When a client opens an invoice on their phone at 9pm, the difference between paid that night and chased for two weeks is one button. The Connect COLO with Stripe integration puts that button on every COLO invoice, so card payments settle instantly and the cash arrives in your bank account on Stripe's usual payout schedule.
TL;DR
COLO's Stripe integration puts a Pay by card button on every COLO invoice and routes the charge through your own Stripe account, using your payout schedule, currency and statement descriptor. The COLO invoice flips to paid the moment the charge settles, and refunds processed in Stripe sync back. COLO adds no fee on top of Stripe's processing rate.
How it works
- Connect — open Settings → Integrations in COLO, click Connect Stripe, and complete the Stripe Connect OAuth handshake. About 60 seconds end-to-end.
- Sync — every COLO invoice you send carries a "Pay by card" button. Clicking it routes the charge through your Stripe account using your own statement descriptor.
- Work — keep doing client work in COLO; Stripe handles the money. Payment status flips to paid on the COLO invoice the moment the charge settles.
What syncs
- Card payments collected on COLO invoices flow through your Stripe account.
- Payout schedule, currency, and statement descriptor follow your Stripe settings, so payouts behave exactly like every other Stripe charge in your account.
- Refunds processed in Stripe sync back to COLO so the invoice ledger matches whatever state your books are in.
What doesn't sync
- Stripe subscription products and customer portal links do not appear in COLO — COLO drives recurring billing on its own; one billing engine per record avoids drift.
- Stripe-issued chargebacks update the COLO invoice status but do not auto-refund — chargeback handling stays a deliberate decision in Stripe.
A typical workflow
A wedding photographer sends a final-balance invoice from COLO on Friday afternoon. The bride opens it on her phone over coffee Saturday, taps Pay by card, and Stripe collects the funds against the photographer's account. Within seconds the COLO invoice flips to paid, the project status updates, and the bride receives a paid receipt — without the photographer touching a single screen. The payout from Stripe lands in the photographer's bank account on the usual rolling schedule alongside every other Stripe charge.
For the photographer, the visible workflow is unchanged from any other invoice — send, wait, get paid. Behind the scenes, what would have been a bank transfer with a four-day wait and a "did you get my payment" email is now a card charge that settles before the project is over. The finance dashboard in COLO shows the same revenue number it always has; the difference is that the number arrives the same day the invoice goes out.
Setup in 60 seconds
- Go to Settings → Integrations in your COLO workspace
- Click 'Connect Stripe' and complete the Stripe Connect OAuth flow
- Pick the COLO accounts that route to Stripe and you are done
FAQ
Q: Can I disconnect later?
Yes. Disconnecting stops new charges from routing through Stripe. Existing settled payments stay in your Stripe dashboard and on the matching COLO invoices — the records are not deleted.
Q: Does it support 2-way sync?
Yes for payment state. A charge in Stripe marks the matching COLO invoice paid; a refund in Stripe marks it refunded. Invoice editing stays one-way (COLO → Stripe) so two systems never fight over what the invoice should say.
Q: Is my data secure?
Yes. Stripe handles card data directly via their PCI-compliant Elements; COLO never sees the card number. Authorisation uses Stripe Connect OAuth — revocable from either side. Your Stripe API keys are not stored on COLO servers.
Q: Does it cost extra?
No. COLO charges no fee on top of Stripe's processing fee. You pay Stripe's standard rate per transaction (typically 2.9 percent plus a fixed amount per charge, depending on your country and card type).
Q: What about my historical data?
Invoices already paid by other means stay marked paid in COLO. The integration only routes new "Pay by card" actions through Stripe — past payments are not back-filled into your Stripe account.
Related integrations
- Connect COLO with QuickBooks so paid Stripe invoices post as income
- Connect COLO with Calendly so consultation deposits collect during booking
- Connect COLO with Gmail so receipt emails thread in your inbox
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