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An overview of the payment methods available in WooCommerce and how to choose the right ones for your store.

Your payment methods are what allow customers to pay you. WooCommerce supports a wide range of options — from credit cards to PayPal to bank transfers. This guide explains what's available and how to choose.

Quick summary

WooCommerce comes with a few offline payment methods built in (bank transfer, check, cash on delivery). For card payments and PayPal, you need a payment gateway extension. The most common choices are WooPayments (Woo's own, built with Stripe) and PayPal Payments. Payment methods are managed under WooCommerce → Settings → Payments.

Built-in payment methods

WooCommerce includes these three offline methods out of the box — no extra plugin needed. On the Payments settings screen they're grouped together behind Take offline payments:

Method	How it works	Order status it sets
Direct bank transfer (BACS)	The customer sends the payment from their bank. You check your account for it.	On hold
Check payments	The customer mails a check. You bank it and wait for it to clear.	On hold
Cash on delivery	The customer pays in person on delivery or pickup.	Processing

These methods are manual — the money changes hands outside WooCommerce, so you confirm you have been paid and move the order on yourself. Check payments was called "Cheque" before WooCommerce 3.3, so you may still see the old name in older guides.

Payment gateway plugins

To accept credit cards and online payments automatically, you need a payment gateway extension. The gateway connects your store to the payment network and handles the transaction securely.

WooPayments

Woo's own payment gateway, built in partnership with Stripe (it used to be called WooCommerce Payments). Free to install, with no setup costs and no monthly fees — you pay a fee per transaction. It supports cards plus express checkouts including WooPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and Link, and it adds its own Payments menu to your dashboard.

Stripe for WooCommerce

Stripe's own extension, listed on WordPress.org as WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway. Flexible, supports many payment methods globally, and gives you the full Stripe dashboard. Good for stores with more complex needs.

PayPal Payments

PayPal's official extension, listed on WordPress.org as WooCommerce PayPal Payments. It covers PayPal, Pay Later options, cards, and Venmo in the US. Many customers prefer PayPal because they don't have to enter card details. Can be used alongside another gateway.

Square for WooCommerce

Good for businesses with both online and in-person sales. Product names, prices and stock levels stay synced across WooCommerce and Square, so one catalog covers both.

How to enable/disable payment methods

Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments. You'll see a list of the available payment providers.

Choose Enable to turn on a provider. If it needs more setting up first, WooCommerce opens its setup screen instead.

Select Manage next to a provider that is already on, to change its settings.

Select Take offline payments to enable or manage direct bank transfer, check payments and cash on delivery.

Use the drag handle on the left of a provider to change the order the methods appear in at checkout. Put your most popular option at the top.

Choosing the right payment methods

We recommend offering at least two options

Offering card payments plus PayPal covers most customers. Some prefer PayPal because they don't have to hand over card details; others prefer to pay by card. Giving people the method they already trust removes one reason to abandon the checkout.

Consider these factors when choosing:

Transaction fees — processors charge a fee on each transaction, and some also charge signup, monthly or yearly fees, on top of the cost of the extension if it isn't free. Check the gateway's own pricing page for current rates, and compare them for your typical order size.
Supported countries — not all gateways are available in every country, and some can't change the account country later.
Payout speed — how quickly money lands in your bank account. This varies by processor and by country, so check what yours publishes.
Customer experience — some gateways keep the whole payment on your checkout page, while others send customers to an external page to pay and back again.

Common questions

Do I need a merchant account?

You need an account with whichever processor you choose — WooCommerce's own guidance is that all processors require one, normally called a merchant account. What has changed is how you get it. With Stripe, WooPayments or PayPal you sign up through the gateway itself rather than arranging an account separately with a bank first, and the gateway pays out to your bank account. Ask the processor directly about its account requirements, terms and fees.

Can I offer multiple payment methods at once?

Yes. WooCommerce supports multiple active payment methods. Customers choose at checkout. You can enable credit cards, PayPal, bank transfer, and more simultaneously.

What's the difference between WooPayments and Stripe?

WooPayments is built in partnership with Stripe and is managed from your WordPress dashboard. Signing up creates a Stripe Express account behind the scenes, which means you cannot connect an existing Stripe account to it, and it does not come with the full Stripe dashboard. The Stripe extension connects to your own Stripe account and gives you everything Stripe offers. Both work well, and you can even run both on the same store. WooPayments is simpler to set up; the Stripe extension is more configurable.

How do I test payments before going live?

Most gateways offer a test or sandbox mode. Turn it on in the gateway's settings, then use the test card numbers that gateway publishes to run transactions without real money moving. WooCommerce has no separate status for test orders, so do your testing on a staging site rather than your live store, and tidy up any test orders afterwards.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Payment methods explained