A payments testing checklist for seamless transactions

Payments testing mimics each step of the payment process to verify that connections, transactions, and paths for communications are working. The best payments testing strategies include a thorough range of tests, from functional to performance to location.

Need a place to start? Follow this checklist when developing a payment gateway testing strategy. A good strategy should detail exactly what information is needed, common flags for problems, and the markers of a successful payment gateway.

Found a bug in your payment funnel? Working through this checklist can aid in understanding the elements of a payment testing system and break down each test to find the problem — and the solution.

• Gather test data such as dummy financial information.
• Compile the payment gateway information from the merchant.
• Establish a payment processor sandbox to run the test scenarios.
• Create a list of error codes and document all errors.
• Verify the process for a successful transaction.
• Check currency integration.
• Check for any pop-up messages and error messages if the user’s browser blocks them.
• Test that all payment options are valid and functional and that payments trigger corresponding steps in the process.
• Check successful transaction messages to both the merchant and the customer.
• Be familiar with all of the terms in the gateway system.
• Ensure all security and fraud protections are functioning, including customer messages, and that data is sent over secured (HTTPS) channels.