diff --git a/core/server/api/canary/members.js b/core/server/api/canary/members.js
index c6a37383b8..19e8794f1b 100644
--- a/core/server/api/canary/members.js
+++ b/core/server/api/canary/members.js
@@ -214,17 +214,21 @@ module.exports = {
             let member;
             frame.options.withRelated = ['stripeSubscriptions', 'stripeSubscriptions.customer'];
             try {
+                if (!membersService.config.isStripeConnected()
+                    && (frame.data.members[0].stripe_customer_id || frame.data.members[0].comped)) {
+                    const property = frame.data.members[0].comped ? 'comped' : 'stripe_customer_id';
+
+                    throw new errors.ValidationError({
+                        message: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.message'),
+                        context: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.context'),
+                        help: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.help'),
+                        property
+                    });
+                }
+
                 member = await membersService.api.members.create(frame.data.members[0], frame.options);
 
                 if (frame.data.members[0].stripe_customer_id) {
-                    if (!membersService.config.isStripeConnected()) {
-                        throw new errors.ValidationError({
-                            message: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.message'),
-                            context: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.context'),
-                            help: i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.help')
-                        });
-                    }
-
                     await membersService.api.members.linkStripeCustomer(frame.data.members[0].stripe_customer_id, member);
                 }
 
@@ -250,7 +254,7 @@ module.exports = {
                 // NOTE: failed to link Stripe customer/plan/subscription or have thrown custom Stripe connection error.
                 //       It's a bit ugly doing regex matching to detect errors, but it's the easiest way that works without
                 //       introducing additional logic/data format into current error handling
-                const isStripeLinkingError = error.message && (error.message.match(/customer|plan|subscription/g) || error.context === i18n.t('errors.api.members.stripeNotConnected.context'));
+                const isStripeLinkingError = error.message && (error.message.match(/customer|plan|subscription/g));
                 if (member && isStripeLinkingError) {
                     if (error.message.indexOf('customer') && error.code === 'resource_missing') {
                         error.message = `Member not imported. ${error.message}`;
diff --git a/core/server/translations/en.json b/core/server/translations/en.json
index b0128e8f37..e4a4de995c 100644
--- a/core/server/translations/en.json
+++ b/core/server/translations/en.json
@@ -399,8 +399,8 @@
             "members": {
                 "memberNotFound": "Member not found.",
                 "stripeNotConnected": {
-                    "message": "Missing Stripe connection",
-                    "context": "Attempting to import members with Stripe data when there is no Stripe account connected",
+                    "message": "Missing Stripe connection.",
+                    "context": "Attempting to import members with Stripe data when there is no Stripe account connected.",
                     "help": "You need to connect to Stripe to import Stripe customers. "
                 },
                 "stripeCustomerNotFound": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1e8fe48de2..ad813367a1 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     "@nexes/nql": "0.4.0",
     "@sentry/node": "5.26.0",
     "@tryghost/adapter-manager": "0.1.11",
-    "@tryghost/admin-api-schema": "1.0.1",
+    "@tryghost/admin-api-schema": "1.1.0",
     "@tryghost/bootstrap-socket": "0.2.2",
     "@tryghost/constants": "0.1.1",
     "@tryghost/errors": "0.2.4",
diff --git a/test/regression/api/canary/admin/members_spec.js b/test/regression/api/canary/admin/members_spec.js
index e7a1d593d7..d20ff56ba2 100644
--- a/test/regression/api/canary/admin/members_spec.js
+++ b/test/regression/api/canary/admin/members_spec.js
@@ -105,6 +105,30 @@ describe('Members API', function () {
             .expect(422);
     });
 
+    it('Add should fail when comped flag is passed in but Stripe is not enabled', function () {
+        const member = {
+            email: 'memberTestAdd@test.com',
+            comped: true
+        };
+
+        return request
+            .post(localUtils.API.getApiQuery(`members/`))
+            .send({members: [member]})
+            .set('Origin', config.get('url'))
+            .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
+            .expect('Cache-Control', testUtils.cacheRules.private)
+            .expect(422)
+            .then((res) => {
+                const jsonResponse = res.body;
+
+                should.exist(jsonResponse);
+                should.exist(jsonResponse.errors);
+
+                jsonResponse.errors[0].message.should.eql('Validation error, cannot save member.');
+                jsonResponse.errors[0].context.should.match(/Missing Stripe connection./);
+            });
+    });
+
     // NOTE: this test should be enabled and expanded once test suite fully supports Stripe mocking
     it.skip('Can set a "Complimentary" subscription', function () {
         const memberToChange = {
@@ -450,7 +474,7 @@ describe('Members API', function () {
                 jsonResponse.meta.stats.invalid.count.should.equal(2);
 
                 should.equal(jsonResponse.meta.stats.invalid.errors.length, 1);
-                jsonResponse.meta.stats.invalid.errors[0].message.should.equal('Missing Stripe connection');
+                jsonResponse.meta.stats.invalid.errors[0].message.should.match(/Missing Stripe connection/);
 
                 should.not.exist(jsonResponse.meta.import_label);
             });
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index c0fa895add..c4a4e0d62e 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -383,10 +383,10 @@
   dependencies:
     "@tryghost/errors" "^0.2.4"
 
-"@tryghost/admin-api-schema@1.0.1":
-  version "1.0.1"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@tryghost/admin-api-schema/-/admin-api-schema-1.0.1.tgz#df5b736e7f217e070d643b4a5e46eba9e95be66f"
-  integrity sha512-AsaBPN3mdgu2dicFS82rdBhV8idz+nxy9Z7FNKaiv0jNRvHHSu9lQyAReio/JevBxnGsywp90CH3sJFUvgOSbw==
+"@tryghost/admin-api-schema@1.1.0":
+  version "1.1.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@tryghost/admin-api-schema/-/admin-api-schema-1.1.0.tgz#97224a9f5b74d08bdd93c1f89a85dfb2bfff9379"
+  integrity sha512-VSn4LMtVmIAHJxXPeW380s3TKy2UbXaWwVsPaUmtYKCAtyO1DelVB20Lnh/UMuWpKOBLVdzMwI66E7V5xxj/ww==
   dependencies:
     "@tryghost/errors" "0.2.4"
     bluebird "^3.5.3"