This article explains what connecting a Stripe account lets Swap do, whether you need to connect your own, and how to do it.
ℹ️ This article covers Returns V2.
Why Swap needs Stripe
Some return outcomes involve taking money from the customer rather than giving it back. Swap uses Stripe for those:
Instant Exchanges, where the replacement item ships before the return arrives, secured by a temporary hold on the customer's card
Exchanges that cost more than the original item, where the customer pays the difference
⚠️ Instant Exchanges cannot be enabled without a Stripe connection. If no Stripe account is available, the setting is unavailable and the dashboard shows a link to add one.
Do you need to connect your own account?
Not necessarily. Swap has its own Stripe account, which is used by default when you haven't connected one of your own. Connecting your own account means the transactions sit in your Stripe dashboard alongside the rest of your payments.
One difference worth knowing before you decide: the $1 hold option for Instant Exchanges is only available on your own Stripe account. On Swap's account, the hold is always the full value of the return items.
How to connect your Stripe account
You'll need a Stripe account first. If you don't have one, create one on Stripe's website. Stripe's own documentation covers the account setup and verification steps: Set up your account.
In the Swap dashboard, go to Returns → Integrations
Find Stripe in the Apps panel
Click Connect
Confirm the redirect when prompted
Sign in to Stripe and authorise the connection
You're returned to the Integrations page, where Stripe now shows as connected
The connection uses Stripe Connect, so Swap never handles your Stripe credentials.
Disconnecting
Go to Returns → Integrations, find Stripe, and choose Disconnect. Swap reverts to its own Stripe account for new transactions.
Settings that depend on the connection
Once Stripe is connected, these become configurable in your Instant Exchange settings.
Hold amount — one of:
The equivalent of $1 USD, a nominal hold to verify the card. Only available on your own Stripe account.
The full value of the return items. This is the default.
When the card is charged — the customer is charged if the return has not reached a chosen shipping status within a set number of days of submission:
Status: In transit or Delivered. In transit is the default.
Window: between 7 and 28 days, default 14.
💡 Card holds last 7 days. Where your charge window is longer than the hold, the hold expires and the charge is taken as a fresh payment attempt rather than against the original authorisation.
Seeing Stripe activity on a return
The payment method used is recorded on the RMA, with a link through to the matching transaction in Stripe. Use that rather than searching Stripe by amount, which is unreliable when several returns are processed together.
For finding your way around the Stripe side, see Stripe's Web Dashboard documentation.
Stripe's fees
Stripe applies its own transaction fees, which are set by Stripe and not by Swap. Check Stripe's pricing page for current rates.