Get Paid by Followers Without PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App

You can get paid by followers without PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App by using a dedicated payment page — like Brillay — that runs card payments through Stripe instead of a peer-to-peer app. A dedicated page avoids P2P personal-account business-use restrictions and the default-public activity feed, and replaces P2P commercial-account fees with a platform fee plus card processing.

Brillay pricing

PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App were all built for splitting a dinner bill or sending a friend rent money, not for running a creator storefront. Once a payment is tagged as a business transaction, each of them enforces different rules, fees, limits, and account requirements — and none of them give a follower a page that explains what they're actually paying for.

Why do PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App cost creators money on every follower payment?

All three apps price a commercial payment differently from a personal transfer, so a follower payment tagged as goods and services carries a fee: PayPal charges 2.99% on Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services, Venmo charges 1.9% + $0.10 into a Business Profile, and Cash App for Business charges 2.6% + $0.15 on each payment received.

PayPal's US business fees schedule lists 2.99% with no fixed fee for the Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services payment type, and 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout, so PayPal publishes several different domestic commercial rates rather than one (PayPal, US business fees). Venmo's Business Profile Transaction Fees article states a seller transaction fee of 1.9% + $0.10 of the payment total on direct payments from another Venmo account (Venmo, Business Profile Transaction Fees). Venmo's published fee schedule separately lists a 2.99% seller transaction fee on any payment the sender identifies as being for goods and services, even without a Business Profile (Venmo, About Venmo Fees). Cash App's Business Fees help page lists a 2.6% + $0.15 processing fee on each payment received into a Cash App Business account (Cash App, Cash for Business Fees).

Chargebacks can still happen with card payments. A named offer, fixed price, and written scope make it clearer what the follower agreed to buy. PayPal's US business fees schedule lists a chargeback fee of 20.00 USD on a US dollar transaction when a buyer files a chargeback with their card issuer rather than a PayPal dispute. Stripe's pricing page lists a $15.00 dispute received fee for each dispute plus a further $15.00 dispute countered fee for each dispute a business responds to manually, with the countered fee returned on a won dispute (Stripe pricing).

Getting the money out quickly costs extra on all three apps. Venmo's published fee page lists a 1.75% instant transfer fee, with a $0.25 minimum and a $25 maximum, on an electronic withdrawal to a bank account or debit card. Cash App's Cash Out Speed Options help page lists an instant transfer fee of 0.5%–2.5%, with a minimum of $0.25–$1 and a maximum of $75, while a standard cash out is free. PayPal's US consumer fees schedule lists an Instant Withdrawal fee of 1.75% of the amount transferred to an eligible debit card or bank, against no fee for a standard withdrawal.

What limits and holds apply to follower payments on PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App?

Each app caps what an unverified account can move, and can hold seller money. Venmo sets a $299.99 weekly spending limit on a personal profile before identity verification, a Venmo Business Profile starts at a $2,499.99 weekly payment limit, and Cash App caps an unverified account at $1,000 sent and received per 30 days.

Venmo's Personal Profile Payment Limits article states that a user who has not completed identity verification has a weekly spending limit of $299.99, covering person-to-person payments. Venmo's Business Profiles Payment and Bank Transfer Limits article states that a Business Profile that has not completed identity verification has a weekly payment limit of $2,499.99 and a weekly bank transfer limit of $999.99. Cash App's Increase Cash Limits help page states that an account that has not verified identity can send and receive up to $1,000 within any 30-day period.

Holds are the second constraint on a creator's cash flow. Venmo's Payment Holds for Businesses and Sellers article states that held payments are automatically released within 21 days, so a seller regains access to the funds once the hold period ends. Venmo's Tax Holds and Backup Withholding article states that when backup withholding applies, Venmo sends 24% of a user's goods-and-services payments to the IRS.

A dedicated page moves the same money through a merchant account instead of a P2P wallet. Stripe's payouts documentation states that after a first successful live payment Stripe typically schedules the initial payout to complete within 7–14 days, and that other payouts typically arrive within 2 business days (Stripe, Payouts).

Is it against the rules to use a Venmo or Cash App personal account for follower payments?

Venmo prohibits follower payments on a personal account, while Cash App's rule is narrower. Venmo's User Agreement bans transactions made for a business or commercial purpose on a personal profile, and Cash App's Terms of Service define its peer-to-peer service as personal and non-commercial while reserving the right to require a Business Account from sellers.

"You may not use Venmo to conduct transactions that: violate applicable law; are fraudulent; are made for a business or commercial purpose or that involve the purchase or sale of goods or services, with the exception of transactions expressly authorized by Venmo..." — Venmo, Prohibited Transactions, Helpful Information

Venmo's Prohibited Transactions policy makes recurring follower payments into a personal Venmo account a terms violation, with the risk of a frozen account or reversed funds rather than a legal penalty. Venmo's Buying and Selling on Venmo FAQ puts the same rule positively, stating that "the only way to accept payments for goods and services on Venmo is to be explicitly authorized to accept Venmo for purchases" (Venmo, Buying and Selling on Venmo FAQ). Cash App's rule is written differently: its Terms of Service describe the Peer-to-Peer Service as one that "allows you to send funds or receive funds for peer-to-peer personal, non-commercial purposes". The same Cash App Terms of Service state that "if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you are using your Account to sell goods and services, we may require you to open or switch to a Cash App Business Account".

