#stevec0583-account-support
maiden joltBOT
@coral terrace :question: Have a non-technical question, account issue, or need one-on-one support? We wish we could help, but this community is focused on developers and technical discussions. Our support team will be able to assist you better than we can: https://support.stripe.com/contact
coral terrace
Unfortunately stripe support will take 45m-1 hour to tell me what a random layperson could tell me, which is "it could be flagged as suspicious". Account support won't have any nuanced understanding of how fraud detection works. I had this same question on previous apps: how does a developer test on real payments? There's no way given by stripe. It would be really helpful if Stripe provided a solution. I've read other (Pieter Levels) just use their own card and risk it. I'd prefer not have that risk tbh.
Anyway, there's no way for devs to tell if the live version works, without using a real card and real payment, Stripe should tell us how to do that.
At least a best practice. OR assurance that using our own card won't trigger a fraud alert on the account.
I hate the ambiguity and risk.
Anyway, my only option for now is to just risk it.
Please introduce a best practice cause this was a problem 2-3 years ago too.
Or at least document what devs should do.
molten jacinth
The test cards and test data in test mode is meant for testing purpose and simulate the live behaviours. For live mode, live testing may be treated as fraud as Stripe takes fraud seriously. Please note that live testing in live mode is against the Stripe Service Agreements.
https://stripe.com/docs/testing:
The Stripe Services Agreement prohibits testing in live mode using real payment method details.
coral terrace
Yep I know and we've done that. The problem is the live environment is different to test. Everything works in test, but I want to test it in live mode now
The reason I know live is different is because the first customer who started onboarding, I (platform owner) had to go and verify things with stripe). In other words, everything worked perfectly in test mode, and failed miserably in live mode.
If the two were identical I could trust live mode to work. But it is most definitly not identical. So I want to check that it works in live mode.
I think I just have to risk it. I am stuck between two poor options: 1. Test on actual customers. 2. Test on my own accounts and risk a stripe account flag. Both absolutely suck!
Anyway it's been 25 mins and I'm no closer to an answer, so it's almost as slow as if I had have asked the non-tech support.
I hope this feedback can be provided to your DX team. Devs don't wanna take stupid risks, nor do we like unexpected surprises on the way to the airport so the business owner has to upload documents to get things working. That should be known about and sorted out well in advance.
molten jacinth
Thanks for sharing the feedback. We will pass on the feedback to the team
coral terrace
I asked chatGPT:
User
I've already read the docs and things work in test mode.
ChatGPT
Great! Since you've already read the documentation and confirmed that your app works in test mode, the next steps involve cautiously testing with real transactions. Here's how you can proceed:
Inform Stripe: Before conducting real transactions, consider informing Stripe of your testing intentions. This can be done through their customer support. Explain that you will be conducting a few real transactions to ensure that everything works smoothly from end to end.
Use Small Amounts: For your initial real transactions, use small amounts. This minimizes the risks and is less likely to trigger fraud detection systems.
Use a Different Credit Card: If possible, use a credit card that is not directly linked to you for the customer side of the transaction. This can help avoid the appearance of a self-payment loop.
Monitor the Transactions: Keep a close eye on the transactions. Ensure they go through as expected and check for any notifications or flags from Stripe.
Document Everything: Keep detailed records of your test transactions, including amounts, dates, and the purpose of each transaction. This documentation can be valuable if you need to explain the transactions to Stripe or your bank.
Evaluate and Adjust: After conducting a few real transactions, evaluate the process. If everything goes smoothly, you can feel more confident about onboarding real customers. If there are issues, adjust your setup accordingly.
Proceed with Real Customers: Once you are satisfied with the testing, start onboarding real customers. Since you've thoroughly tested the system, this should go more smoothly.
It gave a more useful answer 😛
It says inform stripe and record everything you do. At least that's some practical advice, and it gave it in 20 seconds.
Much more helpful than Stripe support and much faster too.
I didn't think to use small amounts as ChatGPT suggests (although I probably would have done that anyway), but that is useful.