#bralaryea_connect-affiliate-integration
sharp hollyBOT
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slow grove
hi there, looking into your question now
the general recommendation for transferring funds to multiple connected accounts from a single charge is to use Separate Charges and Transfers
shrewd orchid
I see, we are actually doing this and it works but we want to make a change.
Basically, what we want to do is, say a customer pays $100, we want to send a percentage, maybe 5% to the platform and send the remaining 95% to the affiliate. We are currently using connected accounts to this, but we want the affiliate to also create a standard account. So we want to create a transaction charge that will send 5% to our platform's standard account and the remaining 95% to the affiliate's standalone standard account.
Is this possible?
@slow grove
slow grove
ah I see, no this is not possible to do. we don't allow "grandchild access" from a platform account
sharp hollyBOT
stoic forge
Hi there 👋 jumping in as my teammate needs to step away soon.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by a standalone standard account? If it's not connected to your Platform, you won't be able to send funds to it.
shrewd orchid
Yes, its not connected to our platform
stoic forge
Gotcha, you won't be able to send funds to it then. There has to be an association between the two accounts via Connect.
shrewd orchid
I see
stoic forge
Do you have a rough diagram of the account structure you had in mind? Maybe we can tweak it a bit
shrewd orchid
yes to a certain extent, once the affiliate provides their api keys, because they want the application to also trigger their payouts to their contractors once the booked jobs are completed
We trigger the creation of the connected accounts through the application as well, as part of the onboarding process of their contractors
stoic forge
Okay. This does sound like what we refer to as grandfathered-connect, where there is more than one level of association in the account hierarchy. It's, unfortunately, not something we offer currently. Like a single Platform can't take action for it's Connected Accounts' Connected Accounts.
But if the affiliate accounts are giving you their API keys, then I believe what you want is technically feasible to build. Though it would require turning the Fortiffi account into a Connect Platform, and associating each affiliate account with it.
shrewd orchid
Got it.
So Fortiffi will have to create a connect account under each affiliate account?
stoic forge
Oh, that would probably be a lot simpler
As long as it's not a problem to fragment your platform's payouts like that.
shrewd orchid
Interesting.... yeah that might become quick fragmented indeed.
digital nimbus
Hi 👋
I"m stepping in as my colleague needs to go soon
shrewd orchid
Hi @digital nimbus
digital nimbus
I think there is another approach you might consider here. We have a product called a Stripe App that you could develop and allow the Affiliates to install on their accounts.
When a standalone account installs your app, it provisions access from your account to theirs, similar to Connect. The major difference is that Stripe App permissions are very granular and allow you to only request the permissions you need.
What you are describing, with the Affiliate providing their API keys to you, sounds a lot like a "Stripe Plugin". Stripe Apps have a specific guide for migrating this approach to using Stripe Apps here.
I realize this requires spinning up on a newer feature of Stripe's that you might not be familiar with but I think it's worth spending some time reviewing the docs on Stripe Apps because it might be a better fit.
shrewd orchid
Got it!
I would need to use Fortiffi's platform account to develop this app I assume?
digital nimbus
Correct. Then, any Affiliate would install the app and that would provide you access. Then you could implement what looks to me like a Separate Charge & Transfers funds flow
One thing to carefully consider is how much access your integration would need for the Connected Accounts under the Affiliate.
The Stripe Apps permissions include some that extend to Connected Accounts under the Account that installs the app but they are limited. Most focus on setting Application Fees and making Transfers.
So far it seems to me like that would be sufficient but you know more about how you are planning your integration so I think you should make sure you validate whether these are enough permissions for your plan.