Frequently asked questions
I don't know what Stripe is. Do I have to learn it?
Not in depth. Stripe processes card payments, subscriptions and payouts to your bank. In TrainerStudio you work with products, billing plans, transactions and checkout links.
You will need to open Stripe for things like identity verification, payouts, disputes or exact financial details.
Do I have to create my products in Stripe?
No. Create your products in TrainerStudio. When a card payment is needed, TrainerStudio creates or uses the necessary references in Stripe.
Keep the catalog in TrainerStudio, because that is where your clients, transactions and metrics live.
In the current version you do need to connect Stripe to create products, billing plans and discounts from Business. Once it is connected, you build the catalog from TrainerStudio.
What is the difference between a product and a billing plan?
The product is what you sell. The billing plan is how it is paid.
Online coaching can be the product. 149 EUR per month and 399 EUR per quarter would be two different billing plans.
What is the difference between a transaction and a subscription?
A transaction is any money coming in that you record, whether or not it is linked to a product. A subscription is a transaction charged on a recurring basis and is always linked to a catalog product.
Subscriptions have their own view in Business -> Subscriptions because you usually want to review them by client, current fee and next charge. The purchase also exists as a transaction, but the subscriptions view is more convenient for managing recurring clients.
Can I record income without a product?
Yes. In Transactions -> Register transaction, switch the type to Standalone entry and enter a free-text concept, an amount and the currency. It does not give access to any product, but it is logged in the table.
It is useful for gift vouchers, one-off payments outside your catalog, partial refunds or past income you want to document.
Can I record a transaction with a past date?
Yes. When you register a manual transaction, the dialog includes a Date and time field. By default it is now, but you can change it to reflect when the money actually came in.
Transactions are sorted by that date in the table, so recording past dates keeps your monthly metrics properly organized.
Why doesn't the payment link open automatically?
Because the link is usually for the client, not for you. TrainerStudio creates it and lets you copy it to send by WhatsApp, email, chat or whatever channel you use.
If you want to check it, you can also open it.
Can I charge by Bizum or bank transfer?
Yes. Record those payments as manual transactions. They will not move money inside TrainerStudio or in Stripe, but they will be documented.
This matters if you want your transactions to reflect your real business, not just what goes through Stripe.
If the payment matches a catalog product, link it to that product and billing plan. If it does not match anything, use the Standalone entry mode.
Does a manual payment create automatic charges?
No. A manual payment is just a record.
If you want a card to be charged automatically every month, you need to sell with a recurring plan through Stripe.
If you want to track a recurring fee you collect by Bizum, bank transfer or cash, create a manual subscription. It will not collect money automatically, but it lets you track the current cycle and pending payments.
Can I change prices?
Yes, but if a price has already been used with clients, create a new billing plan.
That way older transactions keep their original price and new ones use the updated price.
Where do I see the money that reaches my bank?
In Stripe settings.
TrainerStudio summarizes transactions and statuses. Stripe shows payouts, financial movements, fees, disputes and bank details.
What do I do if Stripe asks for documents?
Complete them in Stripe's onboarding. It is part of the verification process. Until Stripe approves or unblocks the account, it may limit payments or payouts.
What do I do if a client does not pay the link?
Check the transaction in Transactions. It may be pending because the client did not finish checkout. You can resend the link, contact the client or create a new transaction if the situation has changed.
What do I do if a subscription fails?
Look at the issue in TrainerStudio. If you need to know why the card failed, review an invoice or see retries, open Stripe settings.
You will usually need to ask the client to update their payment method.