TL;DR
Stripe is a global payments platform that is GDPR-compliant. It offers a wide range of privacy and security features to help businesses process payments while remaining aligned with EU data protection laws. That said, you must still handle and store user data appropriately on your end to stay fully compliant.
About the tool
Stripe is one of the world’s leading online payment processing platforms, enabling businesses to accept payments over the internet and in person. Launched in 2010, Stripe powers everything from startups to major enterprises like Amazon, Shopify, and Booking.com.
With tools for managing payments, subscriptions, fraud prevention, invoicing, and financial reporting, Stripe makes complex financial operations easy and developer-friendly. Its APIs and integrations are used across web and mobile platforms worldwide.
How to maintain GDPR compliance with Stripe
Stripe itself is GDPR-compliant, but using Stripe does not automatically make your business compliant. If you’re handling customer information such as names, email addresses, or payment data via Stripe, you need to ensure you follow the right practices on your end too.
Here are the key things to do:
1. Understand what personal data is sent to Stripe Whenever a user makes a payment, Stripe collects and processes a range of personal data:
Name
Billing address
Payment method details (e.g., card number, expiration date)
IP address and device info (for fraud detection)
If you're using Stripe integrations via tools like Zapier or APIs, you may be passing along even more user data. You must account for all of it in your privacy documentation.
2. Add Stripe to your list of data processors
Stripe acts as a data processor when handling customer data on your behalf. Under the GDPR, you're legally required to list all your third-party data processors in your privacy policy.
Here’s an example of how Stripe can be mentioned in your privacy policy:
“We use Stripe for payment processing. Stripe acts as a data processor and handles your payment data securely. Learn more at stripe.com/privacy.”
Also, be sure to sign Stripe’s Data Processing Agreement (DPA), which outlines GDPR obligations for both parties. Stripe’s standard DPA is available through its dashboard and is incorporated into its Terms of Service.
3. Monitor data handling and breaches
According to Article 33 of the GDPR, you are required to notify authorities of a personal data breach within 72 hours.
Stripe takes care of its own infrastructure-level security (including PCI compliance), but it’s still up to you to:
Monitor your own system and API integrations
Use secure Stripe keys
Limit staff access to customer data
Enable alerts for suspicious activity
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Stripe account, and ensure account passwords are strong and unique. Stripe also supports features like role-based access control and audit logging to help you manage internal security.
Stripe may set cookies on your site if you're using elements like:
Stripe Checkout
Payment forms (with embedded JavaScript or Elements)
In that case, Stripe may install cookies for:
Session management
Fraud detection
Localization
To stay compliant, include Stripe in your cookie policy and ensure your cookie consent banner accounts for this. If you're using Stripe only server-side (e.g., via API calls), then no cookies are placed in the browser, and no cookie banner is needed.
Key highlights:
Stripe has implemented robust security and privacy infrastructure, including PCI DSS compliance for handling payment data securely. The company offers standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for international data transfers to comply with EU and UK law. Stripe provides a GDPR-compliant DPA, which includes details on data handling, security measures, and data subject rights. Businesses using Stripe can access tools for data subject access requests (DSARs), data deletion, and user consent management. Stripe also participates in the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) to enable compliant data transfers between the EU and the US.
Who are we
We are Simple Analytics, a privacy-first, cookie-free, and GDPR-compliant alternative to Google Analytics. We're based in the EU, and our mission is to help businesses collect useful insights without compromising user privacy.