Epistemic Kernel - Payment Processing

Epistemic Kernel Payment Processing

Secure, flexible payment options for all tiers

💳 Payment Overview

We use Stripe as our primary payment processor, providing a secure, reliable, and global payment infrastructure. All payment data is handled by Stripe’s PCI DSS-compliant systems — we never store your credit card information on our servers.

📋 Supported Payment Methods

Credit & Debit Cards

• Visa (all types)
• Mastercard (all types)
• American Express
• Discover
• Diners Club
• JCB
• UnionPay (via Stripe)

Processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (standard Stripe rates)

Digital Wallets

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Microsoft Pay
• PayPal (via Stripe integration or direct)

Bank Transfers

• ACH (US customers, Enterprise tier)
• SEPA (European customers, Enterprise tier)
• Wire Transfer (International, Enterprise tier)

Processing fees: Varies by method (typically $0.50 - $5.00 per transaction)

Cryptocurrency

• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• USD Coin (USDC)
• Other stablecoins (on request)

Processor: Coinbase Commerce
Processing fees: 1% (minimum $1.00)

Invoicing

• Net 30 terms (Enterprise tier only)
• Custom payment terms (negotiable for Enterprise)
• Purchase orders (accepted for Enterprise)

🔒 Security & Compliance

PCI DSS Compliance

• Level 1 PCI DSS certified (via Stripe)
• Tokenization of all card data
• Encryption in transit and at rest
• 3D Secure authentication support
• Radar fraud detection (Stripe)

Data Protection

Fraud Prevention

• 3D Secure 2.0 for credit cards
• AVS (Address Verification) for US cards
• CVV verification
• IP blocking for suspicious activity
• Rate limiting on payment attempts
• Manual review for large transactions ($10,000+)

🛒 Self-Service Purchase Flow

For Developer & Professional Tiers

1. Visit /commercial/epistemic-kernel/purchase
   └─ Select tier (Developer or Professional)
   
2. Choose billing cycle
   └─ Monthly or Annual (2 months free)
   
3. Enter account information
   ├─ Email address
   ├─ Company name (optional)
   └─ Preferred contact method
   
4. Select payment method
   ├─ Credit card
   ├─ PayPal
   └─ Cryptocurrency
   
5. Enter payment details
   └─ Securely processed by Stripe/Coinbase
   
6. Complete purchase
   └─ Instant license key delivery via email
   
7. Activate license
   └─ Use key in configuration or environment variable
   
8. Download software
   └─ Access licensed package from customer portal

Total time: < 5 minutes

Payment Page Implementation

Our payment pages use:

• Stripe Elements for secure card input
• Stripe Checkout for hosted payment pages
• Coinbase Commerce for cryptocurrency
• Custom backend for license key generation

Technical stack:

• Frontend: React + TypeScript
• Backend: Rust (Axum framework)
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Authentication: JWT tokens

🏢 Enterprise Purchase Process

Custom Quote & Contracting

1. Initial contact
   ├─ Email: [email protected]
   ├─ Phone: +1-555-0123 (Sales)
   └─ Web form: /commercial/epistemic-kernel/contact
   
2. Discovery call (within 48 hours)
   ├─ Understand requirements
   ├─ Technical assessment
   └─ Custom feature discussion
   
3. Proposal preparation (3-5 business days)
   ├─ Custom pricing
   ├─ Feature list
   ├─ Timeline
   └─ SLA terms
   
4. Contract negotiation
   ├─ Legal review
   ├─ Terms customization
   └─ Signature
   
5. Payment setup
   ├─ Invoicing (Net 30)
   ├─ ACH/Wire details
   └─ Purchase order processing
   
6. Onboarding & deployment (2-4 weeks)
   ├─ License key provisioning
   ├─ Technical setup
   └─ Team training
   
7. Go-live
   └─ Production deployment support

Total time: 2-6 weeks (depending on custom requirements)

🎫 Invoice & Receipt Management

Automatic Delivery

All customers receive:

• Instant receipt via email after payment
• Monthly invoice (for subscriptions)
• Annual summary (January each year)
• Tax documents (1099-K for US customers, VAT invoices for EU)

Invoice Contents

Each invoice includes:

Invoice Number: EK-INV-2026-0001
Date: 2026-08-08
Due Date: N/A (prepaid) or Net 30

From:
Badlucksbane's Lab
123 Lab Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
EIN: 12-3456789

To:
Example Corp
456 Business Ave
Tech City, CA 94025

Line Items:
- Epistemic Kernel Professional (August 2026)  $499.00
- Tax (if applicable)                          $0.00
----------------------------------------
Total                                        $499.00

Payment Method: Credit Card (Visa ****4242)
Payment Date: 2026-08-08
License Key: EK-ABCD-1234-EFGH-5678

Receipt Retrieval

Customers can access receipts via:

1. Email (automatic delivery)
2. Customer portal (self-service download)
3. API (for Enterprise integration)

💰 Pricing & Tax Calculation

Base Pricing (USD)

Tax Calculation

United States:

• Sales tax applied based on billing address
• Tax rates vary by state (0% - 10%+)
• Exemptions for tax-exempt organizations (with documentation)

European Union:

• VAT applied based on customer country
• VAT rates vary by country (15% - 27%)
• Reverse charge for business customers (with valid VAT ID)

