So you’ve built a beautiful online store on Shopify, added all your products, and you’re just about ready to launch. But wait! How can you be sure everything is working as it should? Well, that’s where Shopify’s test credit card comes in handy!
What is a Test Credit Card?
A test credit card is a feature provided by Shopify that allows you to make sure your transactions work perfectly. Think of it as a dress rehearsal before the big show! It’s a simulation of a real transaction, but with no actual money involved.
How to Use Shopify’s Test Credit Card?
To conduct a transaction with Shopify’s test credit card, you will use the following details:
- Card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
- Name on card: Any name you like
- Expiry date: Any future date
- CVV: Any random three digits
- More numbers
Setting Up Shopify’s Bogus Gateway
In order to utilize the test credit card, you need to activate Shopify’s Bogus Gateway, a payment provider built just for testing purposes! Here’s how you can do that:
- In your Shopify admin panel, navigate to
Settings>Payment providers. - In the “Third-party Providers” section, click
Choose third-party provider. - Now, select
"(for testing) Bogus Gateway". - Finally, click
Activate (for testing) Bogus Gateway.
Voila! You’re all set to test your transactions! With Bogus Gateway activated, you can test purchases, refunds, and basically understand how your store will handle real transactions. It’s a great way to troubleshoot any issues with your checkout process or get familiar with how transactions will appear in your reports.
Remember, these test transactions are just rehearsals—they don’t involve real money and won’t affect your payout balance. All the details of these transactions will vanish when you switch back to a real payment provider.
Importance of Testing
Testing is a crucial step before launching any e-commerce platform. It gives you the confidence that everything is running smoothly. In case of any hiccups, it’s better to find and address them before your customers do. With Shopify’s Test Credit Card, you can simulate the customer experience from checkout to payment, making sure every step works as intended.
Testing Different Scenarios
You can also use the test credit card to simulate different transaction outcomes. For example:
- For a successful transaction, enter the card number as 4242 4242 4242 4242.
- To simulate a failed transaction, you can use card number 4000 0000 0000 0002.
This allows you to see how your store handles different transaction results, and to make sure any error messages are displaying correctly for your customers.
Additional Shopify Testing Features
In addition to the Bogus Gateway, Shopify also provides other tools for testing:
- Shopify Gdpr Test: You can test how your store handles customer data and complies with GDPR regulations.
- Checkout Test: You can do a full run-through of the checkout process to ensure it’s smooth and user-friendly.
- Load Test: Shopify Plus merchants can perform a load test to see how their store will perform under high traffic conditions.
Remember, every time you make changes to your store’s configuration, theme, apps or payment settings, it’s a good practice to run through a few test transactions to ensure everything is still working as expected.