Test mode lets you test the complete shopping experience — including checkout and payment — without processing real charges. When enabled, all payment gateways automatically switch to their test/sandbox credentials.
How It Works
Navigate to Settings > Developer Settings to access the test mode toggle.
When test mode is on:
- All payment gateways use their test API keys
- Orders are processed normally but payments go through sandbox environments
- You can test the full checkout flow with test card numbers
- All other store functionality (inventory, emails, fulfilment) works as normal
When test mode is off:
- All payment gateways automatically switch back to their live API keys
- All integrations are set to live mode
- Real payments are processed
Always turn off test mode before making your store available to real customers. Orders placed in test mode use sandbox payment processing.
Setting Up Test Credentials
Each payment gateway has separate fields for live and test credentials:
Stripe
Enter your Stripe test publishable key and test secret key. You can find these in your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > API keys (make sure “Test mode” is toggled on in Stripe).
PayPal
Enter your PayPal sandbox client ID and secret from the PayPal Developer Dashboard.
PayFast
Enter your PayFast sandbox merchant ID, merchant key, and passphrase from the PayFast Sandbox.
Test Card Numbers
When using Stripe in test mode, you can use these test card numbers:
| Card | Number |
|---|
| Visa (success) | 4242 4242 4242 4242 |
| Visa (declined) | 4000 0000 0000 0002 |
| 3D Secure | 4000 0027 6000 3184 |
