Money, identity, and what we do with your data
Three separate promises. We'd rather be specific about each than say “bank-grade” and hope you don't ask.
We never see your card
Payments run through Stripe, a PCI Level 1 processor. Card details go from your device to Stripe directly — they don't touch our servers and we couldn't store them if we wanted to.
Athletes are paid through Stripe too
Every athlete has their own Stripe account. Identity checks and bank details are handled by Stripe under the same rules that apply to any business taking card payments.
Our ledger is double-entry
Every cent that moves is recorded twice, and balances are derived from that record rather than stored and edited. If the books don't balance, we know immediately.
A person checks. Not a form, not an algorithm.
Anyone can create an account here, which is deliberate — the approval queue is what killed the last version of this product. But open sign-up means someone will eventually create a page pretending to be a famous athlete, so this is how we handle that.
Before a page is confirmed
It says so, in amber, directly above the payment buttons: nobody at Tip the Play has confirmed this is who they say they are. A fan reads that before they send anything, not after.
Accounts using the name of a well-known athlete are flagged automatically and can't receive money until a human has looked at them.
What we actually ask for
A photo of you in team gear or a game photo we can match to your profile. A roster page, league profile or agency contact. Proof you control the social account in your bio. A team or school email if you have one — most people don't, and that's fine.
We work with what you've got. It usually takes under a day.
What we collect and what we don't
What we collect
Your account details, the content you post, what you've sent or received, and basic analytics about how the app is used. Athletes get an exportable record of every payment for tax and compliance disclosure.
What we don't do
We don't sell your data. We don't share your payment history with your school, your team or anyone else unless you export it yourself or the law requires it. We don't run ads in the feed today, and if that ever changes we'll say so plainly rather than quietly.
Reporting a problem
Impersonation, a page that shouldn't exist, or a payment that looks wrong — email trust@tiptheplay.com and a person will read it. Security researchers, same address; we'll work with you.
If you're a compliance officer
An athlete can export a full record of everything they've received here, formatted for disclosure. If your institution needs something specific, tell us what and we'll build it — that's a faster conversation than you'd expect.