Stripe Payment Flow Explained (Where Does the Money Go?) Most Stripe tutorials show how to take a payment. But they don’t explain the most important question: 👉 Where does the money actually go? Does it come to you first? Does it go to the client? When does it reach the bank? If you’re building SaaS, marketplaces, or client projects — this matters a lot. ✅ What You’ll Learn How Stripe payment flow actually works Who receives money first Difference between direct payments & platform payments How Stripe balance works When payouts happen 🧠 1. Basic Stripe Payment Flow Let’s start simple. When a customer pays using Stripe: Customer → Stripe → Your Stripe Account → Your Bank Account 🔍 Explanation Customer pays using card Payment goes to Stripe Stripe holds money in your Stripe balance Stripe sends money to your bank account (payout) 👉 Important: Money does NOT go directly to your bank instantly 💰 2. What is Stripe Balance? Think of Stripe like a wallet.…