Flexilay schedules payments; it doesn't move money on its own. Every payment a customer makes flows through Stripe, straight to the merchant. That single design choice shapes how the whole system works — and it's why Flexilay can offer flexible payments without ever becoming a lender or holding customer funds.
Here's how the integration fits together.
Cards stay with Stripe
When a customer starts a plan, their card details go directly to Stripe and are stored as a secure, reusable payment method. Flexilay never sees or stores full card numbers or CVV codes — we keep a reference to the payment method, not the card itself. Stripe handles the PCI-compliant heavy lifting.
Schedules drive collection
A Flexilay plan is, at its core, a schedule: a set of amounts and due dates. On each due date, Flexilay asks Stripe to charge the saved payment method for that instalment. The merchant decides the rules — weekly, fortnightly or monthly, deposits, instalment counts — and Flexilay turns those into the right sequence of charges.
Failures are handled gracefully
Cards expire and payments occasionally fail. When that happens, Flexilay:
- Marks the instalment as pending rather than complete,
- Retries on a sensible cadence instead of giving up, and
- Surfaces the status to both the merchant dashboard and the customer's portal so it can be resolved quickly.
Because nothing is advanced up front, a failed payment never leaves the merchant out of pocket.
Money goes to the merchant, not to us
This is the important part: funds settle into the merchant's connected Stripe account, not a Flexilay-held balance. Flexilay orchestrates when charges happen and tracks plan progress; Stripe handles the actual movement and settlement of money.
That's what keeps Flexilay firmly on the right side of the line — it's payment scheduling, not lending or money handling (more on that distinction in why Flexilay isn't BNPL).
Control until completion
Throughout the plan, the merchant stays in control. The order isn't released — or the invoice isn't marked settled — until the schedule is complete. Stripe confirms each payment; Flexilay tracks the plan to the finish line and signals when it's done.
Why it matters
Building on Stripe means Flexilay inherits bank-grade security, broad card support and reliable settlement, while staying lightweight and lender-free. Merchants get flexible payments that "just work," and customers pay safely over time.
See the full flow on how Flexilay works, check pricing, or sign up to connect your store.