Does Ko-Fi Accept Venmo?
No, Ko-fi doesn’t accept Venmo as a payment method. In its Help Portal, Ko-fi states that “all payments are made directly between supporters and creators using either PayPal or Stripe.”
With that in mind, you may wonder why it doesn’t accept Venmo donations and if you should be using Ko-fi. Also, if you do, should you switch to Paypal, and does Ko-fi show it? What about Stripe?
Finally, does Ko-fi take a cut? Keep reading to find out!
READ: Venmo OAuth Access Token: How to Request an OAuth Access Token?
Venmo as a Crowdfunding Payment Method
Why is it that many crowdfunding services, like Ko-fi, don’t list Venmo as a payment method, you may ask. For one, Venmo is inherently an app to pay and request money from friends and people you know.
Although it has some coverage policies, we wouldn’t say it’s the best for exchanging money with strangers. In addition, it’s only available in the U.S.
Not to mention, Venmo doesn’t integrate with creators’ Customer Relationship Management (CRM). To explain, CRM manages your contacts and transfers donor information to your database.
This way, you have the needed information to strengthen your relationship with your supporters. Without CRM, you’ll have to collect the data manually.
Last but not least, Venmo’s transaction limit means that fans may not be able to donate because they’ve reached their weekly transaction limit of $4,999.99 for person-to-person payments or $6,999.99 for authorized merchants payments.
Ko-fi Payment Methods
Instead of Venmo payments, Ko-fi accepts donations via its parent company, Paypal, and Stripe.
1. Paypal
When it comes to the first payment method, we urge you to use a business account so as not to share any personal information. That includes the legal name you used to register with and the email address you used to log into your Paypal account. So, you can add your “business name” and email address when you link to a business account.
Still, what can you do if you don’t have a business account or a Paypal account altogether? You can create a new account; just check that Paypal is available for your location. But if you have one, you can switch your personal account to a business one by following the instructions below.
- Log into Paypal
- Select “Settings”
- Choose “Upgrade to Business Account”
- Submit your business information
- Tap “Agree and Continue”
2. Stripe
Stripe is a good alternative if Paypal isn’t available in your country, as it supports credit cards and Apple Pay transactions.
Of course, you might want to know what information is available to your supporters. When they use Stripe to donate, they won’t see your personal information.
Instead, they’ll see the statement descriptor you’ve chosen, “the name for your business,” or the shortened descriptor (according to your Stripe account settings).
How Payment Works
Is Ko-fi anonymous? Also, does Ko-fi take a cut? Let’s take a look at the online service’s policies. As a direct payment platform, Ko-fi enables supporters to pay their favorite creators directly via the creators’ Stripe or Paypal accounts.
In other words, creators won’t have to wait for a payout because the money doesn’t go to Ko-fi before reaching them. Accordingly, the transparent service doesn’t take a cut or fee for the donations.
Moving on, donations and subscriptions aren’t anonymous. So, creators can access their supporters’ display names and email addresses when they donate to them. However, users can donate anonymously by logging out of their accounts and donating as guests.
In addition, creators can see their supporters’ addresses and contact information if they were to place a ko-fi shop order or commission. You can review the available information under Payments & Orders.
Conclusion
Are you wondering if there’s a Ko-Fi Venmo payment method? We’re here to tell you and walk you through all the payment methods that Ko-Fi accepts.
Are you an artist, writer, podcaster, or creator of any kind on Ko-fi? Perhaps you’re a fan of a ko-fi creator, and you’re looking to support them.
Either way, you’ll want to know if the online service is compatible with Venmo.
Ultimately, we understand why Ko-fi doesn’t accept Venmo payments. As a P2P digital wallet, it doesn’t provide users with some features that support crowdfunding.
Instead, Ko-fi offers Paypal and Stripe as payment methods, and it takes 0% of the money that supporters send to their favorite creators.
