How payments work in WooCommerce
WooCommerce takes payments through payment extensions you add to your store. A gateway is the connection that passes each sale from your store to the company that settles your card money. The Authorize.Net extension on the WooCommerce marketplace is made by SkyVerge and takes card payments at checkout.
The extension page describes online checkout only. It says customers stay on your site during checkout, and it does not mention in-person payments.
WooCommerce is the online store plugin for WordPress.
This guide covers online and invoice payments, the ones WooCommerce takes through its payment connection.
What changes and what stays
What changes
- The payment connection inside WooCommerce: either a new gateway login, or a new account behind the gateway you already use. We tell you which after we read your statement.
- Who settles your card money and sends your monthly statement.
- Your fees. We show you the real numbers from your own statement and never predict them.
What stays
- WooCommerce itself, with your customers, records and the way you work.
- What your customers see when they pay, in most cases.
Who this suits
Best fit
- A WordPress store that sells mostly online and wants to see what each sale costs behind checkout.
- Your processing contract is near its end, or you can time a change around it.
- You have not looked at your statement in a while and want a person to read it with you.
Not a fit
- A store that relies on a payment feature only its current gateway offers. Check that your next gateway has it first.
- Your statement is already clear and you are happy with it. Then the honest answer may be to stay where you are.
- You are in the middle of a contract with a large early cancellation fee and cannot time a change.
What a switch involves
- Send your latest statement. A person reads it with you and works out your effective rate. This is free and there is no pressure to switch.
- We check what WooCommerce allows for your setup. Plans and settings differ, so we confirm what your WooCommerce account can do. If the honest answer is to stay, we say so.
- Apply for the new account, if a change makes sense. This takes business and bank details. How long it takes varies with the account review and with any hardware involved.
- Update the payment connection in WooCommerce. Enter the new connection details in your payment settings and run a test payment before you tell customers anything.
- Move saved cards and recurring payments, then close the old account. Do this when your contract allows it. Closing the old account too early can stop recurring charges.
Timing varies. We give you a realistic timeline for your setup when we read your statement.
What to watch
- Some extension features need services turned on in your Authorize.Net account. Saved cards need its Customer Information Manager service, and bank (eCheck) payments need an active eCheck account.
- Cards your customers have saved on file. Ask whether they can be moved to the new setup, or whether customers would need to enter them again.
- Recurring billing and subscriptions, which are tied to those saved cards.
- Gift card balances, if you sell gift cards.
- Card surcharges. Card network rules and some state laws limit them, so check before you add or keep one.
- Your current contract end date and any early cancellation fee.
Questions merchants ask
Do my customers leave my site to pay?
The extension page says customers never leave your site during checkout. Other gateway extensions can work differently, so check the one you use.
Can I take saved cards or bank payments?
The extension page says saved cards need the Customer Information Manager service on your Authorize.Net account, and eChecks need an active eCheck account.
Does this cover payments in a physical shop?
This guide covers online checkout. The extension page does not describe in-person payments, so we have not confirmed card readers.
How do I see what I pay now?
Open your monthly processing statement and add up every fee. Divide that total by your card sales for the month. The result is your effective rate, the real percentage you pay after every fee. Our free statement review walks you through it.
See what you pay, for free
A person reads your statement with you and tells you what each fee means and whether a different processor is even possible with WooCommerce. There is no pressure to switch.