Enter a card yourself
Many restaurants already sign a paper card authorization form for their supplier. With Enter card yourself, the supplier types that card into a Stripe page in a new tab, confirms they hold the signed form, and the card is on file straight away. No email goes to the restaurant.
Who uses it
- Supplier staff with full invoice access, who hold the restaurant's signed card authorization form.
- Restaurants don't take part. They aren't notified.
How it works
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In the invoice's Manage Payments panel, the Card on file box shows Enter card yourself:
- next to Request card on file when no card is on file,
- under the "Waiting for the restaurant…" message when a request is out,
- inside the red decline message after a charge fails because the card can't be used (as a small button beside Request new card). It's always followed, outside a decline message, by "Only enter a card when you have the restaurant’s signed card authorization form." It is not offered while a working card is on file: the box then shows only the card and Charge (see Replacing a card).
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Clicking it opens a new browser tab at once. While Clipp prepares the Stripe page, the button reads Opening..., then the new tab moves to Stripe.
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On Stripe's page the supplier enters the card. Beside the save button, Stripe shows:
By saving this card you confirm {Restaurant} signed an authorization allowing {Supplier} to charge it for invoices issued through Clipp. Keep that signed form; it is your evidence if a charge is disputed.
If a name is missing, it reads "the restaurant" or "your business".
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After saving, the tab shows Card saved — "You can close this tab and return to the invoice." — with a Close tab button.
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Back on the invoice tab, the card appears with Charge $X as soon as the tab regains focus (or after Refresh).
If the supplier leaves Stripe's page without saving, the tab shows No card saved — "You can close this tab." — with Close tab. Nothing changes on the invoice.
When it doesn't open
| Situation | What the supplier sees |
|---|---|
| The browser blocks pop-ups | Red text above the button: "Your browser blocked the new tab. Allow pop-ups for Clipp and try again." No tab opens. |
| Clipp can't prepare the Stripe page | The new tab closes and the error shows in red text above the button, for example "This supplier has not connected a Stripe account." or "This restaurant is not connected to the supplier." |
What changes when you enter a card
Example: a Clerk at Smoove Ice Cream enters Corner Bistro's Visa ending 4242 on Oct 15, while a request email from Oct 12 is still waiting.
| Thing | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Card on file box (every Corner Bistro invoice) | "Waiting for the restaurant…" | "Visa ending in 4242 · Expires 12/28" and Charge $X |
| The Oct 12 link | Live until Oct 26 | Still live until Oct 26. If the restaurant uses it, their card replaces the Visa, since the newest saved card wins (Which card is on file). |
| Supplier's Stripe account | Corner Bistro may have no customer yet | Customer exists, with the Visa saved and the attestation text and the staff member's id recorded against it |
| Emails, SMS, push | — | None |
| Money, invoice status, books, stock | — | No change until someone charges |
Decisions
- Suppliers may key in a card they hold a signed form for. Many suppliers already charge cards this way outside Clipp; the attestation and the stored text are their dispute evidence. (#2468)
- The card goes into Stripe's page, never Clipp's. The new tab keeps card numbers out of Clipp entirely. (#2468)
- Stripe records how each card was added (by the supplier, with which user, or by the restaurant's link). (#2468)
- A supplier-entered card charges exactly like a restaurant-saved one: same fee, confirm step and results. (#2468)
Known limitations
- No check that the form exists. Clipp relies on the supplier's confirmation; it doesn't store the signed form.
- 3D Secure. A card that needs the cardholder to approve each charge can't be charged off-session, whoever entered it. #2468 lists asking Stripe about mail/telephone-order charges as a follow-up.
- The restaurant isn't told a card was put on file for them.
- Can't replace a working card. The button is hidden while a card is on file and no charge has just been declined.
- The consent shown to the supplier doesn't mention the card fee, unlike the restaurant's version. The supplier's signed paper form is what covers the fee.
FAQ
Nothing happened when I clicked Enter card yourself. Your browser probably blocked the new tab. Allow pop-ups for Clipp and click again. The red message under the button says so.
I entered the card. Why doesn't the invoice show it? Switch back to the invoice tab, or click the Refresh icon in the Card on file box.
The restaurant signed a form for a new card, but I don't see Enter card yourself. A card is already on file, so the box only shows Charge. The button appears again after a decline. See Replacing a card.
Do I still need the restaurant's signed form? Yes. You confirm on Stripe's page that you have it, and it's your evidence if the restaurant disputes a charge.