#Durrell - Issuing + application fees
mossy crow
I don't believe this is possible but I'm double checking
frigid root
ok
vapid sonnet
Hello! Question about what you're trying to do: are you using top-ups to fund the purchases made on the connected accounts?
Like are you doing this? https://stripe.com/docs/issuing/funding/connect#top-up-connected-account
frigid root
yes, that's what we are doing
vapid sonnet
What I would recommend is holding back the fees you want to charge from the next top-up.
frigid root
Is there something like an application_fee_amount that we could add to the Topup when we create it? I can see how we could record how much money we would like to charge, but it's not clear to me how we would get that money from their Source that's funding the Topup.
vapid sonnet
No, but you could note the amount in the Top-up's metadata: https://stripe.com/docs/api/topups/create#create_topup-metadata
frigid root
We listen for the issuing_transaction.created event to know whenever a card was charged right?
vapid sonnet
Yep, that fires whenever an Issuing transaction is created.
frigid root
and the issuing_authorization.created event is what will fire before that so we have a chance to authorize the charge before it actually happens.
correct?
vapid sonnet
Not exactly. issuing_authorization.created will fire when authorizations are created, but if you want the ability to run your own logic to approve or decline them that's not the event you want. Instead you would use issuing_authorization.request as documented here: https://stripe.com/docs/issuing/purchases/authorizations
frigid root
so we can record how many times a card was charged with this event: issuing_transaction.created and then we can run up a total. It's not clear to me how storing that total in the metadata of the Topup will end up charging the customer though. It seems like we would have to charge the customer ourselves via an additional expense to their subscription to our service or something.
vapid sonnet
You're correct, adding that info in the metadata won't do anything. What I was suggesting above is that you hold back the fee you want to charge from your top-up. There is no way to charge an application fee per transaction with Issuing.
For example, let's say a connected account racks up $10 worth of fees, and your next planned top-up for them is $100. Instead of sending them the $100, you send them $90 and keep the remaining $10 as your fee. You can note the details in the metadata if you wish to keep track, but the metadata has no functional purpose on Stripe's end.
If that doesn't make sense happy to explain further, just let me know!
frigid root
I see what you are saying. The Source of the Topup is their bank though. Not ours. So I think we just need to charge them the extra $10 and let them fund their Stripe account with as much as they want from their bank.
vapid sonnet
Ah, gotcha. In that case, yeah, you would need to charge them.
What type of connected account is it?
Standard?
frigid root
Custom
vapid sonnet
Ah, okay, this may help: https://stripe.com/docs/connect/account-debits
knotty gull
but you can't debit the issuing balance
frigid root
I'm looking at the balance object. https://stripe.com/docs/api/balance
Which balance can we debit? The available amount balance only? The connect_reserved amount?
knotty gull
just the available which comes from payments
so that just won't work I assume in your flow
vapid sonnet
It won't fall back to debiting their external account if the available balance is zero?
frigid root
Their only balance that will have an amount will be the issuing balance. ya I read, "if the connected account balance becomes negative, Stripe may auto debit the external account on file"
They will have an external account. So can we just assume that Stripe will debit that account then?
knotty gull
maybe, but I really don't get why you'd want that
frigid root
Is there any other way besides keeping track of how much we would like to charge them and then adding that amount to their subscription to our service?
vapid sonnet
There's no other way I know of. @knotty gull do you have any other thoughts?
knotty gull
I don't understand the business model at all right now so not really. But if you already have a subscription that you charge them weekly or monthly then it makes sense to add to that yes
frigid root
ok. You two have been very helpful. I really appreciate it.