Payments · Info Products8 min readUpdated November 3, 2026

Does Stripe Allow Info Products and Online Courses?

Stripe doesn't name courses or coaching. Here are the exact lines that close info product accounts, the Affirm limits and what to set up first.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 11 sources

Article summary

Allowed, with conditions

TL;DR

Yes. Stripe's restricted list does not name online courses, coaching or ebooks, and Stripe supports the education MCC 8299. What Stripe prohibits is the promise around them: "get rich quick" schemes, fake or deceptive testimonials, high-pressure upselling and hidden-price memberships. Trading and investment coaching faces extra lines.

Stripe's US, UK, Australian and Indian lists contain no "course" or "coaching" line, only "Courses and information on cultivating marijuana" (read November 2, 2026).
Stripe prohibits "sites that promise fast and easy money" under its unfair and deceptive practices section.
Through Stripe, Affirm lists MCC 8299 Educational Services as "Restricted" and 7392 Consulting as "Prohibited" (read November 2, 2026); Afterpay restricts "education" and "Digital goods" (July 15, 2026).
After an "unacceptable risk" decision, Stripe will "typically" pause payouts for 120 days (policy updated July 29, 2026).

Want to go further? Ask

On this page

This guide is part of our hub on info product payment processing. The general guide, for any business: Stripe's prohibited and restricted businesses. Processor by processor: Stripe for high-risk businesses.

What Stripe's policy says about info products

Stripe never names the format. It names the sales practices that often come with it.

Businesses that make outrageous claims, use deceptive testimonials, use high-pressure upselling or use fake testimonials

Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses, read November 2, 2026

Stripe line	Section	What it means for a course or coaching seller
"'Get rich quick' schemes, including investment opportunities or other services that promise high rewards to mislead consumers … and sites that promise fast and easy money"1	Unfair, deceptive or abusive practices	A program sold on the buyer's future income is the main risk
"Businesses that make outrageous claims, use deceptive testimonials, use high-pressure upselling or use fake testimonials"1	idem	Student results and upsell funnels are read closely
"Businesses offering unrealistic incentives or rewards as an inducement to purchase"1	idem	Bonus stacks with inflated "value"
"Negative option marketing, negative option membership clubs and reduced price trials with unclear or hidden pricing"1	idem	$1 first month on a membership without clear terms
"Pyramid schemes"; "Multi-level marketing services offering commission or recruitment-based sales"1	idem	Courses that pay students to recruit students

A course that teaches a skill, priced clearly, fits. Kajabi tells its creators that they "do not require pre-approval and are not restricted by the RBL unless their industry or specific content are restricted" (September 28, 2026)7.

Fig. 1Same course, two sales pages

Sells the skill

Sales pageModules, format, length, price
read byStripe reviewNo line appliesApproved

Fits: a skill, priced clearly

Sells the income

Sales pageFast and easy money, profit screenshots
read byStripe reviewDeceptive testimonials, high-pressure upsellingDeclined

Hits the get rich quick line

Stripe reads the promise, not the format.

Illustrative example. Policy lines: Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses, read November 2, 2026.

Topics that need extra care: trading, crypto and ecommerce

Some course topics touch Stripe's financial-services lines. These are where creators report the most closures.

Topic	Stripe line	Where
Trading or investing education	"Predatory investment opportunities with no or low money down"; "Funded prop trading"1	Financial services, all regions
Trading, crypto, resale or dropshipping coaching	"Consultation or advisory services providing guidance, information or tools on how to profit through trading or investments … or running a resale or dropshipping business"1	Japan section only
Dropshipping advice	"Advisory services related to drop shipping and the resale of goods"1	Japan section only

Outside Japan, a trading course is not banned by name. It is judged on the "get rich quick" and investment lines above. A course that shows profit screenshots and "fast and easy money" sits squarely on them.

Watch out

Visa also lets buyers dispute "Business opportunities in which the Merchant suggests that an income will be generated" (condition 13.5)9. The same claim that worries Stripe gives your buyers a dispute right. Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments.

Payment plans through Stripe: Affirm and Afterpay

Buy now, pay later is where Stripe's partners draw tighter lines than Stripe itself.

Option on Stripe	Education (8299, 8241, 8244, 8249)	Consulting (7392)
Card payments	Supported, not restricted2	Supported
Affirm	"Restricted"3	"Prohibited", with "Professional services (including legal, consulting, and accounting)"3
Afterpay / Clearpay	"education", "Digital goods" and "Services (intangible Goods)" are restricted10	Not named; "Other personal services" are prohibited10

Fig. 2A course sold through Stripe: which methods stay open

Education MCC 8299 on StripeOnline course or coaching

Card paymentsSupported, not restricted
AffirmEducation restricted; consulting 7392 prohibited
Afterpay / ClearpayEducation, digital goods and subscriptions restricted

Cards stay open. The BNPL partners draw tighter lines.

Stripe Docs, Setting MCCs and Affirm payments; Stripe, Afterpay and Clearpay terms, July 15, 2026.

