Test payments before going live

Before customers pay you, pay yourself. Every payment method has an Admins only status for exactly this: the method appears at checkout only when you are signed in as an admin, so you can test on your real store without customers seeing a half-finished setup.

Two ways to test#

• Test keys + Admins only — set Environment to Test / sandbox with the gateway's test keys. Pay with the gateway's test cards or test UPI IDs; no real money moves. At checkout the method shows a small Test badge.
• Live keys + Admins only — set Environment to Live with live keys, and pay a small real amount yourself. This proves the live account works; refund yourself afterwards.

Step by step#

1. Go to Payments, open the method with Configure, and set Switch it on to Admins only. Save changes.
2. Make sure a cheap product is in stock and your own pincode is in Configuration → Pincodes (unless you use Shiprocket).
3. Sign in on your store with your admin email at yourdomain/login.
4. Add the product to the cart and go to checkout. Fill in a delivery address.
5. Choose the method — it is visible to you only — and select Checkout.
6. Pay on the gateway's page.
7. Back on your store you should see the order confirmation page.

Check the result#

In the admin panel:

• Orders — the order is there, Confirmed, with payment status Paid.
• The order screen — the totals, tax and shipping are what you expect. Generate the invoice and check your GSTIN, state and numbering. See Invoices and labels.
• The product — its stock went down by one.
• Payments — the method's row now says 1 paid of 1.

Then test a failure: start another order and cancel on the gateway's page. You should land on the failure page, and the order should stay Pending with payment Pending.

Go live#

1. If you tested with test keys, set Environment to Live and paste the live keys (and the live webhook secret).
2. Set Switch it on to Live and Save changes.
3. Cancel your test orders, and refund any real test payment from the gateway's dashboard.