Last updated - October 18, 2022
The ability to accept payments is one of the things that separate a normal website from an eCommerce store. It is also one of the most important aspects of customer experience as users would have different preferences for payment. If you have a WooCommerce store, you can set up payment methods as you prefer from a range of available choices. By default, WooCommerce has a set of basic payment gateway options. However, you can easily add a range of different payment gateways with the help of plugins. In this article, we will discuss how to set up payment methods easily on your WooCommerce store.
Setting up payment methods
Right after installing WooCommerce, you will find a setup wizard that will help you configure the basic aspects of your WooCommerce store. Here you will be able to choose some of the payment options.
After setting up the store, you can access the payment settings through WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.
Here, you will see all the available payment options in your store. You can enable or disable specific payment options here. To access the individual settings of a payment option, you can either click its name or click the Setup button (or Manage when enabled) on the right.
Default payment options
Now, there are some default payment options in-built to WooCommerce. Also, there are several other popular payment options that you can set up using plugins. We will discuss some of these payment methods later in the article. First, let’s take a quick look at some of the core payment options of WooCommerce.
Further Read: The detailed setup guide of core WooCommerce payment gateways.
PayPal Standard
PayPal is one of the most popular payment options across the world. Using the PayPal Standard option of WooCommerce, you can redirect customers to the PayPal site to complete the transaction. You need to have a PayPal business account to be able to use this mode of payment. If you have a Personal account with PayPal, you can convert it to a Business for free.
You can set it up by entering a name, description, and PayPal email id. There are also a few advanced configuration steps, some of which you need to access through your PayPal account dashboard. Even though having an SSL certificate is a necessary security precaution for any eCommerce site, this payment option does not mandate it. Also, WooCommerce does not charge you any fee for this payment option. However, PayPal will charge you based on transactions and based on your account.
Check Payments
This is an offline payment method that you can use on your WooCommerce store. You will have to manually confirm that the check payments made by customers have cleared before shipping the order. When this payment method is used by customers, the order status will be ‘On Hold’ until you change it.
Setting up this payment method is quite simple as all you have to do is enable it from the payment options.
Direct Bank Transfer (BACS)
Similar to Check Payments, this one is also in offline mode. You can set it up by enabling it and entering your account details in the settings page. When customers make payments through this option, the order status will be ‘On Hold’, till you change it.
Cash on Delivery
Cash on Delivery is another offline payment method that you can use on your WooCommerce store. You can enable it in the payment settings just like the other ones we discussed in this article. In addition, you can make this payment option available only for specific shipping methods.
Other popular payment options for WooCommerce
In addition to these core payment options, there are several free and premium options that you can integrate on your WooCommerce store. We will discuss a few of those options here.
PayPal Pro
Instead of redirecting customers to the PayPal site, you can complete the entire transaction on your website itself using this plugin. Your site needs to have an SSL certificate to be able to use this payment option. Also, you should have a PayPal Pro merchant account or a Payflow account. This is one of the most preferred payment options and can help a lot in improving customer experience on your site.
Stripe
Stripe is a favorite payment option in more than 40 countries. It allows you to accept payments through all major credit cards as well as AliPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc. Just like PayPal Pro, this Stripe plugin also allows you to accept payments without redirecting the customer to a third-party website. Also, it helps you accept recurring payments for subscriptions. In addition, you will get advanced security features to detect and prevent fraud. Overall, Stripe is a great payment option if you are looking to offer a great checkout experience to your customers.
PayPal Checkout
Another free option to accept credit card payments on your WooCommerce store is PayPal Checkout. Along with accepting major credit cards, this plugin also helps you accept Venmo payments and PayPal credit for US customers. Customers will have a seamless checkout experience on your site as this plugin helps them checkout using their PayPal credentials. Apart from that, you will be able to provide the trust and security features of PayPal.
Amazon Pay
Customers will be able to checkout from your site using their Amazon account instead of creating a new account. This could be a great boost to your conversion rate and it will help in reducing cart abandonment. Customers stay in your store during the entire checkout process and you can be assured of the security features of Amazon. The plugin supports recurring payments for subscriptions as well as helps you make seamless transactions on smartphones and tablets. You can check out an alternate option for Amazon payments here.
Authorize.net
This plugin helps you accept payments through credit cards and eChecks. Customers will also be able to save their credit card information on your site for a smooth checkout next time. It offers full support for subscriptions as well as pre-orders. While using this plugin, you will be able to capture prior authorized transactions as well as process refunds easily from your WooCommerce admin. You can find out some of the best WooCommerce Authorize.net plugins here.
Choosing the right payment gateway
If you are a WooCommerce store owner, you probably know that there are a large number of options for payment gateway integration. It is important to choose the most suitable for your store. Here are some expert tips that could be helpful while choosing a payment gateway for your WooCommerce store.
Security
Security is one of the most important aspects to consider when you set up payment methods in your store. You need to make secure payment options available to your customers so that they can be assured of the transactions they make in your store. You need to get an SSL certificate on your site as a first step in securing transactions. Another advanced security feature is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)
Cost-effectiveness
There are several different kinds of payment options available for an eCommerce store. It is important to understand the costing aspects before settling down on one. Different payment options will have different types of costs associated with them. Some may have an initial set-up cost, while some others will have ongoing transaction-based charges. There are certain gateways that will charge you subscription fees periodically. In addition, you might have to purchase a premium integration plugin as well. So, consider all these options before choosing the right payment gateway option for your WooCommerce store.
Location
A lot of payment gateways are location specific. Based on the location of your store, your choice of payment gateways can differ. Even the preferences of customers will also change based on the location. Certain payment gateway options like PayPal and Amazon Pay are globally popular, when there are certain others like Klarna Payments or SagePay are restricted to specific regions.
Support for Subscriptions
One of the important eCommerce business models is the subscription model. A lot of businesses focus on this model that ensures recurring income. It is important to integrate a payment gateway that supports recurring payments when you have a subscription business. For example, Stripe is a payment gateway that supports both automatic and manual recurring payments.
Compliance to GDPR
If you are selling to customers in the European Union, you need to be compliant with GDPR. These regulations are applicable when you collect the personal information of your customers in any manner. A proper understanding of how your site and payment gateway handles customer information is important in this regard. If you are sending any information about customers to a third-party payment processor, you need to disclose it to your customers.
Hope this article has provided a basic understanding on how to set up payment methods on your WooCommerce store. Leave us a comment to share an insight or if you have a query.
Watch our video on the best WooCommerce Payment plugins:
Thank you very much for sharing such valuable information. This article has taught me a lot about this subject. I’m looking forward to seeing more such stuff from this website. Once again, thank you.
Glad that you found our article useful. Keep checking Learnwoo for more article and guides.