Cash App also documents an opt-in "Earn in P2P" feature that lets eligible sole proprietors receive payments for goods and services inside a personal Cash App account without opening a Cash App Business Account, subject to enrollment and eligibility requirements. PayPal takes a third approach and does not ban commercial payments on a personal account, but the sender must mark the payment as Goods and Services rather than Friends and Family, which applies PayPal's published 2.99% commercial rate. By contrast, Brillay has no follower minimum, application, or eligibility review, with creator payouts available in 41 countries.

What information do followers see when they pay through a P2P app?

A follower paying through a P2P app sees a personal handle and a free-text note rather than a described offer. Venmo's Helpful Information page states that a new Venmo account's default privacy setting is Public, so a payment note is visible to everyone on the internet until the user changes that setting.

Venmo's Helpful Information page states that "your initial default privacy setting is Public, so everyone on the Internet can see your payments," and lists Public, Friends, and Private as the three visibility levels a user can choose. The same Venmo page states that payment amounts are always secret, so what a public feed exposes is the participants and the note, not the dollar figure.

A dedicated follower-payment page reverses that arrangement: the follower sees an offer description, a price, and a delivery time before paying, with no app profile or personal handle exposed on either side. On Brillay, a follower chooses an offer and pays by card through Stripe Checkout as a guest, with no Brillay, PayPal, or Venmo account of their own (Brillay, how it works).

Why does a dedicated payment page look more professional than a P2P app?

A P2P payment request reads as an informal ask between individuals — a $Cashtag, a @username, and a free-text note. If asking for money feels awkward, put one link in your bio where followers can see a clear offer, your fixed price, and exactly what you will deliver instead of making every post sound like a sales pitch.

The checkout itself also reads differently. Stripe's documentation states that Stripe Checkout supports more than 40 payment methods in its hosted payment form. Stripe's guest customers documentation states that Checkout can complete a payment without creating a saved Customer record, which is why a follower can buy without an account of any kind. A Brillay offer page hands the follower that hosted Stripe checkout rather than a personal payment handle.

Naming and pricing the offer changes what a follower is agreeing to. Instead of sending "$15, thanks!" to a personal handle, a follower is buying a named, priced offer — Paid Questions, Custom Work, Personalized Videos, or Tips — with the terms stated up front. Start with a price that matches the work: for example, a $25 portfolio review through Custom Work, a $50 commission with a clearly defined deliverable, or a $3 thank-you from a supporter through Tips. These are examples, not universal recommendations.

How much of a follower payment do you actually keep on each option?

Net proceeds depend on the fee stack each tool uses. Brillay charges an 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals, plus separate Stripe card processing, while PayPal, Venmo Business, and Cash App for Business quote a single bundled commercial rate that already includes card acceptance. A $25 payment on Brillay nets a creator $21.97 after both layers.

Stripe publishes its standard US online rate as 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction for domestic cards. Stripe's pricing page adds 1.5% for international cards and a further 1% when currency conversion is required, so a creator paid mainly by followers outside the United States keeps less than the US worked examples below. Brillay's pricing page states that creator earnings equal the follower payment minus the 8% work platform fee or 5% tips-and-goals platform fee, minus the payment-processing fee, with no monthly charge and nothing owed if no follower pays. Applying Brillay's published 8% platform fee for paid work and Stripe's published 2.9% + $0.30 domestic card rate gives the following worked examples:

Brillay's fee total on a given payment is higher than a bare P2P commercial rate, and the comparison should be made honestly: a $25 payment costs $0.58 in fees through a Venmo Business Profile at Venmo's published 1.9% + $0.10 and $0.80 through Cash App for Business at Cash App's published 2.6% + $0.15, against $3.03 on Brillay under Brillay's 8% fee on paid work plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 domestic card rate (Brillay pricing and Stripe pricing). What the larger Brillay fee buys is the offer page, the no-account checkout, the request inbox, and the absence of a personal-account terms risk — not a cheaper transfer. A creator choosing purely on transaction cost should use a P2P business account; a creator choosing on presentation, no-account checkout, and policy safety is choosing a different product.

Do you have to report follower payments from PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App on your taxes?

Yes, income from follower payments is generally reportable whether or not a tax form arrives, because a Form 1099-K is a reporting trigger rather than the rule that makes income taxable. The US Internal Revenue Service states that third party payout organizations must file Forms 1099-K only once a payee exceeds $20,000 in gross payments and 200 transactions.

