Payment Gateways: Getting Paid

Last updated on May 21, 2026 05:08

The final step in the checkout process is collecting the customer's money. PolyCMS supports a pluggable architecture for payment gateways, allowing you to accept various forms of payment.

To manage how you get paid, navigate to Settings > Payment Gateways.

Core Payment Methods

Out of the box, PolyCMS includes traditional offline payment methods that do not require third-party API integration:

1. Cash on Delivery (COD)

Ideal for local businesses or regions where cash is still king. When a customer selects this, the order is placed immediately with a "Processing" status, and you collect the cash when handing over the package.

2. Direct Bank Transfer

When activated, you can provide your business bank account details. Customers will place the order (which goes into a "Pending" status) and manually transfer the funds via their banking app. You must manually verify your bank statement and update the order status to "Processing" once the money arrives.

Integrating Third-Party Gateways

To accept credit cards and digital wallets automatically, you need to install Gateway Modules.

Once a gateway module (like PayPal or Sepay) is installed on your system, it will automatically appear in your Payment Gateways list.

Example: Setting up PayPal

Ensure the PayPal Gateway Module is enabled in your Module settings.
Go to Settings > Payment Gateways and click on PayPal.
Toggle the status to Active.
Enter your Client ID and Secret Key (obtained from your PayPal Developer Dashboard).
Choose your environment: Sandbox (for testing with fake money) or Live (for real transactions).

When a customer pays via an automated gateway like PayPal, the system automatically verifies the transaction and changes the order status to "Processing" without any manual intervention from you.

Always thoroughly test your payment gateways in "Sandbox" or "Test" mode by placing a dummy order before you officially launch your store to the public.