In this article, you will learn about the following Payment Settings:
To manage your Payment Settings, navigate to Settings → Payments from the left navigation menu.
Payment Account Setup
Before your store can begin accepting live credit card payments, you must complete the payment account setup process.
To begin, click the Complete Account Setup button.
Account Setup Requirements
Only users with the Owner or Administrator role can complete the payment account setup process.
This is because the setup process requires business and account information needed to configure payment processing for the store.
Completing the Setup Process
After clicking Complete Account Setup, enter the required information and submit the setup request.
Once the request has been submitted, you will be returned to the Payment Settings page and a notification will indicate that the request is pending activation.
You will receive an email with additional information regarding the activation of your payment account.
After Activation
Once activation has been completed, you will receive an email confirming that your payment account is active.
After activation:
- The store can continue processing test transactions while operating in Development Mode.
- Live payment processing becomes available once the store is switched to Live Mode.
Note: To learn more about switching your store from Development Mode to Live Mode, see the General Settings article.
Payment Authorization Settings
Payment Authorization Settings determine when customer funds are captured after an order is placed.
Two options are available:
- Manually Capture Payment For Orders
- Automatically Capture Payment For Orders
Manually Capture Payment For Orders
When this option is selected, the customer's payment method is authorized when the order is submitted.
Authorization places a hold on the required funds but does not transfer the money to your account.
At this stage, the customer will typically see a pending transaction on their payment method.
This option allows administrators to review the order before collecting payment.
Common reasons for delaying payment capture include:
- Fraud screening
- Inventory verification
- Order review and approval processes
Once the order has been reviewed, administrators can capture the payment directly from the Order Details page.
Captured funds are then included in the next payment batch for deposit.
Partial Captures
Manual capture also supports partial captures.
This allows administrators to capture only a portion of the authorized amount when necessary.
Automatically Capture Payment For Orders
When this option is selected, the customer's payment method is authorized and captured immediately when the order is placed.
The funds are automatically included in the next payment batch for deposit.
This option is typically used when:
- Products are consistently available.
- Orders do not require manual review.
- Fraud risk is low.
- Immediate payment collection is preferred.
If payment authorization or capture cannot be completed successfully during checkout, the order will not be submitted and the customer will be prompted to use a different payment method.
Choosing the Right Authorization Method
Use Manual Capture When:
- Orders require review before fulfillment.
- Inventory availability must be confirmed before charging customers.
- Additional fraud screening is performed.
- Orders may require administrator approval before processing.
Use Automatic Capture When:
- Products are readily available.
- Orders can be fulfilled immediately.
- Minimal order review is required.
- The fastest checkout experience is desired.
That's everything you need to know about the Payment Settings. In the next article, we will cover configuring your store's Tax Settings.