If customers have trouble paying at checkout, then that’s a huge problem for your online store. It can damage your reputation and cause shoppers to abandon their carts, leading to lost sales.

That’s why testing Stripe payments before you launch your store is so important. This simple step makes sure you’re able to process payments and grow your online business.

We always make sure to do this after setting up an online store with WordPress. And in this article, we will take you through the entire process, step by step.

Keep reading to learn how to easily test Stripe payments on your WordPress site.

Your Most Expensive Oversight: Why Stripe Payment Testing Can’t Wait

When you test Stripe payments on your WordPress site, you are making sure that everything works as it should before launching your online store. If you skip this step, it could end up costing you.

Imagine a customer tries to check out, and the payment fails because of a setup issue. This is not only frustrating for the user, but it will likely also cause lost sales.

Think about it this way. If you ran a physical store and your cash register or POS system stopped working, the customer would have no other choice but to leave and try another store.

The customer wouldn’t be very happy about the inconvenience, and the chances of winning them back would be very low. This means neglecting payment testing could seriously hurt your online store.

The good news is that by testing your payment system before going live, you can catch and fix any problems early. That way, you can avoid any lost sales and damage to your reputation.

You can simulate real-world scenarios, like successful payments, declined transactions, or refunds, to see exactly how your payment gateway responds.

When you’re prepared to handle any situation, you’ll have peace of mind that your Stripe account is secure and properly integrated.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to test Stripe payments in WordPress. In this tutorial, we will be discussing multiple methods. You can use the links below to jump to the method of your choice.

Method 1: Test Stripe Payments in WooCommerce

Stripe is one of the most popular payment gateways for accepting credit card payments in online stores built with WooCommerce. If you’re running a WooCommerce store, this method is for you.

Expert Tip: If you haven’t set up your store yet, see our complete WooCommerce tutorial.

When your WooCommerce store is set up and ready, you’ll need to install and activate the free Stripe Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin. For details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

This plugin comes from the team behind FunnelKit, which is a powerful suite of tools designed to help you create high-converting sales funnels and automate your marketing.

To learn more, see our complete FunnelKit review.

After you activate the plugin, simply click the ‘Start Onboarding Wizard’ button on the Plugins page.

This will launch the FunnelKit setup wizard on your screen.

Now, go ahead and click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button to integrate your existing Stripe account with WooCommerce.

Next, enter the email address and password associated with your Stripe account.

Then, click on the ‘Log in’ button to continue.

After that, if you have created multiple Stripe accounts with the same email address, then choose the one that you want to connect with the plugin.

Once you do that, just click the ‘Connect’ button.

On the following screen, you will see a list of payment methods that you can activate on your store using Stripe. These will include Card, SEPA Direct Debit, iDEAL, and more.

Simply make your choices and click the ‘Save and Continue’ button.

Once that’s done, you’ll need to set up webhooks for your store. For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to accept Stripe payments in WordPress.

After that, the plugin will ask you whether you want to run Stripe on ‘Test’ mode or ‘Live’ mode.

From here, just choose the ‘Test’ option and click the ‘Save and Review Settings’ button.

You will now be redirected to the ‘Stripe Settings’ page in WooCommerce.

Here, you’ll want to check the ‘Enable Stripe Gateway’ option and add a title and description for the payment system.

After that, scroll down and type the bank cards that you plan to accept in your store.

Finally, you can click the ‘Save changes’ button to store your settings.

Now, visit your WooCommerce store and open the checkout page. Here, you will notice that Stripe has been added as a payment option.

You will also see a message letting you know that test mode is currently enabled on your site.

To test Stripe payments on your WooCommerce store, you can use the demo card details mentioned in the message, along with any future expiration date and CVV.

After you have completed some dummy purchases, you can easily check if Stripe has collected the payments by heading over to your Stripe dashboard and clicking on the ‘Payments’ tab.

Here, you can find all the payment details processed through test mode.

