For customers to be able to complete an order, your WooCommerce store needs at least one suitable payment method. This could be a classic bank transfer, for example, or an online payment method where the payment is processed directly during the checkout process.
Which payment methods are available in your shop depends on WooCommerce itself and the additionally installed payment extensions.
You can find the central administration at:
WooCommerce
→ Settings
→ Payments
There you can activate, deactivate, and configure existing payment methods and determine their order in the checkout.
Important: WooCommerce manages the order and provides the technical interface for payment methods. In the case of an online payment, the actual payment is processed via the respective payment provider and its WooCommerce extension.
What payment methods belong to WooCommerce? #
WooCommerce includes basic options for payments that are processed outside of an automated online payment transaction. These particularly include:
| Payment method | How does it work? |
|---|---|
| Direct bank transfer | The customer places an order in the shop and then transfers the amount themselves to your bank account. |
| Check payment | The customer pays outside the shop by check. This method is technically available, but is by no means used sensibly in every market. |
| Cash on delivery | Payment is made upon delivery of the order. |
These payment methods do not require an external online payment provider for the actual transfer of funds. Therefore, WooCommerce also cannot automatically determine whether, for example, a bank transfer has actually been received in your account.
Online payments require a suitable integration #
If you want to offer credit cards, wallets, or other online payment methods, you usually need a corresponding WooCommerce extension for the desired payment provider.
Such an extension technically connects your shop to the payment service provider.
The simplified process looks like this:
Customer orders
↓
Selects payment method
↓
Payment provider processes payment
↓
Payment extension transmits result
↓
WooCommerce updates order
Which payment methods are actually available depends, among other things, on the provider, your merchant account, your country, the currency, and the extension used.
That is why two WooCommerce stores can display different payment options: Installed plugins and connected payment providers expand the „Payments“ section with their own methods and settings.
Activate and configure payment method #
Open:
WooCommerce
→ Settings
→ Payments
In the overview, you can see the payment service providers or payment methods available in your shop.
You can activate an existing method. You can access its settings via the respective administration or setup function.
Which fields appear there depends on the payment method. A bank transfer, for example, requires bank information and payment instructions. An online payment extension, on the other hand, often requires a connection to your account with the respective payment provider.
Define checkout sequence #
The order of the available payment gateways can be changed in the WooCommerce payment settings.
WooCommerce generally uses this order for the display in the checkout as well.
For example, you can use this to display a frequently used payment method higher up and a rarely used one further down.
Please note, however, that individual payment extensions may have their own display logic. The actual visible order may therefore be influenced by their own settings in the case of certain extensions.
Set up direct bank transfer #
Direct bank transfer is frequently used in WooCommerce as BACS referred to as.
It functions as an offline payment method. The customer completes their order, but the payment itself takes place outside of WooCommerce via their bank.
You can find the configuration under the offline payment methods in the section:
WooCommerce
→ Settings
→ Payments
For the bank transfer, you can enter, among other things, the title visible to the customer, a description, payment instructions, and your bank details.
Depending on the configuration, possible account information may include, for example:
- Account holder
- Account number
- Bank name
- IBAN
- SWIFT/BIC
WooCommerce displays the stored payment information on the order confirmation page after the purchase and in the corresponding order email.
Bank transfer does not mean automatic payment verification #
With a direct bank transfer, WooCommerce does not automatically know when the customer transferred the money and when it arrived in your account.
A corresponding order will therefore initially be placed on Waiting or rather En espera set.
The practical procedure is:
Order received
↓
Status: Pending
↓
Customer transfers payment
↓
You check your bank account
↓
Payment has actually been received
↓
Continue processing the order
Important: When making a bank transfer, do not rely on a customer saying they have paid. Check the actual receipt of payment in your bank account before further processing the order or shipping goods.
We explain how WooCommerce uses the various order statuses in the article WooCommerce Order Status Simply Explained.
Check payment #
Check payment is also an offline payment method. It allows the customer to place an order without WooCommerce processing an online payment during checkout.
The order generally remains on Waiting, until you have verified the payment outside of WooCommerce.
Whether you even need this payment method depends on your business and your customers. If you do not accept check payments, you do not need to activate it.
Cash on delivery #
In the WooCommerce payment method Cash on delivery or rather Cash on Delivery The customer pays only upon delivery.
