Test and go live
Verify your setup in test mode, then work through the checklist before you take real payments.
Testing
Two switches, both of which matter
The app has an app-wide Mode in General settings and a Live / Test / Off control on every payment method. The app-wide setting wins: while it is set to No, I'm Testing, nothing is charged, whatever the individual methods say.
So a shop is only taking real payments when the app is set to Yes, I'm ready to receive payments and the method the customer chooses is set to Live.
Enable test mode
- Open General settings.
- Set Mode to No, I'm Testing.
- Select Save.
- Set each method you want to test to Test or Live under Payment methods settings.
Test data
Buckaroo provides test credentials and simulated outcomes per payment method. See Test transactions.
What to test
| 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 |
| Each payment method | Methods behave differently, so test each one you intend to offer |
| 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 your shop independently of the browser redirect, and that is the single most common production problem.
Penny tests
Test mode proves the integration works. It does not prove your live configuration works, because live credentials, your live contract and settlement are different things.
Once the app is live, place a real order for the smallest amount you can and pay for it yourself, for every method you can use personally. Check the order reaches the right status and the transaction appears in Plaza with the same amount, then refund it in Plaza to confirm the full cycle.
Go-live checklist
- Store key and Secret key entered, and Test Connection returns OK
- Credentials belong to the Buckaroo store you expect these transactions to appear under in Plaza
- Mode set to Yes, I'm ready to receive payments
- Every method you intend to offer set to Live
- Every method you do not intend to offer set to Off
- No method left on Test. The banner on the payment methods page tells you if one is
- Every enabled method is active on your Buckaroo contract. Check this in Plaza
- Transaction description set and recognisable on a bank statement
- Checkout order set as you want it
- Penny test done for every method you can pay with yourself
- Watch the first day of orders for anything left unpaid after a successful payment
- Optional: subscribe to Buckaroo status updates for incidents and maintenance
Updated about 2 hours ago