In this story
Where: Settings
Open this page: admin.<your-site>/settings (replace <your-site> with your site address)
Check 1: test or live?
- Test mode uses test keys. No real money moves. The screen says: "Test mode: readers can’t buy until you add live keys. Test payments here never give readers access."
- Live mode takes real money. Your Terms, Refund and Contact pages must be published first.
Check 2: the keys
Key ids start with different letters in each mode. For Razorpay: rzp_test_ for test and rzp_live_ for live. Stripe publishable keys start with pk_test_ or pk_live_. A PayPal connection uses a Client ID, a Secret and a Webhook ID.
| Message | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Razorpay didn’t accept these keys. Check that the key id and secret are from the same mode." | Copy both from the same mode in the same dashboard. |
| "This is a live key but you chose Test mode. Switch the mode or paste a test key." | Match the mode and the key. |
| "This is a test key but you chose Live mode. Switch the mode or paste a live key." | Same. |
| "Paste the key secret. Razorpay shows it only once, when you create the key." | Create a new key in the dashboard and copy the secret at once. |
| "Use a different webhook secret for test and live." | Make two different secrets. |
| "Publish your Terms, Refund and Contact pages before going live." | Publish those pages, then switch to live. |
Check 3: the webhook
The webhook tells your site when a payment is done. Without it, orders stay unpaid.
- On the connection card, copy the Webhook URL.
- In your gateway dashboard, add it as a webhook. Tick the events listed on the card.
- Type a webhook secret in the gateway, and paste the same secret in your connection.
- Save.
Check 4: run a test payment
Press the test-payment button on the connection card, in test mode. The order shows as paid once the gateway confirms it. If the test checkout doesn't open, allow pop-ups for the admin. If it fails, you see "The test payment didn’t go through. Check the connection and try again."
Messages readers may see
- "Payments aren’t set up on this site yet." No gateway is connected.
- "Live payments aren’t switched on for this site yet. Use test mode for now." Finish the live set-up.
- "The payment gateway didn’t answer. Nothing was charged or refunded. Try again in a minute." The gateway was busy. Try again.
- "This checkout has expired. Start again." Start a new checkout.
- "This payment method isn’t offered here. Choose another one." Check your gateway country settings.
- "This payment gateway can’t take recurring payments." Choose a gateway that supports subscriptions.
- "This payment gateway is coming soon. Use Razorpay, Stripe or PayPal for now, or request it under Request a payment gateway."
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which gateway should I use?
For readers in India, Razorpay. For the US, Europe and UK, Stripe. For worldwide wallets, PayPal. You can route each country to a gateway.
Where do I enter my GST details?
Under the tab Seller & GST. See Seller and GST.