WooCommerce sets such orders by default to In progress, until the payment is collected upon delivery and the order is completed.
The cash-on-delivery settings allow, among other things, a custom title and a description or instructions for the customer.
The method can also be limited to specific shipping methods. This is useful if, for example, cash on delivery is to be offered only for certain shipping methods.
We explain how to set up shipping methods in the article Set up shipping zones, shipping methods, and shipping costs.
Caution with cash on delivery: In this case, the status „Processing“ does not mean that WooCommerce has already received an electronic payment. The payment will only be charged upon delivery.
Set up online payment provider #
Setting up an online payment provider is more complex than a bank transfer.
Typically, you need:
- an account with the payment service provider
- a suitable WooCommerce extension
- a link between the extension and the merchant account
- the account settings required for the provider
The exact setup depends on the provider. Some extensions connect through a login and authorization process, while others use login credentials or technical keys.
Do not use login credentials from external guides: API keys, secret keys, webhook signatures, and similar access credentials always belong to your own merchant account. You should not share such secret credentials publicly.
What happens when an online payment goes through successfully? #
With a correctly integrated online payment method, WooCommerce receives a payment confirmation from the payment provider or its extension.
For a normal order involving physical products, the typical subsequent process looks like this:
Payment Successful
↓
WooCommerce marks the order as paid
↓
Status: In Progress
↓
Items are shipped or fulfilled
↓
Status: Completed
This process is typical, but not identical for every order. Product type, payment method, and additional extensions can influence the status flow.
For example, orders consisting exclusively of products that are both virtual and downloadable can be completed automatically after successful payment.
An order is not paid for just because it exists #
This is one of the most important rules in WooCommerce order management.
An order can have the status, for example:
Payment pending
have.
This means that WooCommerce knows about the order, but a successful payment has not yet been confirmed.
Even with Waiting a payment confirmation may still be missing.
Therefore, in case of uncertainty, check not only whether an order exists, but also:
- which payment method was used
- what order status it has
- What order notes are available
- whether there is actually a successful transaction at the payment provider
You can find more on practical control in the article Managing WooCommerce orders: status, payment, and shipping.
Why order status and payment are not the same #
The order status describes the current state of the order within WooCommerce. The actual movement of money, on the other hand, takes place with the payment provider in the case of online payments.
For example, an order may still be in an unexpected status due to missing or delayed feedback, even though information about the transaction is already available at the payment provider.
Conversely, you should not simply set an order status manually to „Processing“ or „Completed“ and assume that this has triggered or confirmed a payment.
Note: Manually changing the order status does not generate a credit card payment and does not automatically charge the customer's money.
Why communication with the payment provider is important #
Online payment providers must be able to tell your shop whether a payment is successful, still pending, or failed, for example.
Depending on the provider, modern payment extensions use technical notifications and interfaces such as webhooks for this purpose.
If this communication does not work correctly, a payment can be successful with the provider while WooCommerce does not update the order status as expected.
The exact technical setup of such notifications depends on the respective payment service provider. Therefore, for provider-specific settings, please refer to the current documentation of the WooCommerce extension actually being used.
Payment method is not displayed in checkout #
An activated payment method does not automatically have to be visible to every customer in every situation.
Online payment providers may have certain requirements or restrictions. Depending on the extension, factors such as country, currency, shopping cart, product type, or other conditions may play a role.
Therefore, if a payment method is missing, you should check first:
- Is the payment method enabled in WooCommerce?
- Is the corresponding extension installed and active?
- Is the merchant account fully connected?
- Does the payment method support the currency used?
- Does the current checkout meet the provider's requirements?
- Are there any error messages or logs from the payment extension?
Do not change multiple settings at the same time. Otherwise, it will be hard to trace later which change actually solved or caused the problem.
Do not confuse test mode with real payments #
Many online payment extensions have a test or sandbox mode.
This allows you to check the payment process without making a normal, real customer payment.
Whether a test mode is available and how it works depends on the respective payment service provider.
Check before launching the shop: A payment provider must not accidentally remain in test mode when real customers need to pay. Conversely, for technical tests, you should use the provider's designated test mode whenever possible.
A successful test payment is not enough #
When testing a payment method, you should not only check whether the checkout shows a success message.