Now, if all your test payments have been processed without issue, head back to the ‘Stripe Settings’ page in your WordPress dashboard.

Here, choose the ‘Live’ option from the ‘Mode’ dropdown menu to start accepting real Stripe payments in WordPress.

Method 2: Test Stripe Payments for Digital Products

If you sell digital products online using WordPress and want to accept Stripe payments, then we recommend using the Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) plugin.

You can use it to sell digital products like eBooks, plugins, PDFs, and more. Plus, it comes with built-in Stripe integration, making it simple to test Stripe payments before launching your store’s payment system.

We use EDD ourselves to sell our plugins and software, and we’ve been really happy with it. It’s beginner-friendly and comes with a lot of handy features. To learn more, see our complete Easy Digital Downloads review.

First, you need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. For details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, head over to the Downloads » Settings » Payments page from the WordPress dashboard and check the ‘Test Mode’ box.

After that, choose Stripe as your payment option from the ‘Active Gateways’ section.

Then, switch to the ‘Stripe’ tab from the top and click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button.

This will open a setup wizard where you’ll need to connect your existing Stripe account with EDD. Once you have successfully done that, just click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Now, visit the ‘Downloads’ page and click the ‘Add New’ button.

Once the block editor opens, you can add a digital product to your store.

For step-by-step instructions, see our beginner’s guide on selling digital downloads on WordPress.

Finally, click the ‘Publish’ button to make your product live.

Now, you need to visit your online store and head over to the checkout page.

Stripe will already be set up as a payment gateway in test mode. You can just add the demo card details and click the ‘Purchase’ button to test the payment process:

• Card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
• Expiration date: Any future date
• CVC: Any three-digit number

Keep in mind that the details mentioned above won’t be displayed on the EDD checkout page. We found them in Stripe’s official documentation.

The processor allows you to use these details to test payment flows in a secure environment without worrying about making real transactions.

Finally, you will be taken to the purchase confirmation page if the transaction is successful.

Here, you’ll see details about your purchase, such as the ‘Order Status’ and the ‘Payment Method.’

However, you can also check the test payments directly from your Stripe account.

To do this, just visit the ‘Payments’ page in your Stripe dashboard.

Now that you have successfully tested your payments, head back to the Downloads » Settings » Payments page.

Go ahead and uncheck the ‘Test Mode’ box to make your Stripe payment system live. Finally, make sure to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Method 3: Test Stripe Payments on WordPress Payment Forms

Need to test Stripe payments on your WordPress payment form? This can be handy if you’re selling subscriptions, services, or just a couple of products in your online store.

If you’re not using it already, then we recommend WP Simple Pay. It has an easy-to-use builder, strong spam protection, and works with multiple payment options. You can also use it to sell products and easily accept Stripe payments.

We did a deep dive into this plugin’s features for our full WP Simple Pay review. And we found that it’s great for selling single products, services, memberships, or subscriptions.

The added bonus is that it lets you test Stripe payments before you go live.

First, you must install and activate the WP Simple Pay plugin. For details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After you activate the plugin, a setup wizard will open up on your screen. Here, click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

Now, you will be taken to the next step, where you can enter your plugin’s license key.

You can get this information from your account on the WP Simple Pay website.

Next, you’ll have to connect your existing Stripe account with the plugin to accept online payments.

To get started, click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button. For details, check our tutorial on how to accept Stripe payments in WordPress.

Once you have successfully connected Stripe and WP Simple Pay, the setup wizard will ask you to configure your emails.

From here, you can enable options to receive email notifications for payment receipts, upcoming invoices, and payment notifications.

Make sure to also enter the email address where you want the plugin to send these messages. Then, click the ‘Save and Continue’ button.

After that, you need to complete the rest of the setup wizard steps according to your preferences.

Once you are done, head over to the WP Simple Pay » Payment Forms page in the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Create Your Payment Form’ button.

This will take you to the ‘Select a template’ page, where you will see a list of premade templates offered by WP Simple Pay.

