Test and go live
Verify your setup in test mode, then work through the checklist before you take real payments.
Testing
Enable test mode
Mode is set per payment method. For each method you want to test, select Configure under Payment methods settings and set Mode to Test.
A banner appears at the top of the payment methods page whenever any method is left in Test, which is a useful way to check nothing was missed.
Test transactions use the same Store key and Secret key as live transactions. Nothing else changes, which is why every method needs checking again before launch.
Test data
Buckaroo provides test credentials and simulated outcomes per payment method. See Test transactions.
What to test
Test the paths that break, not just the happy path.
| Scenario | What you're checking |
|---|---|
| Successful payment | Order created and marked as paid |
| Failed payment | Order not marked as paid, customer sees a usable error |
| Customer cancels at the bank | Customer returns to your checkout and can choose another method |
| Customer closes the browser mid-payment | The order still reaches the correct status |
| Full refund | Refund recorded against the order and visible in Plaza |
| Partial refund | Correct amount refunded, remainder still refundable |
| Authorise then capture | If you use it on Cards, reservation at checkout then capture afterwards |
| Payment fee | Fee added correctly, on the methods you set it for |
| Order amount limits | Method hidden above and below its range |
| Country restrictions | Method shown only where you intend |
| Each language | Correct translations in checkout and on the payment page |
| Mobile | Especially for wallet and app-based methods |
The "customer closes the browser mid-payment" test is the important one. It is the only test that proves the payment result reaches BigCommerce independently of the browser redirect, and that is the single most common production problem.
Methods that behave differently
Cards with Hosted Fields
With Hosted Fields enabled, card details are entered in your own checkout rather than on a separate page. Test it on the live-like checkout rather than only in a preview, and confirm the client ID and client secret are the ones for the account you are testing against.
Apple Pay and Google Pay
Test on a real device. Apple Pay needs a supported Apple device with a card in Wallet, and Google Pay needs a card saved to the Google account.
Buy now, pay later
Billink, In3, Klarna and Riverty assess the customer before accepting the order, so an order can exist while the payment is still being confirmed. Test a declined assessment as well as an approved one.
Penny tests
Test mode proves the integration works. It does not prove your live configuration works, because live keys, your live contract and settlement are different things.
Once a method is live, place a real order for the smallest amount you can and pay for it yourself.
Do this for every method you can use personally.
For each, check that the order reaches the right status, the transaction appears in Plaza with the same amount, and refunding from your BigCommerce admin returns the money. Then refund it.
Go-live checklist
Run through this before taking live traffic. With more than one storefront, run through it for each storefront separately.
Credentials and connection
- Live Store key and Secret key entered, and Test Connection returns OK
- Keys taken from the Buckaroo store you expect these transactions to appear under in Plaza
- Every storefront has its own store key, so its transactions land under the right Buckaroo store
Payment methods
- Every method you intend to offer is set to Live
- Every method you do not intend to offer is set to Off
- No method is left on Test. The warning banner tells you if one is
- Every enabled method is active on your Buckaroo contract. Check this in Plaza
- Payment fees, if used, are on the methods you intend and permitted for those methods
- Order amount limits and country restrictions are intentional, on every method that has them
- Front labels set for the methods where you want a custom name
- Checkout order set, for all countries and for any country you sell to in volume
- Each storefront checked separately. Settings on one storefront say nothing about another
Configuration
- Debit transaction description set and recognisable on a bank statement
- Credit transaction description set, if you want refunds to look distinct
- Refunds setting matches how you intend to handle refunds
- Checkout style and discount field set as you want them
- Custom scripts, if used, point only at files you control
- Return, Checkout and Response URLs set, or deliberately left empty
After go-live
- Watch the first day of orders for anything left unpaid after a successful payment
- Confirm settlement appears as expected in Plaza
- Optional: subscribe to Buckaroo status updates for incidents and maintenance
Updated about 5 hours ago