Check the entire process:
Checkout
↓
Payment
↓
Order in WooCommerce
↓
Correct order status
↓
Order notes
↓
Payment at provider
↓
Order email
This allows you to see, for example, whether the payment goes through, but the feedback to WooCommerce is not being processed correctly.
We cover a complete test order in the article Testing a WooCommerce shop before launch: Test order and checklist.
Saved payment methods in the customer account #
WooCommerce has a section in the customer account for saved payment methods. However, whether customers can actually save a payment method there and reuse it later depends on the payment service provider used and its WooCommerce extension.
Not every payment method supports permanent storage.
With modern online payment providers, sensitive card data is usually not simply stored as a complete card number in WooCommerce. However, the exact technical implementation and storage are determined by the payment integration used.
You can find more about your customer account in the article Setting up customer accounts and guest checkout in WooCommerce.
Refunds also depend on the payment method #
With a compatible online payment extension, WooCommerce can submit a refund directly to the payment gateway.
Other payment methods only support manual refunds.
For example, in the case of a bank transfer, WooCommerce cannot automatically transfer money from your bank account back to the customer.
We explain how automatic and manual refunds work in the article Cancel order and issue refund.
Do not confuse payment provider fees with WooCommerce #
Online payment providers can charge fees for transactions.
These fees arise due to your contract or tariff with the respective payment provider and are not the same as the order amount that WooCommerce calculates in the shop.
WooCommerce Core also doesn't automatically add a surcharge for a specific payment method to the cart just because the payment provider charges you a transaction fee.
Additional extensions or custom solutions are required for extra fees or discounts depending on the payment method.
Note: Whether you are allowed to pass payment fees on to customers is not a technical WooCommerce question. Legal and contractual requirements may apply to this.
Do not activate an unnecessarily large number of payment methods #
Technically, you can offer multiple payment methods at the same time. However, more choice is not automatically better.
Only activate payment methods that you have actually set up and tested and whose payments you can reliably manage.
For each method used, you should know:
- How do I recognize a successful payment?
- What order status does it usually generate?
- Where can I check the transaction?
- How does a refund work?
- What fees does the provider charge?
This allows you to avoid payment methods that are visible at checkout, but which no one correctly maintains while the shop is running.
What to do if an online payment fails? #
In the event of a failed payment, you should first open the relevant order.
Check the order notes. Payment extensions often store information there regarding the payment attempt or status changes.
Then check the transaction or the payment attempt directly with the payment service provider used.
Depending on the extension, additional WooCommerce logs may be available.
A failed payment attempt can have many causes – for example, a rejection by the payment provider, incomplete configuration, or disrupted communication between the provider and the shop.
Do not mark as paid on a hunch: If an online payment has failed or is unclear, you should not simply change the order status manually to „move the order along.“ First, check whether money has actually been received.
We cover systematic technical troubleshooting in the article Systematically finding WooCommerce issues: status, logs, and error diagnostics.
Test payment methods before launching the store #
Every active payment method should be tested completely at least once.
For example, in the case of a bank transfer, you should check whether the correct payment information appears on the order confirmation and in the email.
When using an online payment method, you should use the provider's intended test procedure to check, among other things, whether:
- the payment method appears at checkout,
- the payment process can be completed,
- the order is created in WooCommerce,
- the order status is updated correctly,
- the payment is visible to the provider,
- the order e-mails are triggered.
Test a failed or cancelled payment process if possible. An online store must not only process successful payments correctly.
What's next? #
After an order, WooCommerce sends various notifications to customers and shop owners. These include, for example, information about new orders or changes to the order status.
In the next article, we therefore explain Set up WooCommerce emails and order notifications.
Summary #
You can manage the available payment methods under WooCommerce → Settings → Payments. There you can activate existing methods, configure them, and determine their order.
WooCommerce includes basic offline payment methods such as direct bank transfer, check payments, and cash on delivery. With such payment methods, the actual payment is processed outside of an automated online payment process.
For online payments, you need a suitable integration with the respective payment provider. This processes the payment and transmits the result to WooCommerce.
An existing order does not automatically mean that it has been paid for. In case of ambiguity, always check the payment method, order status, order notes, and – in the case of online payments – the actual transaction with the payment service provider.
Test every active payment method completely before real customers can pay with it. You should check not only the checkout, but also the order status, payment confirmation, and notifications.
