Test Shopify payments ensure a smooth and secure checkout experience for customers in your store. It allows you to simulate transactions and confirms that payment processing works correctly, allowing customers to complete transactions without any errors. By conducting these tests, store owners verify funds are transferred correctly before going live.
Shopify provides a test mode to perform this process, enabling you to validate workflows like successful payments, failed payments, and notification without processing real money.
This helps store owners familiarize themselves with the checkout process and ensure that every aspect of payment handling is optimized for customer satisfaction. After completing the testing, deactivate test mode to resume normal operations with real payment methods.
1. Set Up Shopify Payments
Firstly, log into your Shopify Admin and navigate to the "Settings" section at the bottom-left corner of the dashboard. Select Payments and activate Shopify Payments by filling your business and bank account details.
Choose the credit card types and other payment methods you want to accept, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal. After completing, save your settings. Now Shopify Payments will be ready for use, and you can test it as needed.
2. Enable Test Mode
To test payments, enable test mode from the payments section in the Shopify admin dashboard. You must now conduct various test transactions using specific test credit card numbers provided by Shopify.
For stores using Shopify payments, click Manage and Enable test mode. In test mode do not use real credit cards for transactions. Also make sure that Test Mode is not enabled on a live store, because this prevents real customers from checking out.
If you're using a third-party payment provider, check their documentation to enable test mode. Generally, you will need to access the payment provider settings and select the option for testing or sandbox mode.
3. Test Successful Transaction
Once test mode is enabled, the user initiates a test transaction by selecting the product, adding to cart and proceeding to checkout where enter the required information and use the test credit card numbers provided by Shopify to complete the transaction. After completing the transaction, the admin panel shows the order status as "Paid". The funds are not shown in payouts, confirming that this is a test scenario and the payment gateway setup is working correctly.
To complete the successful transaction, enter the following credit card information during checkout:
Name on Card: Enter a full name (at least of two words).
Expiry Date: Enter any valid future date.
Security Code: Combination of any three digits.
Card Number: Use one of the following valid numbers
Additionally, review the test order in the admin panel order section to ensure all the details are correctly captured including the product information, shipping details, and payment status.
4. Test Failed Transaction
Testing failed transactions allows store owners to ensure that their payment systems handle errors gracefully and provide appropriate feedback to customers. This process ensures that customers receive clear and informative messages when their transactions do not go through.
For this repeat the process enable the test mode, select the product, add to cart and proceed to checkout, enter all the required customer information. Shopify test credit card numbers used to trigger different types of failure messages.
The credit card number 4000000000000002 is used for a generic card declined message.
The credit card number 4000000000009995 is used for an insufficient funds decline message.
The credit card number 4000000000009987 is used for a lost card decline message.
The credit card number 4000000000009979 is used for a stolen card decline message.
The credit card number 4000000000000069 is used for an expired card message.
The credit card number 4000000000000127 is used for an incorrect CVC message.
Enter an invalid expiry month, such as 13, for an invalid expiry month message.
Enter an expired year that has already passed for an invalid expiry year message.
Enter a two-digit security code number for an invalid security code message.
5. Test Notifications
Successful and failed transactions trigger the appropriate notifications to the both store owner and customer. This includes order confirmations, payment failures, and any issues with the payment processing. Properly configuring these notifications ensures that both parties are informed in real-time, minimizing confusion and improving the overall user experience.
6. Deactivate Test Mode
Once testing is complete, it’s essential to deactivate test mode to enable real payment processing. To do this, return to the Payments section in the admin dashboard, click "Manage," and disable test mode. This will allow your store to process live payments and receive real transactions from customers.
How to Troubleshoot Shopify Payments Issues During Testing?
Troubleshoot issues during Shopify Payments involves resolving errors that occur during the payment processing system. This process ensures that the payment gateway functions seamlessly before launching the store for real transactions.
Disable Third-Party Apps: Temporarily disable third-party payment apps to ensure they are not interfering with Shopify Payments during testing.
Contact Shopify Support: If issues persist, contact Shopify support with detailed error logs or information for further investigation.
Test Card Details: Use the correct test credit card numbers. Shopify provides test credit card details for testing transactions.
Check Spam/Junk Folder: For the order confirmation emails, check on spam or junk folders.
