How do I connect Stripe so I can take payments from clients?

To accept payments from clients in Fitsly, open the Payments page, complete identity verification, then connect a Stripe account. You must do these steps in order, on a desktop browser, and on a paid Fitsly plan.

Steps

1. Open app.fitsly.com on a desktop browser and sign in to your coach account.
2. Click Payments in the left navigation. You land on the Overview tab. The same banners appear on the Packages, Payouts, and Subscriptions tabs, so any of them works.
3. In the yellow banner titled Verify your identity to start accepting payments, click Verify Identity. Fitsly redirects you to a Stripe Identity session.
4. Complete the Stripe Identity flow on the same device:
   • Upload either a driving licence or a passport.
   • Take a live selfie. Stripe checks that it matches your ID and that you're capturing it live (not uploading a saved photo).
5. You're returned to the Fitsly Payments page. The Identity banner shows Identity verification in progress while Stripe reviews — this usually takes a few seconds and the page polls automatically. When it finishes, the banner disappears.
6. The Connect to Stripe to start accepting payments banner now appears. Click Connect to Stripe. Fitsly creates a Stripe Express account and redirects you to Stripe's onboarding form.
7. Complete the Stripe onboarding form (business details, address, payout bank account, tax info as required for your country). When you finish, Stripe sends you back to Fitsly.
8. The Connect banner disappears once Stripe confirms your account is fully set up. You can now create packages and accept payments.

If you already have a Stripe account

You don't need to create a brand new Stripe account from scratch. Start the Connect to Stripe flow above and, when Stripe asks for your email address, use the same email that's on your existing Stripe account. Stripe recognises that email and will let you connect the existing account instead of building a new one.

If your Stripe account still needs more info

After you finish onboarding, Stripe sometimes flags additional requirements (for example, an extra ID document or business verification). When that happens, the banner changes to Stripe account requires additional information with a count of pending items, and the button becomes Complete Setup. Click it to return to Stripe and resolve them. You won't be able to charge clients until those requirements are cleared.

If you got partway through onboarding and didn't finish, the banner reads Complete your Stripe account setup with a Continue Setup button — click it to pick up where you left off.

About the identity verification

Identity verification is required for every coach who wants to accept payments. Fitsly is liable for the connected accounts on our platform, so this step is what protects both you and us from fraud.

The verification is run by Stripe Identity, a Stripe product. Fitsly never sees or stores your ID document, your selfie, or any of the biometric data — Stripe handles all of it on their own infrastructure. You can read Stripe's privacy details at https://stripe.com/identity.

The selfie has to be a live capture from a device camera, not a previously saved photo. If you started on a device without a camera and got stuck, switch to a phone or laptop with a working camera and click Verify Identity again.

If verification fails

If Stripe rejects your verification (wrong document type, blurry photo, ID mismatch), the banner changes to Identity verification failed and may show the specific reason Stripe gave. Click Try Again, recapture with valid info, and resubmit. There's no limit on retries.

If you're on a free trial

You can't start either flow on a free trial. Both Verify Identity and Connect to Stripe require a paid Fitsly subscription. Clicking either button on a trial shows a toast asking you to upgrade first. Upgrade your plan from Settings → Subscription, then come back to Payments to continue.

Things to watch out for

• The order matters. The Connect to Stripe button is hidden until identity verification is complete — there's no way to skip ahead.
• Both steps require a paid Fitsly plan. Free trials cannot connect Stripe.
• You'll need a device with a working camera for the selfie + live capture step.
• Acceptable ID documents are driving licence or passport only.
• Payouts run on a manual schedule. After clients pay you, the funds sit in your Fitsly Stripe balance until you request a payout from the Payouts tab — they don't auto-deposit.
• The "biometric data" prompt that appears during Stripe Identity is Stripe's selfie + liveness check, not Fitsly collecting personal data. Fitsly never receives or stores your ID or selfie.
• All of this needs to happen on a desktop browser. The Stripe onboarding redirects don't work cleanly through the coach mobile app's webview.