What Stripe Link Actually Is
Stripe Link is a digital wallet. It saves your payment information (card number, email, shipping address) the first time you check out on any Stripe-powered site. The next time you visit a different Stripe-powered checkout, Link recognizes your email and autofills your saved details.
The process looks like this:
- You check out on a Stripe-powered site and save your details to Link
- You visit a completely different site that also uses Stripe
- You enter your email at checkout
- Link sends you a one-time verification code via SMS
- Your saved payment details autofill instantly
- You confirm and pay in seconds
Stripe Link only appears on sites that use Stripe's checkout components (Stripe Checkout, Payment Element, or custom Link integrations). If a site uses a different payment processor or a fully custom checkout, Link does not show up. Period.
That's why MasterClass doesn't have Stripe Link. Their checkout isn't built on Stripe's components.
Stripe Link vs. Stripe Billing: Two Different Products
This is where the confusion often starts. Stripe has multiple products, and two of them are relevant to subscriptions:
Stripe Link speeds up the checkout experience. It autofills payment details for returning customers. It has nothing to do with recurring billing. Think of it as a faster way to enter your credit card number.
Stripe Billing manages subscriptions. It handles recurring charges, invoicing, proration, plan upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and failed payment retries. This is the product that actually powers subscription businesses.
They work together but serve different purposes:
| Product | Purpose | Role in Subscriptions |
|---|
| Stripe Link | One-click checkout wallet | Speeds up the initial signup payment |
| Stripe Billing | Recurring payment management | Handles every charge after signup |
| Stripe Checkout | Hosted payment page | The checkout form where Link appears |
When someone subscribes on a Stripe-powered platform, here's what happens:
- Stripe Checkout displays the payment form
- Stripe Link autofills saved payment details (if the customer has them)
- Customer confirms payment
- Stripe Billing creates a subscription and schedules future charges
- On renewal day, Stripe Billing charges the card automatically
Link only touches step 2. Everything else is Stripe Billing and Checkout.
Why MasterClass Doesn't Need Stripe Link
MasterClass is a venture-backed company with hundreds of millions in funding and millions of subscribers. At that scale, companies typically build (or heavily customize) their own payment infrastructure.
Reasons a company like MasterClass might avoid Stripe entirely:
- Negotiated processing rates: Enterprise companies negotiate rates well below Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30. A custom setup with a processor like Adyen or Braintree might cost 1.5-2%.
- Multi-processor routing: Large platforms split transactions across multiple processors to optimize approval rates and reduce costs.
- Full control over the checkout experience: Custom checkouts allow A/B testing every element of the payment flow without being constrained by Stripe's UI components.
- Regulatory requirements: Operating in dozens of countries means dealing with local payment methods and regulations that require specialized infrastructure.
For a company processing millions of transactions per year, the savings from a custom payment stack are substantial. The tradeoff is that they need an engineering team to build and maintain it.
This is not your situation if you're a creator, coach, or consultant.
What This Means for Creators Selling Sessions
If you're researching how MasterClass handles payments, you're probably thinking about how to handle payments for your own offerings. Here's the practical takeaway.
You don't need a custom payment stack. You need a platform that handles payments, scheduling, and video in one place.
When you use a Stripe-powered platform like Talkspresso, your clients get:
- Stripe Link for one-click checkout (automatic, no setup required)
- Apple Pay and Google Pay on supported devices
- Standard credit and debit card acceptance
- Automatic recurring billing if you offer session packages
- Instant payment confirmation with calendar invites and reminders
All of this works out of the box. You create a service, set a price, and share your booking link. The platform handles everything else.
For a deeper look at how Stripe works for creators, read our complete guide to Stripe for creators.
How to Offer Subscription-Style Sessions
MasterClass sells access to pre-recorded video courses. If you're selling live sessions, your "subscription" might look different:
Recurring 1-on-1 coaching: A client books a weekly or monthly session at a fixed rate. They pay per session, but the relationship is ongoing.
Session packages: Sell a bundle of 4 or 8 sessions at a discounted rate. The client pays upfront and books sessions as they go.
Membership workshops: Run a monthly live workshop. Members pay a recurring fee to attend each month's session.
Group coaching programs: Offer a multi-week program with live group calls. Charge a one-time fee or split it into installments.
Each of these models works on a Stripe-powered platform. The key difference from MasterClass: your clients interact with you live, which creates more value and stronger retention than pre-recorded content.
To learn more about packaging your sessions, check out our guide to offering coaching packages.
Stripe Link's Impact on Subscription Signups
Even though Stripe Link doesn't manage recurring billing, it has a real impact on subscription conversion rates. Here's why.
The biggest drop-off in any subscription funnel happens at the payment step. A potential subscriber decides they want your offering, clicks "Subscribe," sees a payment form, and then... types their card number wrong. Or gets distracted. Or decides to do it later.
Stripe Link removes that friction for returning Stripe users. Instead of typing 16 digits, an expiration date, and a CVC, they enter their email, verify with a code, and they're done.
Stripe reports that Link users complete checkout 3x faster than non-Link users. For businesses with returning customers, Link has driven up to a 14% increase in conversion.
On mobile (where most social media traffic comes from), the impact is even bigger. Typing a credit card number on a phone is miserable. Link eliminates it entirely.
If you're selling masterclasses or workshops and your audience finds you on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, a significant chunk of your traffic is mobile. Stripe Link makes those mobile checkouts dramatically easier.
Getting Started
MasterClass built custom payment infrastructure because they're an enterprise with an engineering team. You don't need that.
If you want to sell sessions, workshops, or masterclasses with fast Stripe Link checkout:
- Sign up on Talkspresso (free, takes 2 minutes)
- Connect your Stripe account (or create one during setup)
- Create your first service with a title, description, price, and duration
- Share your booking link on social media, your website, or anywhere your audience finds you
Your clients get Stripe Link, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at checkout automatically. No configuration needed. You keep 90% of every transaction.
See how creators use Talkspresso to monetize their audience with paid video calls, or compare 9 platforms for paid video calls.
See how creators use Talkspresso to monetize their audience with paid video calls, or compare 9 platforms for paid video calls.
Create your free Talkspresso account and start selling sessions →
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