Short answer: Incomplete means Stripe started a payment but never got a finished card payment. No money moved, and your customer wasn't charged. It's not a real sale.
Why it happens
When you start a card sale, Payment for Stripe creates a payment in Stripe first, then collects the card. Stripe lists that payment as Incomplete until a card payment goes through. If the sale stops partway, the entry stays behind. Common reasons:
- You or the customer cancelled the sale.
- The card was declined and the customer tried another card or walked away.
- The reader or phone lost its connection, or the app was closed mid-sale.
- The card needed an extra step, like bank approval, that wasn't completed.
The app tries to cancel unfinished payments on its own, but it can't if the connection drops or the app closes at the wrong moment.
How to check whether you were paid
- Open the payment in your Stripe Dashboard. If the status is Succeeded, you were paid. If it says Incomplete and there's no successful charge, you weren't.
- If the customer says they were charged and you can't find a Succeeded payment, see A payment shows in the app but I can't find it in my Stripe Dashboard.
Do I need to fix anything?
No. Incomplete payments don't cost you anything and don't count toward your payouts. You can leave them alone. A run of them in a row can point to connection trouble at your location, so try Wi-Fi or a stronger signal and check that your reader stays connected.
Stripe explains how it labels payment statuses here: Payment status updates.
Still stuck? Contact us from the app: open the menu, tap Help, then tap the email icon at the top (Contact Support on iPhone, Email support on Android).