"Third party payout organizations are not required to file Forms 1099-K unless the gross amount of reportable payment transactions to a payee exceeds $20,000 and the number of transactions exceeds 200." — Internal Revenue Service, news release IR-2025-107 and Fact Sheet FS-2025-08, October 23, 2025

The IRS $20,000-and-200 threshold determines whether a payment platform sends a creator and the IRS a Form 1099-K, and it is a US federal reporting rule that does not set the line for whether income is taxable (IRS, Form 1099-K threshold FAQs). Cash App applies that same federal threshold to its own sellers, stating that a business account receiving more than $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions in 2025 gets a Form 1099-K. Creators outside the United States are subject to their own country's reporting rules rather than the IRS threshold. This page gives general tax information rather than individual tax advice, and the full filing rules are in the IRS About Form 1099-K overview.

What does a dedicated follower-payment page change day to day?

One Brillay link replaces scattered paid requests in your DMs and separate PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App handles. Instead of telling a follower "Venmo me" or "send it to my Cash App," a creator points followers to a single page that lists every paid offer, its price, and its delivery time before the follower pays anything.

On Brillay, one link can show Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, Custom Work, Tips, and Goals, plus the free Brand Collaboration Inquiries form for brands that want to discuss a deal. A creator redirects a follower from a social DM to the Brillay page link, the same way they would with any payment tool. After a follower clicks a Brillay link, they see a described offer with a stated price and delivery time, rather than a P2P transfer request.

How do you switch from a P2P app to a dedicated follower-payment page?

Switching does not require closing a PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App account, because a P2P app can stay in place for personal transfers while follower payments move to a dedicated page. The four steps are: pick which paid offers to list, set a price and delivery time for each, connect a Stripe account for payouts, and update the bio link.

Brillay charges 8% on work, 5% on tips and goals only when a follower pays, so testing a dedicated page alongside an existing P2P habit carries no up-front cost. Connect your bank through Stripe, and Stripe pays you out in any of Brillay’s 41 supported payout countries. Stripe's payouts documentation states that after a first successful live payment, Stripe typically schedules the initial payout to complete within 7–14 days, with subsequent payouts following the account's regular schedule. Brillay has no follower minimum and nothing to apply for, so a creator with a few hundred engaged followers can start the same day as one with a hundred thousand.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to use Venmo or Cash App for business payments on a personal account?

Neither is a criminal matter. On Venmo it is a terms violation: Venmo's User Agreement prohibits transactions "made for a business or commercial purpose" on a personal account, with limited exceptions. Cash App is narrower — its Terms of Service describe the Peer-to-Peer Service as for "personal, non-commercial purposes" and allow Cash App to require a Business Account from sellers, while an opt-in Earn in P2P feature lets eligible sole proprietors accept goods-and-services payments in a personal account.

Which is cheaper for a creator: PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App?

It depends on the payment size, because the three published US commercial rates are 1.9% + $0.10 for a Venmo Business Profile, 2.6% + $0.15 for Cash App for Business, and 2.99% with no fixed fee for PayPal Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services (Venmo, Cash App, PayPal). On a $25 payment the fee is $0.58 with a Venmo Business Profile, $0.75 with PayPal Goods and Services, and $0.80 with Cash App for Business, so Venmo is cheapest at that size. Brillay costs more than all three at $3.03 on a $25 payment, because an 8% platform fee on paid work and separate Stripe processing buy a hosted offer page rather than a bare transfer. Tips and goals carry a 5% platform fee instead.

How much can I receive before a P2P app makes me verify my identity?

Cash App's Increase Cash Limits help page states that an unverified account can send and receive up to $1,000 within any 30-day period. Venmo's Personal Profile Payment Limits article sets a $299.99 weekly spending limit before identity verification, and Venmo's Business Profiles article sets a $2,499.99 weekly payment limit and a $999.99 weekly bank transfer limit before verification (Venmo, Personal Profile Payment Limits and Venmo, Business Profiles Payment and Bank Transfer Limits).

Do I need a certain number of followers to start using a payment page instead of a P2P app?

No. Brillay states that there is no follower minimum and nothing to apply for, so switching to a dedicated follower-payment page does not require hitting the audience thresholds that some platform monetization programs set.

Will followers need to create an account to pay me if I'm not using PayPal or Venmo?

On Brillay, no: a follower checks out with no account and pays by card through Stripe, with no Brillay account to create and no app to install. Stripe's guest customers documentation confirms that Checkout can complete a payment without saving a Customer record for the payer. The mechanics of that no-account checkout flow are covered separately in how to let followers pay you without making an account.

Does a dedicated payment page mean I stop getting a 1099-K?

Not necessarily. Any US third party payout organization, including Stripe, follows the same IRS threshold and files a Form 1099-K once a payee's gross reportable payments exceed $20,000 and transactions exceed 200 in a year. Switching payment tools changes the fee structure and the page experience, not the tax-reporting rule.

Create your free Brillay page and give followers a real offer to pay for instead of a Venmo request.