WooCommerce ships with bank transfer, cheque, cash on delivery and Stripe. PayPal and Apple Pay come via extensions. This guide covers setup of the methods UK merchants actually use, PCI scope and SCA compliance.
Built-in vs extension methods • Stripe — the default • PayPal • Apple Pay and Google Pay • Bank transfer for B2B • PCI DSS • SCA / 3-D Secure • FAQ
Under WooCommerce › Settings › Payments:
Install WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway plugin:
UK fees: 1.5% + 20p per transaction.
Install WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin:
UK fees: 2.9% + 30p for standard card payments via PayPal.
Enabled automatically via Stripe Payment Request Button. Apple Pay requires domain verification:
yourdomain.co.uk/.well-known/apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association.Under Payments › Direct bank transfer (BACS) › Manage:
UK BACS/Faster Payments have no fees. Manual reconciliation from your bank — match reference to order.
Hosted Stripe Elements and PayPal iframe keep cards off your server. SAQ-A applies for most UK merchants. SmartXHosting infrastructure is PCI-compliant at the hosting layer.
Strong Customer Authentication (UK PSD2) requires 3-D Secure on most card transactions. Stripe and PayPal handle this transparently — challenge screens on cards as needed. No WooCommerce-side configuration required.
WooCommerce hosting with payment gateways ready
TLS 1.3, secure PHP and UK-based support on Stripe/PayPal/webhook issues. SmartXHosting WooCommerce plans are ready for UK payments from day one.
See WooCommerce plansQ: No payment methods appear at checkout.
A: Check enabled status, cart currency matches gateway allowed currency, customer role, cart minimum. Browser console may show JS errors.
Q: Stripe webhook not working.
A: Verify endpoint URL in Stripe Dashboard matches yourdomain.co.uk/?wc-api=wc_stripe. Signing secret must be pasted into WooCommerce.
Q: Can I charge surcharges for cards?
A: UK PSD2 generally prohibits card surcharging for consumer retail. Check current regs.
Q: Klarna or Clearpay (BNPL)?
A: Stripe supports Klarna natively. Clearpay via dedicated extension. Configure both as additional payment methods.
Q: Saved cards for returning customers?
A: Yes — Stripe Save Card option. UK GDPR compliant when customer opts in explicitly.
Q: Is Stripe Test Mode convincing enough for UAT?
A: Yes — Stripe’s test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 behaves like a real card. Test SCA flows with 4000 0025 0000 3155.
Q: What’s the cheapest UK gateway for my size?
A: For SMEs, Stripe is generally cheapest (1.5% + 20p). PayPal 2.9% + 30p. Adyen/GoCardless cheaper at very high volumes.