How to Configure Payment Gateways in Woocommerce

WooCommerce is a popular WordPress plugin that allows businesses to easily set up and manage an online store. Choosing the right payment gateway is crucial for a smooth customer experience and can reduce cart abandonment. WooCommerce offers a variety of payment options, including hosted, self-hosted, API, and mobile solutions. 

In this article, we will explain how to configure payment gateways in Woocomerce.

What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress that enables you to create an online store. It allows you to sell both physical and digital products, manage inventory, process payments, and handle shipping. With a range of customizable themes and extensions, WooCommerce provides flexibility for businesses of all sizes to tailor their store’s features to meet specific needs. You can learn more about Woocommerce by exploring our dedicated guide Is WooCommerce a Good Fit for Small Businesses.

Top Payment Gateways WooCommerce

The best WooCommerce payment gateway depends on your business needs, but some top options stand out for their features and smooth service.

1. WooCommerce Payments integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, letting you manage gateways directly from the main dashboard.
2. PayPal remains a popular choice, offering hosted payments and API gateways with transaction-based fees or subscription plans.
3. Stripe keeps customers on your website during transactions and is developer-friendly, making it easy to customize.
4. Square is ideal for businesses with physical stores, offering tools and equipment for a unified system.
5. Authorize.Net is a robust option that supports multiple payment methods and includes fraud detection features.
6. Direct Bank Transfer lets customers pay directly from their bank accounts. It’s secure and fee-free but requires manual payment confirmation, making it suitable for businesses comfortable with offline verification. 

Configuring Payment Gateways in Woocommerce

Setting up payment gateways in WooCommerce is crucial for ensuring a smooth online store experience. Let’s explore the following steps to learn how to configure Payment gateways in WooCommerce:

Step 1: Install and Activate WooCommerce

To integrate a payment gateway, search for the respective WooCommerce plugin in the WordPress plugin repository. Once you locate the plugin, click the Install Now button to add it to your site:

After installation, click Activate to enable the plugin:

Step 2: Access WooCommerce Settings

Now navigate to WooCommerce and then access the Settings:

Step 3: Open the Payments Tab

Now click on the Payments tab in the settings menu to see a list of available payment methods such as direct bank transfer, check payments, and cash on delivery:

Step 4: Enable a Payment Gateway

Toggle the switch next to the payment gateway you want to enable:

Step 5: Configure Payment Gateways Woocommerce in WordPress

After enabling the gateway, click on the Manage button to configure the payment gateway:

Now you can configure the selected payment gateway by following these steps in the Payments section of WooCommerce:

1. Enter the title that will appear to customers during checkout. For example, “Direct Bank Transfer”.
2. Provide a brief description of the payment method. For instance, “Make your payment directly into our bank account. Use your Order ID as the payment reference”.
3. You can add any additional instructions for the customer, which will be displayed on the order confirmation page or email.
4. Enter the bank account details required for customers to make payments. This includes the account name, account number, bank name, routing number, IBAN, and BIC/Swift code:

You can add multiple payment gateways Woocommerce using the + Add account button. Also, you can remove accounts using the Remove Selected Account button. After specifying these details, click Save Changes to apply the configuration. This ensures the payment gateway is ready for customer transactions. Finally, you can make a test order to check if the payment gateway is working properly.

Step 6: Add Additional Gateways (Optional)

You can install additional plugins like WooCommerce PayPal Payments, Stripe Payment Gateway, etc., to expand the payment options available on your online store. These plugins allow you to securely process payments through popular payment services, giving your customers the flexibility to choose their preferred method for transactions:

That’s all about configuring the payment gateways in Woocommerce.

Conclusion

Configuring the right payment gateway for your WooCommerce store ensures a smooth and secure shopping experience. Whether you choose WooCommerce Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Square, Authorize.Net, or Direct Bank Transfer, each option offers unique features tailored to different business needs. Moreover, testing the gateway and adding more options through plugins enhances the payment experience for your customers by providing them with flexibility and security when completing their orders.

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