To receive payouts from the Medium Partner Program, you need to create or connect a free Stripe account. Stripe is Medium's third-party payout processor.
Important: You must maintain an active Stripe account at all times to receive payouts. If your account is inactive or unable to receive payouts for 180 consecutive days, any accumulated unpaid earnings will be forfeited. See the Medium Partner Program forfeiture policy for details.
Supported countries
Stripe account setup is available in all countries supported by the Medium Partner Program. For the full list, see Medium Partner Program eligibility and supported countries.
How to set up your Stripe account
During the Partner Program enrollment process, you will be prompted to create or connect a Stripe account. Follow the steps below:
- Agree to Stripe's Terms of Service when prompted.
- Fill out the required fields to activate your account. You must use your legal name — pen names are fine on Medium, but Stripe requires your legal name to verify your identity and process payouts.
- Complete Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) setup. Stripe requires either SMS or the Google Authenticator app for 2FA, both of which typically require a mobile device.
Depending on your country, you will be assigned either a Stripe Standard or Stripe Express account. See below for the differences.
Stripe Standard vs. Stripe Express
Both account types share the following:
- Payouts can only be transferred to a bank account. Debit cards are not supported.
- Two-Factor Authentication via SMS or Google Authenticator is required.
- Accessed directly with a password.
The main difference is the scope. Stripe Standard accounts can be used with multiple services, not just Medium; Stripe Express accounts can only be used with Medium.
Frequently asked questions
Fields marked as optional can be left blank if they don't apply to you.
Depends on your country. During the Stripe account creation process, if you are not automatically redirected to the login screen, click Sign in in the upper-right corner of the sign-up form.
You can reset your password directly on Stripe's password reset page. Once reset, you can manage your account through the Stripe Dashboard.
Medium cannot modify the details of your Stripe account. To change your email address, contact Stripe Support.
Log into your Stripe Dashboard and update your bank account details there.
If you have a Stripe Standard account, you can delete it from its settings. If you have a Stripe Express account, you will need to contact Medium Support.
This is usually caused by entering your company name as your individual name during sign-up, which causes a mismatch in Stripe's automatic verification.
Contact Stripe Support and they should be able to resolve it manually.