You don't need Stripe to start selling. Bank transfer and cash on delivery both let a shopper place an order now and pay you outside checkout. With either one turned on, your store can go live without a card provider.

## How the two methods work

| Method | What the shopper does | What you do |
|--------|----------------------|-------------|
| **Bank transfer** | Places the order unpaid, then gets an email with your payment details. The order number is the transfer title. | Mark the order paid once the money arrives, then ship. |
| **Cash on delivery** | Places the order unpaid and pays the courier on delivery. Only offered for carts with something to deliver. | Mark the order paid after the courier hands the money over. |

## Turn on bank transfer

1. Open **Settings → Payments → Bank transfer**.
2. Switch bank transfer on.
3. Enter the **account number**. Shoppers send the money here, so it can be an IBAN, an account number, or an email address for an e-Transfer. Bank transfer can't be switched on without it.
4. Optionally add the bank name, a note for the transfer title, and extra instructions. Instructions appear at checkout and in the payment email.
5. Set the **payment deadline**, from 1 to 60 days. An order that isn't paid in time is cancelled and its stock goes back on the shelf.

> **Note:** Bank transfer isn't offered for carts that contain a subscription, because subscriptions renew by card.

## Rename the method

Not every manual payment is a bank transfer. To match what your shoppers expect, fill in two optional fields:

- **Payment method name** replaces "Bank transfer" everywhere the shopper sees it, for example *Interac e-Transfer*.
- **Account label** replaces "Account number", for example *Send to*.

Checkout, the order confirmation and the payment email all use your wording, so a shopper reads "Pay by Interac e-Transfer" and "Send to: pay@yourshop.com". Leave both blank to keep the standard text.

## Turn on cash on delivery

Open **Settings → Payments** and switch on cash on delivery. You can add instructions that show at checkout and in the order confirmation.

## Going live without Stripe

The setup checklist counts payments as done once Stripe is connected or bank transfer or cash on delivery is on. When you switch your store from test mode to live, the same rule applies. See [Test mode and going live](/help/getting-started/test-mode).

You can connect Stripe later to accept cards alongside these methods. See [Connect Stripe to get paid](/help/payments/connect-stripe).

## FAQ

### Do I have to connect Stripe?

No. Bank transfer or cash on delivery is enough to take orders and go live. Connect Stripe when you want to accept cards.

### How do I know a transfer has arrived?

YNS doesn't see your bank account. Check your own banking, then mark the order paid. Until then it stays unpaid and its stock stays reserved until the payment deadline.

### Can the AI Assistant set this up?

Yes. Ask the [AI Assistant](/help/getting-started/ai-assistant) to turn on bank transfer with your account details, or to rename the method to "Interac e-Transfer".

## What's next

- Handle paid orders in [Fulfill and ship an order](/help/orders/fulfill-and-ship).
- Go live with [Test mode and going live](/help/getting-started/test-mode).