Payments aren't working on my store
How to diagnose and respond to payment failures, checkout errors, and declined transactions on your online store.
A broken checkout means lost sales. This is urgent — let's diagnose it quickly and methodically. Don't panic; most payment issues are either a configuration problem or a temporary gateway issue, not a sign anything serious has gone wrong.
Quick summary
Test checkout yourself first. Note the exact error message and which payment method fails. Check whether your payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) has a known outage. Then contact us with the details — we'll diagnose and fix it fast.
If this is affecting live orders right now
Email us at support@chykalophia.com with "URGENT: Payment failure" in the subject line. Include your site URL and the error message. We'll prioritize it.
Step 1 — Test the checkout yourself
Go to your checkout page and add a test product to the cart.
Attempt to check out. Note every step where something goes wrong.
Note the exact error message shown on screen. Copy it or take a screenshot.
Try a different payment method if you have more than one enabled (e.g., try PayPal if Stripe fails).
Don't use a real payment method to test
Most payment gateways (Stripe, WooCommerce Payments) have a test mode with dummy card numbers. Contact us and we can confirm whether test mode is available and how to use it safely.
Step 2 — Check the payment gateway's status
Payment gateways (the services that process card transactions) occasionally have outages. This is not something on your site — it's their infrastructure.
Check your payment provider's status page:
- Stripe: status.stripe.com
- PayPal: www.paypal-status.com
- Square: status.squareup.com
If there's an active incident, there's nothing to fix on your end. Monitor the status page and check back when the incident is resolved.
Step 3 — Identify the type of error
Different error messages point to different causes:
| Error message | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| "Your card was declined" | Customer's card or bank issue (not your site) |
| "Invalid API key" | Payment gateway credentials need updating |
| "SSL error" or "connection not secure" | SSL certificate problem on your site |
| "Could not connect to payment gateway" | Gateway credentials or plugin misconfiguration |
| Payment page won't load | Checkout plugin or page error |
| Payment succeeded but no order created | Webhook (a notification between systems) misconfiguration |
Step 4 — Check recent changes
Did anything change around the time payments stopped working?
- Was the payment gateway plugin updated?
- Were WooCommerce or WordPress itself updated?
- Were the Stripe or PayPal API keys changed?
- Did you switch from test mode to live mode (or vice versa)?
Note what changed and when.
Step 5 — Check your payment gateway account
Log in to your Stripe, PayPal, or other gateway dashboard.
Check for any alerts, holds, or verification requirements. Payment processors sometimes place a hold on accounts that need identity verification or that triggered a risk review.
Check that the account is active and not restricted.
What to send us
- Your site URL and the URL of your checkout page
- The exact error message shown during checkout
- Which payment method(s) fail
- Whether all payment methods fail or just one
- A screenshot of the error
- Any recent changes (plugin updates, API key changes, etc.)
- Your payment gateway provider (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
Common questions
Related guides
- Troubleshooting payment problems in WooCommerce
- Payment methods explained
- My forms aren't working
- 'Not secure' warning in the browser
- Info to gather before contacting support
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