Understanding Payments
Payments explains what happens to a payment, which values KALYIX shows, and why estimates and final Stripe values can differ.
Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
pending | The payment was prepared or is waiting for confirmation. |
paid | Stripe confirmed the payment. Alerts and rules can react to paid. |
failed | The payment failed, was canceled, or could not be completed. |
Only paid, pending, and failed are shown on the Payments page.
Real Values Vs. Estimate
Before payment, KALYIX can only estimate Stripe fees. The estimate uses the configured values for the selected payment method and calculates with the favorable base case.
After paid, KALYIX uses real values as soon as Stripe provides them through the payment and balance transaction. At that point, final Stripe data counts instead of the checkout estimate.
Why The Estimate Can Differ
Stripe fees do not only depend on the selected method. Card country, card type, currency, conversion, wallet handling, Connect setup, and additional Stripe rules can change the final value.
Card example:
| Situation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KALYIX estimate | Card payment is calculated with the configured base value, for example 1.5% + fixed amount. |
| International card | A card from another country can be more expensive than a local card. |
| Currency conversion | If Stripe converts currency, an additional fee can apply. |
| Result | The real Stripe fee can be higher than the estimate. The final creator amount can therefore be lower. |
Fee Coverage
Fee coverage means the viewer pays an estimated surcharge for fees in addition to the intended support amount.
This does not guarantee that the creator receives exactly the intended base amount. If the real Stripe fee is higher than estimated, the final amount can still be lower than the intended support amount.
Example:
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Viewer wants to support | 5.00 EUR |
| Method | Card |
| Fee coverage | Checkout amount is increased by the estimated fees. |
| Stripe final | Stripe charges more because of card type, card country, or conversion. |
| Final for creator | Can be below 5.00 EUR even though fee coverage was active. |
Connection To Checkout
Checkout first creates a payment intent and then loads Stripe. Changes to amount, payment method, or fee coverage create a different calculation. That is why Stripe must be prepared again in those cases.
The checkout flow is described in Understanding checkout. Common errors are listed in Payments help.