4 simple ways to activate Stripe on WordPress

Emily Marchant -

Most, if not all, people are familiar with PayPal, but it’s not the only efficient payment gateway system available. Increasingly, Stripe is challenging PayPal’s dominance in the arena of online payment. Here is all you need to know about Stripe, as well as four simple and effective ways to get it up and running for WordPress. One thing to remember, though, is that Stripe requires SSL to accept credit card payments on WordPress, so get that activated separately.

What is Stripe?

Stripe is an online payments gateway, started in 2010, that excels in the management of regular payments and has the added ability of automatically processing refunds. Many major e-commerce players, such as Target and Facebook, already use it. Yet Stripe’s true advantage may lie in the fact that it is more cost effective for smaller-scale businesses due to its flat rate of 2.9% + 30 cents for under $1 million a year turnovers, no refund fees, and the ability to charge credit cards for free.

Set up Stripe for WordPress

For simple sites selling only a couple of products, or looking for donations, there is a WP Simple Pay Lite for Stripe plugin that can be installed in a few quick and easy steps.

  • Search for the WP Simple Pay Lite for Stripe plugin under the WordPress dashboard plugins “add new” options.
  • Insert your Stripe API keys. These are available from your Stripe dashboard.
  • In the “default” settings, input all the necessary details regarding your site, currency and so on.
  • Save changes.
  • A payment button can then be inserted on your site by using a simple shortcode.

Use customer order plugins with WordPress Forms

Another simple-yet-effective way of installing Stripe is through WP Forms. “Installing it this way works well if you want to utilize more customizable fields in the checkout process. Remember that it is a paid plugin, and here is how you set it up,” recommends Stephen Choblowski, a tech blogger at Brit student and Australia2write. Here is how you install it.

  • Search for an Install the WP Forms plugin.
  • Insert your license key which is available from your account on the website.
  • Now you need to visit “addons” and select the Stripe addon, and create.
  • Next visit the “settings” page in order to set up the payments. It’s here that you need to link your Stripe and WordPress sites by inserting your Stripe API keys.
  • Now you need to create a form to accept payments by visiting the WordPress forms “add new” function.
  • Select a template you’d like to use.
  • This is where you can customize if required by selecting add new fields.
  • Now you can activate the “enable Stripe payments” option.
  • You can now add this form wherever you want it on WordPress.
  • Save or publish, and you are up and running.

Add a purchase button with WP Simple Pay Pro

Unlike the forms configuration, this means does not allow customizable fields, but is nonetheless an easy process.

  • Install the plugin and then visit the settings to configure the setup.
  • Add your license key which is available from your account on the website.
  • Now you need to apply your Stripe APY keys, which are detailed in your Stripe account.
  • Then visit the general tab to configure site name, logo etc.
  • Now you need to add a Stripe payment form to your website which can be done by visiting the Simple Pay Pro Add New tab, and add the desired fields.
  • Clock “create” and then head over to insert the payment form button on your page.
  • You can now save and preview to see it in action.

Online Store with WooCommerce

Stripe is now free to use with WooCommerce, and is also easy to install, so this is a brilliant option,” enthuses Sheila Santry, a WP expert at Next Coursework . Of course you first need to have WooCommerce up and running.

  • Install the WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway plugin.
  • Click “checkout” and input your Stripe API keys.
  • In “checkout options” select “force secure checkout.”

Setting up Stripe with Easy Digital Downloads

This is another great way of going about setting up Stripe payments for WordPress, but it will cost you. The add-on is $89 for a site license.

  • Install the Stripe Gateway addon plugin as above.
  • Go to settings and enable the gateway.
  • Enter your API keys in your Stripe settings section. You can also add additional configuration settings here.
  • Click on “save” and you are up and running

Following these easy steps to activating these configurations has never made it simpler to activate Stripe on WordPress.