> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://fayneos.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set Pricing and Accept Payments in Your Academy

> Offer courses for free or with a one-time price. Connect Stripe to receive payments directly in your own account.

Fayne uses Stripe Connect to handle payments. When a student buys a course, the money goes directly into your Stripe account. You connect your own Stripe account once, set a price on the courses you want to sell, and start accepting payments. Fayne charges a small platform fee per sale depending on your plan (see [Platform fees](#platform-fees) below).

## Connect your Stripe account

Before you can accept payments, you need to connect a Stripe account. In your owner dashboard, go to **Settings > Payments** and click **Connect Stripe**. You are redirected to Stripe to authorize the connection to your existing Stripe account. Once you approve, you are returned to your dashboard and your account is linked.

<Note>
  Connecting Stripe requires a paid plan (Pro or Scale); free and trial academies cannot connect Stripe. You need a connected Stripe account to sell paid courses, so if all of your courses are free, you can skip the Stripe connection.
</Note>

## How course pricing works

Pricing in Fayne is set per course. Each course is either free or has a one-time price.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Free courses" icon="gift">
    Set a course to free and students enroll without a payment step. No Stripe connection is required for free courses. Good for lead magnets, client value-adds, or an introductory course that leads into your paid ones.
  </Card>

  <Card title="One-time price" icon="credit-card">
    Give a course a price and students pay once through Stripe Checkout to get permanent access. Prices are stored in cents (for example, 4900 means $49.00) and start at a $1 minimum.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

You set a course's price in that course's **Access** settings. You can mix free and paid courses in the same academy, so a free "Getting Started" course can sit alongside a paid flagship course.

<Note>
  Course pricing controls what a course costs. Who can join your academy in the first place is a separate setting: in **Settings**, your academy access model is either **Open** (anyone can sign up) or **Invite only** (students join by invitation). See [Managing students](/students/managing-students) for invitations.
</Note>

## How checkout works for students

When a student buys a paid course, they go through Stripe Checkout, a payment page hosted by Stripe. After payment, they are redirected back to your academy and their enrollment is activated immediately.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Stripe Checkout" icon="credit-card">
    Stripe's hosted checkout handles card validation, 3D Secure, and international payments. You do not need to build or maintain a payment form.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Direct to your account" icon="arrow-down-right">
    Charges are made directly on your connected Stripe account, so payouts and customer records live in your own Stripe dashboard.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Platform fees

Payments go directly to your Stripe account, and Fayne takes an application fee on each paid sale based on your plan:

| Plan  | Fayne fee per sale |
| ----- | ------------------ |
| Pro   | 3%                 |
| Scale | 0%                 |

Stripe's own processing fees apply separately and are set by Stripe. Your Stripe dashboard is the source of truth for gross sales, fees, and payouts.

## Revenue and reporting

Your owner dashboard shows your revenue under **Sales** and **Insights**: gross sales, your net after fees, refunds, a revenue-over-time chart, and a per-course breakdown for the period you select. For full transaction history, disputes, and payout schedules, open your Stripe dashboard.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I change a course's price after launch?">
    Yes. Update the price in the course's Access settings at any time. Students who have already purchased the course keep their access; a price change only affects new purchases.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Fayne take a percentage of my revenue?">
    Yes. Payments go directly to your Stripe account, and Fayne deducts an application fee per sale: 3% on Pro, and 0% on Scale. Stripe's processing fees are separate.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I make a paid course free later?">
    Yes. Set the course back to free in its Access settings. New students enroll without paying. Existing purchasers are unaffected.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>