Billing & payments

How billing works on Mega Donkey

Two simple rules: subscriptions are billed through Shopify. Payments to influencers are made on Mega Donkey.

The two-rail model

Mega Donkey is a two-sided marketplace that connects brands with vetted micro-influencers on TikTok and Instagram. Because our platform handles two very different kinds of transactions — a recurring subscription for the brand, and one-off payments from the brand to independent creators — we use two different billing rails.

This page explains exactly how each one works, what you’ll be charged for, and where.

01 · Your subscription

Billed through Shopify

Everything that relates to your Mega Donkey plan is handled inside Shopify, using the official Shopify Billing API.

  • Choosing or changing your plan (Starter, Growth, or Scale)
  • Upgrades and downgrades
  • Free trials and prorated charges
  • Cancellation and refunds of subscription fees
  • Renewals
  • Invoices and tax for the subscription itself

When you select a paid plan from inside the Mega Donkey Shopify app, Shopify shows you an approval screen, charges your Shopify-billed payment method, and emails the receipt. The subscription appears on your normal Shopify invoice alongside other Shopify charges. If you cancel the Mega Donkey app, your subscription is cancelled automatically by Shopify.

You will never be asked to enter a credit card on megadonkey.com.au to pay for your subscription. Subscriptions live in Shopify. Full stop.

02 · Creator payments

Handled on Mega Donkey

Direct, one-off payments from your brand to an independent creator — processed on Mega Donkey using Stripe Connect, which is purpose-built for marketplace payouts.

Here’s the flow:

  1. 1 You create a campaign and set a fixed price per creator (for example, A$120 per post).
  2. 2 Approved creators accept the brief on Mega Donkey.
  3. 3 You fund the campaign by paying Mega Donkey via Stripe. The funds sit in escrow.
  4. 4 The creator posts the content and submits it for verification.
  5. 5 After verification, the funds are released to the creator’s connected Stripe account, minus the platform fee disclosed at checkout. There’s a 7-day auto-release window from the moment the post is verified.
  6. 6 The creator is paid out by Stripe to their bank account.

Everything you pay for creator work — the campaign budget, platform fees, refunds for cancelled or rejected work — flows through this Mega Donkey + Stripe pipeline. It is completely separate from your Shopify subscription.

Why these payments don’t (and can’t) run through Shopify Billing

Shopify Billing is designed for charges from an app to a merchant — for example, a monthly SaaS fee. It is not designed for, and does not support, marketplace payouts where a merchant pays an independent third party (the creator) for services rendered. Influencer payments require:

  • Holding funds in escrow until content is verified
  • Splitting payouts between the platform and the creator
  • Paying the creator into their own bank account (not back into Shopify)
  • KYC, tax forms, and chargeback handling for the creator-side payout
  • Refunds back to the brand if a campaign is cancelled or content is rejected

These are all features of Stripe Connect’s marketplace product. They are not capabilities of the Shopify Billing API. Running creator payouts through Shopify would mean Shopify holding funds destined for non-Shopify-customer payees, which the Billing API is not built to do.

This is why the “I have approval to charge merchants outside of the Shopify Billing API” box is ticked on our app listing, and why this page exists.

03 · At a glance

Where each charge lives

Shopify Billing API

Mega Donkey subscription (Starter / Growth / Scale)

Payment method
Your Shopify-billed payment method
Receipt
Shopify invoices

Shopify Billing API

Plan upgrades, downgrades, refunds

Payment method
Same as your Shopify subscription
Receipt
Shopify invoices

Mega Donkey (Stripe Connect)

Campaign budgets (paying creators)

Payment method
Card or direct debit added on Mega Donkey
Receipt
Mega Donkey campaign receipts

Mega Donkey (Stripe Connect)

Platform fees on campaigns

Payment method
Bundled into campaign funding
Receipt
Mega Donkey campaign receipts

Mega Donkey (Stripe Connect)

Refunds for cancelled / rejected creator work

Payment method
Returned to the original card on file
Receipt
Mega Donkey campaign receipts

04 · Frequently asked questions

Common questions

Two, but they cover different things. Shopify bills you for your Mega Donkey subscription. Mega Donkey bills you for campaign budgets and platform fees when you choose to run a campaign. If you don’t run any campaigns in a given month, Mega Donkey won’t charge you anything beyond your Shopify-billed subscription.

You can install the app and link your store on the free Starter plan with no Shopify charge. Paid plans (Growth and Scale) unlock higher limits and are billed through Shopify.

No. Every campaign you create on Mega Donkey shows you the full cost — creator budget plus platform fee — before you confirm funding. We do not charge for campaigns automatically and we do not bill you for creator work without an explicit campaign-funding action from you.

Yes. Subscription refunds are processed through Shopify under Shopify’s refund rules. Campaign refunds (for cancelled campaigns or rejected content) are processed on Mega Donkey and returned to the card you used to fund the campaign. Both flows are documented in our Terms of Service.

Your Shopify-side payment method is stored by Shopify. Your campaign-funding card is stored by Stripe — Mega Donkey never sees or stores raw card numbers. Both providers are PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant.

For anything to do with your subscription, contact us at support@megadonkey.com.au and we can liaise with Shopify on your behalf. For anything to do with a campaign payment or refund, contact us at the same address and we’ll resolve it inside Mega Donkey.

Still have questions?

Email support@megadonkey.com.au — a real human will reply within one business day.