear way to contact you, we may ask that you add some contact options to the site.
For most businesses, you must clearly explain your order fulfillment policies to your customers. Some examples of policies required for many businesses include:
- Refund policy: Describe the conditions under which customers can receive a refund.
- Shipping or delivery policy: Describe shipping methods, times, and rates, as well as eligible destinations.
- Return policy and process: Describe the conditions under which customers can return purchased goods and the return process.
- Cancellation policy: Describe the conditions under which customers can cancel subscriptions or reservations.
Note
Businesses that have no fulfillment process, such as those that only offer in-person services or that only process charitable donations, don’t have to include fulfillment policies.
Communicating clear and fair fulfillment policies builds customer trust and can protect you against disputes. If your website doesn’t include sufficient information about your fulfillment policies, we might request that you add it. If you aren’t sure what information you need to add, or you want us to review updates that you’ve made in response to our request, contact Stripe Support.
Certain products and services are subject to restrictions. Properly disclosing any applicable restrictions and how they may impact your customers helps build trust with them.
Consumer data privacy is now a priority for legislation and governments around the world. Clearly explaining your website’s privacy policy helps you both comply with privacy laws and helps your customers understand how their data is protected, used, or disclosed.
If you have a physical address, listing it on your website adds credibility for your business.
Clearly disclose the conditions of any promotion, discount, or trial that you offer to customers. Display a link or disclaimer text so that it’s visible when customers agree to participate. Transparency around these conditions can help avoid confusion and disputes.
Make sure that your customers know that you comply with the PCI standards. You can learn more about what PCI compliance means for Stripe by reading about integration security. Ensure that your website (especially your payment form) uses HTTPS and other security best practices and is not susceptible to card testing. You must also explain that your customer’s payment information is handled safely when doing business with you.
You can reduce friction in the checkout process by displaying the brand logos of the credit cards that you accept, making it clear to customers that you accept their preferred card.
Card network policies 
These guidelines are based on the rules published by the card networks. As an online merchant, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you’re compliant with these rules, including the Visa Rules and Regulations, the Mastercard Rules, the American Express Merchant Operating Guide, and the Discover Network Rules (please contact Discover for a copy).