Other Countries:

• GST for Canada, Australia, India, etc.
• Local sales tax where applicable
• Exemptions for diplomatic/resale certificates

Currency Conversion

• Base currency: USD
• Automatic conversion at time of payment
• Exchange rates: Provided by Stripe (updated daily)
• Supported currencies: 135+ (via Stripe)

🔄 Subscription Management

Customer Portal

All customers have access to a self-service portal at: https://portal.badlucksbane.com

Portal features:

• View/subscriptions
• Upgrade/downgrade plans
• Update payment methods
• Download receipts
• Manage license keys
• Access support tickets
• Update account information

Billing Cycle

• Monthly subscriptions: Billed on the 1st of each month
• Annual subscriptions: Billed on the anniversary date
• Enterprise: Custom billing cycles (monthly, quarterly, annual)

Failed Payment Handling

Grace period: 7 days after failed payment

Refund Policy

• 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers
• Prorated refunds for downgrades
• No refunds for custom development (Enterprise)
• Partial refunds for unused prepaid time

Refund processing time: 5-10 business days

🏦 Bank Transfer Details (Enterprise)

ACH (US Customers)

Bank: Commerce Bank
Account Name: Badlucksbane's Lab LLC
Account Number: 1234567890
Routing Number: 101050001
Account Type: Checking

Wire Transfer (International)

Bank: Commerce Bank
Address: 1000 Walnut St, Kansas City, MO 64106
Swift Code: CBKCUS66
Account Name: Badlucksbane's Lab LLC
Account Number: 1234567890
Routing Number: 101050001

Important:

• Include invoice number in wire transfer reference
• Email confirmation to [email protected]
• Wire fees: Customer responsibility

₿ Cryptocurrency Payments

Supported Cryptocurrencies

Payment Flow

1. Select cryptocurrency at checkout
2. Receive payment address and amount
3. Send payment within 15 minutes (BTC) or 5 minutes (ETH/USDC)
4. Payment confirmed (typically 1-6 confirmations)
5. License key delivered instantly

Exchange rate: Locked at time of invoice creation (15-minute window)

Address Reuse

• Bitcoin: New address for each transaction
• Ethereum: Shared address for all ERC-20 tokens
• No deposit tracking: Payments matched by amount + timestamp

📊 Financial Reporting

Revenue Recognition

• Subscription revenue: Recognized ratably over the subscription period
• One-time fees: Recognized upon delivery
• Custom development: Recognized as services are performed

Financial Statements

Audit Support

• Enterprise customers: Quarterly compliance reports
• All customers: Annual SOC 2 Type II report (when available)
• Custom audits: Available for additional fee

🛡️ Chargeback & Dispute Handling

Chargeback Prevention

• Clear product description on all checkout pages
• Explicit consent before charging
• Easy refund process (reduces chargeback likelihood)
• Descriptive billing descriptor: “BADLUCKSBANE EPISTEMIC”

Dispute Process

1. Notification from Stripe (typically within 7 days)
2. Customer outreach within 24 hours
3. Evidence submission to Stripe (within 5 days)
4. Resolution (typically 30-60 days)

Our win rate: 95% (most disputes resolved in customer’s favor)

📅 Accounting & Bookkeeping

Chart of Accounts

Assets:
  1010 - Cash (Operating Account)
  1020 - Accounts Receivable
  1030 - Prepaid Expenses
  
Liabilities:
  2010 - Accounts Payable
  2020 - Deferred Revenue (Subscriptions)
  2030 - Sales Tax Payable
  
Equity:
  3010 - Common Stock
  3020 - Retained Earnings
  
Revenue:
  4010 - Subscription Revenue
  4020 - Service Revenue
  4030 - License Revenue
  
Expenses:
  5010 - Payment Processing Fees
  5020 - Hosting Costs
  5030 - Development Costs
  5040 - Support Costs

Subscription Revenue Tracking

• MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue): Tracked daily
• ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue): MRR × 12
• Churn Rate: Monthly calculation
• LTV (Lifetime Value): ARR / Churn Rate
• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Marketing spend / New customers

🔗 Integration with Other Systems

Accounting Software

• QuickBooks Online (primary)
• Xero (secondary)
• FreshBooks (for smaller customers)
• Custom exports (CSV, JSON)

Sync frequency: Daily

CRM

• HubSpot (primary)
• Salesforce (Enterprise customers)
• Custom integrations (via API)

Support Ticketing

• Zendesk (primary)
• Email (fallback)
• Discord (Developer+ tier)

📞 Support & Troubleshooting

Payment Issues

Contact Information

Payment support: [email protected]
Technical support: [email protected]
Sales support: [email protected]
Emergency (Enterprise): +1-555-0199 (24/7)

Response times:

• Payment issues: 4 hours (business days)
• Billing questions: 24 hours
• Technical support: Per SLA

📜 Legal & Compliance Documents

• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Refund Policy
• SLA Agreement (Professional+)
• Data Processing Agreement (Enterprise)

🎯 Next Steps

Ready to make a purchase?

For Self-Service (Developer/Professional):

Start Your Free Trial Now →

For Enterprise:

Contact Sales →

For Questions:

Read the FAQ →
Contact Billing →

All prices in USD. Taxes may apply. Payment processed securely via Stripe.