Woocommerce How To Test Stripe

WooCommerce: How to Test Stripe Payments Before Going Live

Introduction:

Integrating Stripe with your WooCommerce store opens up a world of secure and convenient payment options for your customers. But before you unleash your carefully crafted online shop to the public, it’s crucial to thoroughly test your Stripe integration. This ensures that payments are processed correctly, order statuses are updated appropriately, and your customers have a smooth and reliable checkout experience. In this article, we’ll walk you through the essential steps of testing your WooCommerce Stripe setup, enabling you to launch with confidence. We’ll cover how to enable test mode, run through different payment scenarios, and troubleshoot common issues you might encounter.

Main Part: Testing Your Stripe WooCommerce Integration

The best way to test Stripe is by using Stripe’s “test mode”. This allows you to simulate real transactions without actually processing any real money.

Enabling Stripe Test Mode in WooCommerce

First, you’ll need to enable test mode within your WooCommerce settings. Here’s how:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings.

3. Click on the “Payments” tab.

4. Find the Stripe payment gateway (e.g., “Stripe – Credit Card (Stripe)”).

5. Click “Manage” to access its settings.

6. Look for a checkbox labeled something like “Enable test mode” or “Test mode”. Check this box.

7. Save your changes.

Once test mode is enabled, you’ll need to use Stripe’s test API keys. Stripe provides separate API keys for live and test environments.

Obtaining Your Stripe Test API Keys

1. Log in to your Stripe dashboard.

2. Make sure you are in “Test Mode”. You will usually see a toggle at the top left of the screen indicating whether you are in Live or Test mode. Switch it to Test mode.

3. Navigate to the “Developers” section (usually found in the sidebar).

4. Click on “API Keys”.

5. You will see your “Publishable key” and “Secret key” for test mode. Copy these keys.

Configuring WooCommerce with Test API Keys

1. Return to your WooCommerce Stripe settings Read more about How To Change Product Page Woocommerce (WooCommerce > Settings > Check out this post: Woocommerce How To Mass Upload Products Payments > Manage (Stripe)).

2. Find the fields for “Publishable Key” (or “Live Publishable Key”) and “Secret Key” (or “Live Secret Key”).

3. Replace the *live* keys (if any are already entered) with the *test* keys you copied from your Stripe dashboard.

4. Save your changes.

Now your WooCommerce store is configured to use Stripe’s test environment!

Running Test Transactions

With test mode enabled and your test API keys configured, you can now simulate purchases on your website.

1. Go to your website as a customer would.

2. Add products to your cart and proceed to checkout.

3. Select Stripe as your payment method.

4. Use Stripe’s test credit card numbers to complete the transaction.

Here are a few test card numbers you can use:

• 4242424242424242 (This is a universal test card number that always works)
• You can find a complete list of test card numbers and scenarios (declined, insufficient funds, etc.) on the official Stripe documentation. This is highly recommended!

5. Enter any valid expiration date in the future and a random CVC.

6. Submit the order.

Verifying the Test Transaction

After submitting the order, check the following:

• WooCommerce Order Status: The order status should update to “Processing” or “Completed” depending on your WooCommerce settings.
• Stripe Dashboard: Go to your Stripe dashboard in Test Mode and look for the transaction in the “Payments” section. Verify that the payment was received and has the correct amount.
• Order Confirmation Email: Check your email (and your customer’s email if you’re using customer emails) to ensure that the order confirmation email was sent correctly.
• Inventory Management (if applicable): Confirm that your inventory levels have been updated to reflect the purchase.

Testing Different Payment Scenarios

It’s vital to test various payment scenarios to ensure your Stripe integration handles different situations gracefully. Consider testing the following:

• Successful Payments: As described above.
• Declined Payments: Use a test card number that simulates a declined transaction (refer to Stripe’s documentation).
• Insufficient Funds: Use a test card number that simulates insufficient funds.
• Expired Cards: Use an expired card.
• Refunds (Full and Partial): Initiate a refund from within the WooCommerce order and verify that it reflects correctly in your Stripe dashboard.
• Disputes (Simulated): While you can’t directly create a real dispute in test mode, you can simulate the process by manually investigating how you would handle a disputed charge in your live environment.
• Different Products: Test with products of different prices and types (e.g., physical goods, downloadable products, subscriptions).
• Coupons and Discounts: Apply coupons and discounts and ensure that the final amount is calculated correctly.

Debugging and Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems during testing, here are some common issues and troubleshooting steps:

• Incorrect API Keys: Double-check that you’ve entered the correct test API keys in your WooCommerce settings. Ensure you haven’t accidentally used your live keys.
• Stripe Webhooks: Webhooks are crucial for real-time updates between Stripe and WooCommerce. Ensure that your webhooks are configured correctly in your Stripe dashboard and that your WooCommerce store is receiving them. You can use tools like Stripe CLI for testing webhooks locally.
• Plugin Conflicts: Deactivate other plugins (especially payment-related plugins) to see if they are conflicting with the Stripe integration.
• Theme Conflicts: Switch to a default WordPress theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Three) to rule out any theme-related issues.
• Error Logs: Check your WordPress error logs and Stripe’s logs for any error messages that might provide clues about the problem. Enable WordPress debugging mode to see more detailed error messages. Add this to your `wp-config.php` file:

 define( 'WP_DEBUG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false ); 

• Check the Payment Gateway’s Configuration: The payment gateway should be properly configured to send the payment to Stripe. For instance, confirm that the correct currency is selected.
• Stripe Logs: The Stripe logs in the Stripe Dashboard are the best way to confirm that there are no errors on Stripe’s end.

Conclusion:

Thoroughly testing your WooCommerce Stripe integration is a vital step in ensuring a smooth and reliable payment experience for your customers. By following the steps outlined in this article – enabling test mode, using test API keys, running various payment scenarios, and troubleshooting potential issues – you can confidently launch your online store with the assurance that your payment processing is functioning correctly. Remember to always switch back to live mode and use your live API keys before accepting real payments. Don’t skip this crucial phase. Good luck!