How to Get Paid and Run Ads for Your Store: Shopify/Stripe and a Card That Works
Building a Shopify or DTC store? Here's how to pair payment acceptance (Stripe and receiving accounts) with ad spend (a card the platforms accept). A must-read for cross-border sellers.
1. A store has two money flows: in and out
An independent store has to connect both ends. One is collecting money, letting overseas buyers pay you. The other is spending money, letting you pay for ads that drive traffic. The tools for each are different, so don't mix them up.
2. Getting paid: Stripe and receiving accounts
Stripe is the go-to gateway for independent stores, though it has entity and region requirements. Pair it with a receiving account like Payoneer, Wise, or Airwallex to land your USD. See the payments guides for setup and compliance.
3. Spending: a card that can actually pay for ads
Traffic comes from Meta, TikTok, and Google ads, and those platforms reject cards from many countries. Attach a cocodot US-BIN virtual card to your ad accounts for reliable charges and a controllable limit.
4. Keep spend and revenue separate
Put your ad budget on the cocodot card (money out) and route sales into your receiving account (money in). Two separate books make ROI and cash flow easy to read at a glance.
5. Where to start
Sign up with cocodot, fund your balance, open a card, and attach it to your ad accounts. At the same time, open a Payoneer, Wise, or Airwallex account to get paid. Fund it from anywhere with USDT or USDC, no bank account required.