"Restricted" means extra underwriting before you can offer the method10. If you sell business coaching filed as consulting, Affirm is off the table. Afterpay also restricts "Subscription Products"10, which covers memberships. A payment plan you bill yourself follows Visa's installment rules instead: see payment plans for info product sellers.

Why accepted course sellers still get closed

A Stripe account can be reviewed and closed at any time, not only at sign-up5. For info products, Stripe's own reserve criteria point to the moments that draw a review4.

Trigger	What Stripe says
Long delivery window	Reserves apply when "The business belongs to an industry with longer-than-average delivery windows" (Stripe Reserves FAQ)4
Sharp volume jump	"The account shows an unexplainable sharp increase in processing volume" (idem)4
Disputes	"The account has elevated dispute activity" (idem)4
Any reason	"Stripe may terminate this Agreement or close User's Stripe Account at any time" (Services Agreement)5

Fig. 3What draws a review on an accepted course account

Long delivery window
A six-month coaching program paid upfront.
Sharp volume jump
A $3,000 launch weekend on a new account.
Disputes
"The account has elevated dispute activity."
Any reason
"Stripe may terminate this Agreement or close User's Stripe Account at any time."

Each trigger has a course version.

Stripe Support, Reserves FAQ, read November 2, 2026; Stripe Services Agreement, September 28, 2026.

A six-month coaching program paid upfront is a long delivery window. A $3,000 launch weekend on a new account is a sharp volume jump. Plan for both.

If Stripe classifies the account as an unacceptable risk, it "will typically restrict or pause payouts to the User's bank account for 120 days" from its first email6. Next steps: why Stripe closed your info product account.

What Stripe checks on your site

Stripe asks every business for a site that matches what you sell8. For a course or coaching offer, that means:

A complete description of the program: modules, format, length, access period.
The price, the currency and every future charge, on the page and at checkout.
A refund and cancellation policy with its conditions8.
Contact details beyond a form: email, phone or live chat8.
Terms for any promotion, bonus or guarantee8.

Testimonials are part of the check. A results screenshot without context reads as the "deceptive testimonials" Stripe prohibits1. What the law requires: is it legal to sell info products online?

Set up before you need it

One processor is a single point of failure. Before a launch, have a second account approved and your customer cards stored where you can move them.

Step	Why
Apply for a second processor before your first big launch	A 120-day payout pause6 stops a business that has no backup
Keep cards in a vault you control	Card data stays portable if you switch
Log logins and lesson views	Your proof of delivery in a dispute

Routing between accounts: payment routing for info product sellers. Getting underwritten: how to get an info product merchant account approved.

How Tagada helps

An underwritten processor next to Stripe, for course sellers

TagadaPay's application has a "Digital products" track for sellers of "software, courses, info products, coaching, or any service delivered online," with "Enhanced review for regulated verticals." "If you sell something real, we will get you paid."11

One application, several processors: "One KYC. One signed package. We distribute it across our processor network and follow up so you don't have to." "Most merchants are live under 24 hours."11
Keep Stripe in the mix: "Already on Stripe, NMI or Airwallex? We orchestrate those too."
Routing: "Route to the processor most likely to approve it, retry on decline. No engineering required."
A vault you own: "Switch processors without re-onboarding customers. No vendor lock-in. Ever."
Pricing: "From 2.9% + $0.29", "No setup fees, no monthly minimums"; "High-risk verticals and edge cases are priced case by case."11

Apply on TagadaPay.

Apply today · Go live in under 24 hours

Apply for processing

An underwritten processor next to Stripe, for course sellers

Updated on November 3, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

Does Stripe allow coaching businesses?

Yes. Stripe's restricted list does not name coaching. A coaching business is judged on its sales practices: Stripe prohibits "get rich quick" schemes, "deceptive testimonials" and "high-pressure upselling". Through Affirm, consulting (MCC 7392) is prohibited, so business coaching cannot offer Affirm on Stripe.

Can I sell a trading course on Stripe?

It is not banned by name outside Japan, where Stripe prohibits advisory services on how to profit from trading. Elsewhere, a trading course is read against "get rich quick" schemes and "Predatory investment opportunities". Avoid profit promises and results screenshots on the sales page.

Why did Stripe close my online course account?

Common triggers are a sharp volume jump, elevated disputes and long delivery windows, the reasons Stripe lists for reserves. Stripe can close an account "at any time". After an unacceptable-risk decision, payouts are typically paused 120 days. Steps: why Stripe closed your account.

Does Stripe need to pre-approve my course business?

Not by default. Kajabi tells its creators they "do not require pre-approval" unless their industry or content is restricted. Pre-approval applies to Stripe's restricted categories, and to partners: Affirm lists education as "Restricted", and Afterpay restricts education and digital goods.

What MCC does Stripe use for online courses?

Usually 8299, "educational_services" in Stripe's list, which Stripe supports without restriction. Ebooks can fall under digital goods instead. More on codes: MCC 8299.