Making changes in Stripe: what it means for your Flodesk data

With Stripe Standard, you have full access to your Stripe dashboard, including the ability to edit subscription details, payment plan schedules, pricing, and more. That's a lot of flexibility, and for most things, it's great.

But it's worth noting that Flodesk and Stripe stay in sync when changes are made through Flodesk. When you make changes directly in Stripe, Flodesk may not be notified of all updates, and your dashboard may not reflect those changes. This can create a disconnect between what Stripe is actually processing and what you see in Flodesk.

This article covers the most common situations where that disconnect can happen, and what to do instead.

What Stripe lets you do: Edit the subscription price, change the billing interval, cancel a subscription immediately or at period end, and apply or remove coupons directly in the Stripe dashboard.

What happens in Flodesk: Flodesk will continue to display the original subscription details: the price, interval, and status that were set at the time of purchase. If a subscriber's price is updated in Stripe, Flodesk won't reflect the new amount.

What to do instead: Make subscription changes from within Flodesk where possible. For cancellations, you can cancel a customer's subscription from the Customers tab in Flodesk, which keeps both systems in sync. If you need to make a change that isn't supported in Flodesk yet, be aware that Flodesk data may not match what Stripe processes.

What Stripe lets you do: Payment plans appear in Stripe as subscriptions with an invoice schedule. Technically, you can edit the schedule, adjust installment amounts, or cancel the subscription directly from Stripe.

What happens in Flodesk: Flodesk tracks the original payment plan schedule set at checkout. Editing the installment structure in Stripe will cause Flodesk to display outdated or incorrect payment details. The Upcoming Payments figure in your Checkout analytics may no longer be accurate.

What to do instead: To cancel or refund a payment plan, do so in Stripe, this is currently the only supported path. However, avoid editing the installment amounts or schedule in Stripe, as this will create a data mismatch that can't be resolved in Flodesk.

What Stripe lets you do: Apply or remove coupons from existing subscriptions directly in Stripe.

What happens in Flodesk: Discounts applied or removed in Stripe won't be recognized by Flodesk. If a coupon is added to an existing subscription in Stripe, Flodesk will still show the original price.

What to do instead: Manage discount codes through the Discounts tab in your Flodesk Checkout builder. Discounts created and applied there are tracked correctly across both platforms.

What Stripe lets you do: Update a customer's email address, name, or payment method in Stripe.

What happens in Flodesk: Changes to customer details made in Stripe don't sync back to Flodesk. A subscriber's contact record in your Flodesk Audience will retain the original information they provided at checkout.

What to do instead: Direct members to update their payment method through the Customer Portal link in their original purchase confirmation email. 

Having full Stripe Standard access is genuinely useful. It's the right place to issue refunds, resolve payment disputes, access detailed transaction records, and manage payouts. The guidance above isn't about avoiding Stripe. It's about knowing which actions are safe to take there versus which ones are better handled in Flodesk to keep your data consistent.

If you're ever unsure, the general rule is: if it was set up in Flodesk, change it in Flodesk.