There are options to sell subscriptions, services, a single product, and more. Just click the ‘Use Template’ button when you find one you like.

For this tutorial, we will be choosing a simple payment form template.

This will take you to the ‘Add New Payment Form’ page, where you can add a title and description for your form.

Then, you can select your form type as ‘On-site payment form.’

Next, switch to the ‘Payments’ tab from the left column.

You can now choose ‘Test Mode’ as the ‘Payment Mode’ for your form. This will allow you to test Stripe payments on your WordPress site.

After that, choose your preferred tax collection rates from the dropdown menu under the ‘Tax Collection’ option.

At this point, you can refer to our guide on how to create a WordPress form with payment options for more details on customizing and publishing.

Once you publish your form on the front end of your site, you will notice that ‘test mode’ will be displayed at the bottom.

This means you can test Stripe payments. To do so, you’ll need to add the demo card details and click the ‘Pay’ button.

We found these demo details in Stripe’s official documentation:

• Card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
• Expiration date: Any future date
• CVC: Any three-digit number

The processor offers them so you can test payments safely without worrying about making real transactions.

To verify if you have received the payment after hitting ‘Pay,’ head over to your Stripe dashboard.

Once there, switch to the ‘Payments’ tab, where you will see the successful transaction.

Now that you have tested your Stripe payments, just go to the WP Simple Pay » Payment Forms page.

Here, you need to click the ‘Edit’ link under the form you just published.

This will open the form builder, where you’ll need to switch to the ‘Payments’ tab.

Here, select ‘Live Mode’ as the payment mode for your form and click the ‘Update’ button to store your changes.

Your form will now start accepting real Stripe payments from customers.

Bonus: Tips & Resources for Using Stripe in WordPress

Now that you’re ready to accept Stripe payments in WordPress, you may be interested in these additional resources:

Frequently Asked Questions About Testing Stripe Payments

Here are some questions that our readers frequently ask about testing Stripe payments in WordPress:

How frequently should I test Stripe payments?

You should test Stripe payments whenever you make any big changes to your site, such as updating plugins, switching themes, or adding new payment methods.

It is also a good idea to test periodically, especially if you are launching new products or services, to make sure everything is still working smoothly.

Regular testing ensures that your checkout process remains secure and functional, providing a hassle-free experience for your customers.

What should I do if a test transaction fails?

If a test transaction fails, you must first double-check that your Stripe integration is still in test mode. Then, verify the demo card details you entered, including the expiration date and CVV.

If the details are correct, then check for any error messages from Stripe to identify the issue. Sometimes, the issue could be related to a setting or plugin conflict, so make sure everything is updated and properly configured.

However, if you are still having trouble, then you can reach out to the Stripe support team for help resolving the issue.

Can I use real credit card details to test Stripe payments?

No, you shouldn’t use real credit card details to test Stripe payments.

Instead, Stripe provides demo card details specifically for testing, which simulate real transactions without using actual money.

This way, you can test your payment system safely without any risk of unauthorized charges or affecting your customers. Always make sure you are in test mode when doing this to avoid processing real payments.

Can I test payments on my live site without affecting real transactions?

Yes, you can test payments on your live site without affecting real transactions by using Stripe’s test mode.

When this mode is enabled, all payments are simulated and won’t charge real money or affect your customers. Just make sure Stripe is in test mode and use the demo card details it provides to carry out test transactions.

Can I test subscriptions and recurring payments with Stripe?

Yes, you can test subscriptions and recurring payments with Stripe.

In test mode, you can set up subscription plans and simulate recurring payments to ensure everything works correctly. Stripe allows you to test different subscription scenarios, such as billing cycles and payment retries, without affecting real transactions.

This makes it easy to verify that your subscription system is set up properly before going live.

We hope this article helped you learn how to test Stripe payments on your WordPress site. You may also want to see our tutorial on accepting ACH payments or our guide to accepting iDEAL payments in WordPress.

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