Troubleshooting Payment Gateway Issues

If your donations are not being processed correctly or a payment gateway is failing, follow the steps below to identify and fix the problem.

1. Test with a Different Payment Method

First, check if your site can process any orders:

  1. In WooCommerce → Settings → Payments, enable the Direct Bank Transfer (BACS) method.
  2. Make a test donation using that method.

If this works, the issue is likely specific to your main payment gateway.
If this fails too, the problem may be related to order processing, plugin conflicts, or your server configuration.

2. Check the PHP Error Log

Most hosting providers offer access to your PHP error logs via your hosting panel or control panel.
Look for recent entries that match the time of your failed payment attempts. Check this article on how to access the PHP error logs.

If you see PHP errors or fatal exceptions related to WooCommerce, your payment gateway, or Donation Platform for WooCommerce, note them for further troubleshooting.

3. Review WooCommerce Logs

WooCommerce includes a built-in logging system.

How to access WooCommerce logs

To view WooCommerce logs:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Status → Logs
  2. Select your payment gateway from the dropdown list
  3. Check for any recent entries or error messages

Look for clues such as:

  • API errors from your payment provider
  • Missing or invalid parameters
  • Failed or incomplete requests

4. Enable Debug Mode in Your Payment Gateway

Most payment gateways for WooCommerce (e.g., Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, etc.) have a “Debug” or “Logging” option in their settings.

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → [Your Gateway]
  2. Enable debug or logging mode
  3. Try making a test donation again

The additional debug logs often contain detailed API responses or validation errors that help pinpoint the issue.

5. Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

If you’ve recently installed or updated another plugin or theme, it might interfere with payment processing.

Try the following:

  1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce and Donation Platform for WooCommerce
  2. Switch to a default theme like Storefront
  3. Test a donation again

If the issue disappears, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.

6. Verify Server and API Requirements

Some gateways require specific PHP extensions, ports, or TLS versions.
Check your host’s configuration and ensure:

  • PHP version is up to date (recommended: PHP 8.0+)
  • cURL and JSON are enabled
  • Outgoing HTTPS requests are not blocked by a firewall

7. Contact Your Payment Gateway’s Support

If logs indicate an error from your payment provider (like “invalid API key” or “request denied”), contact their support team.
Provide them with:

  • The log excerpt
  • Timestamp of the failed transaction
  • Any relevant order or donation ID

8. Still Stuck?

If you’ve gone through all steps and the issue persists:

  • Enable WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG in your wp-config.php
  • Collect logs and error messages
  • Reach out to our support with those details

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