Trust & security
How playerkit payments work — and how we keep your club's money safe
playerkit helps your club collect deposits and fees online. This page explains exactly how the money moves, who handles it, and what we do (and don't) store — in plain language first, with the technical detail right below it.
The short version: we're the software; a regulated company called Stripe handles the money; and it goes straight to your club.
What playerkit is — and isn't
playerkit is software. It is not a bank and not a payment processor. The actual movement of money is handled by Stripe, a licensed and regulated payments company. playerkit never holds, stores, or controls your club's money.
playerkit operates as a platform on Stripe Connect. Each club is its own Stripe connected account and the merchant of record. playerkit is a software platform, not a money transmitter, and never takes custody of funds.
How money moves
When a parent pays, Stripe charges their card. The money settles into your club's own Stripe account and pays out to your club's bank. playerkit is never in the middle of that flow.
Charges are created directly on your club's own Stripe account — your club is the merchant of record. In a single atomic operation the charge lands in your club's balance, less playerkit's application fee and Stripe's processing fee. Funds are never co-mingled with playerkit's or forwarded by playerkit.
Who Stripe is
Stripe powers payments for millions of businesses, from local clubs to Amazon, Shopify, and Google. They're licensed, regulated, and independently audited. When you collect through playerkit, Stripe is the one holding and moving the money.
Because your club is paid through its own Stripe account, the wider Stripe ecosystem works for your club too: accounting tools that connect to Stripe — such as QuickBooks or Xero — can pull your transactions straight from your own account for reconciliation. Your books never depend on playerkit.
Card data & PCI
playerkit never sees or stores card numbers. When a parent enters their card, it goes straight from their browser to Stripe.
Card data is tokenized in the browser by Stripe.js and never reaches playerkit's servers. playerkit stores only Stripe reference IDs and amounts (in whole cents) — never card numbers, expiry dates, or security codes. This keeps playerkit in PCI DSS SAQ-A, the lowest-burden tier, and because card data never touches your club's systems either, your own compliance burden stays minimal.
Deposits, explained
A deposit is a real, refundable charge — not a temporary hold. When you take one, the parent's card is charged. When the equipment is returned, playerkit refunds the deposit automatically. If it isn't returned, your club keeps the deposit to cover the cost.
playerkit uses charge-and-refund rather than authorization holds, because card authorizations expire in about a week while a season runs for months. When you issue a refund, Stripe retains its original processing fee and your club absorbs that small amount. playerkit charges no fee on deposits.
Fees
Online payments are available on paid plans. Your club covers the cost of accepting payments, so parents pay exactly what you ask — never a surcharge. Two fees apply: Stripe's standard card-processing fee, and a 2% playerkit fee on non-refundable charges. Refundable deposits are the only exception — they carry no playerkit fee.
playerkit's 2% application fee applies to every non-refundable charge, calculated on the charge amount; refundable deposits pass through with a zero application fee. Stripe's processing rates are published and current at Stripe pricing ↗.
Data, privacy & jurisdiction
playerkit operates under PIPA (Alberta) / PIPEDA (Canada) and keeps club payment records in Canada. We store what's needed to show you a payment's status — amounts, dates, and Stripe's reference IDs — and never card details.
Data residency Canada; settlement currency CAD; governing privacy law PIPA (Alberta) / PIPEDA (Canada). Payment records hold amounts (integer cents), statuses, timestamps, Stripe identifiers, and an optional player reference for your reporting. Any decline reason Stripe returns is stored to help you understand a failed payment and is not cardholder information. Full detail: https://playerkit.app/privacy.
Disputes & refunds
If a parent disputes a charge or you need to refund one, playerkit shows you the status and Stripe handles the mechanics. Refunds return money to the parent's card; disputes are resolved through Stripe. Money from a charge made without the family present is held on your club's Stripe account for the card networks' dispute window before it pays out, and playerkit may hold a batch of such charges to review unusual volume — never to review any charge.
Refunds and disputes are processed by Stripe against the original charge on your club's connected account. playerkit records the outcome from Stripe's signed webhooks and never marks a payment refunded or disputed until Stripe confirms it. Money from a charge made without the family present (a replacement charge on a saved card) stays on your club's connected account for the card networks' dispute window before it pays out, and a batch of such charges may be held by playerkit for a review of unusual volume — never a review of any charge.
playerkit facilitates payments as a platform; your club is the merchant of record through its own Stripe account.
Questions about security or how this works? Reach us at security@playerkit.app.