X shifts US creator payouts from Stripe to X Money, building its own payments rails

X is no longer writing checks through someone else’s checkbook. The platform formerly known as Twitter confirmed on August 14 that creator payouts in the US will now flow through X Money, its in-house payments service, replacing the Stripe-powered system that previously handled disbursements.

The shift means creators can receive funds instantly in their X Money accounts rather than waiting through the multi-day clearing process that came with the old Stripe pipeline.

How the new payout system works

X Money launched publicly for US Premium and Premium+ subscribers in late July 2026, roughly two weeks before the creator payout migration went live. The service already offered a Visa debit card, peer-to-peer transfers via Visa Direct, and deposit services through banking partner Cross River Bank. Creator payouts are now layered on top of that infrastructure.

Payouts under X’s Original Content Rewards program still arrive biweekly, and the minimum threshold remains $30. What has changed is speed: funds land in X Money accounts with no waiting period, compared to the days-long settlement windows that Stripe’s rails required.

Creators need to reside in states where X Payments LLC holds the appropriate licenses, and they must be Premium or Premium+ subscribers to access X Money.

X plans to retire its older Revenue Sharing program on September 7, 2026, replacing it entirely with the Original Content Rewards model starting September 8. Under the new structure, payout criteria will focus on impressions generated from Premium users rather than the broader ad-revenue split that characterized the previous system.

Why cutting out Stripe matters

By bringing payouts in-house, X captures the full transaction lifecycle: a creator earns on the platform, gets paid on the platform, and ideally spends on the platform via the Visa debit card.

The stablecoin question

Discussions around accepting stablecoins like USDC for future creator payouts have surfaced in the broader conversation around X Money, though they are not part of this immediate operational shift. X Money remains a fiat-driven service for now.

What this means for creators and the platform economy

The immediate benefit for creators is simple: faster money. Linking payouts to X Money balances also creates a stickiness mechanism. If a creator’s earnings sit in an X Money account that offers boosted annual percentage yields based on balance thresholds, there’s a financial incentive to leave the money inside the ecosystem rather than immediately transferring it to an external bank.

The shift to impression-based payouts from Premium users under the Original Content Rewards model changes the incentive structure for content creation. Creators will now optimize for engagement from paying subscribers rather than raw reach.

YouTube currently pays creators monthly through AdSense with a $100 minimum threshold, compared to X’s biweekly payouts with a $30 minimum and instant settlement through X Money.

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