Connect Stripe to Shopify: A Beginner’s Guide
Step 1: Prepare Your Stripe Account
1.1 Create a Stripe Account
Before you can integrate Stripe with your Shopify store, you need an active Stripe account. If you don’t already have one, navigate to stripe.com. Click on the “Sign Up” button, usually located in the top right corner. You will be prompted to enter your email address, full name, country, and a strong password. After filling out these details, click “Create account.” Stripe will send a verification email to the address you provided. Open this email and click the verification link to confirm your account.
1.2 Verify Your Stripe Account
Once your account is created, you’ll need to complete the verification process to enable live transactions. From your Stripe dashboard, look for a prompt or a section labeled “Activate your account” or “Complete your account setup.” Stripe will require specific business information, which typically includes: your business type (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC), legal business name, Employer Identification Number (EIN) if applicable, physical business address, business website URL, and details about your products or services. You will also need to provide personal identification details for the account owner, such as a government-issued ID (driver’s license or passport) and your Social Security Number (SSN) for U.S. accounts. Finally, you’ll need to link a bank account for payouts by providing your bank name, account number, and routing number. Ensure all information is accurate to avoid delays in verification.
Step 2: Access Shopify Payment Settings
2.1 Log in to Your Shopify Admin
Open your web browser and go to your Shopify store’s admin URL, which typically follows the format your-store-name.myshopify.com/admin
. Enter your registered email address or username and your password in the respective fields. Click the “Log in” button to access your Shopify administrative dashboard. This is where you manage all aspects of your online store, including products, orders, customers, and settings.
2.2 Navigate to Payment Providers
Once you are logged into your Shopify admin, locate the “Settings” option in the bottom left corner of the navigation sidebar. Click on “Settings” to open the general settings menu. From the list of options presented, click on “Payments.” This section is dedicated to configuring your store’s payment gateways, allowing customers to pay for their purchases. You will see options for Shopify Payments (if enabled), third-party payment providers, and manual payment methods.
Step 3: Add Stripe as a Payment Method
3.1 Choose Stripe from the List
Within the “Payments” section of your Shopify admin, look for the “Third-party payment providers” box. Click on the “Choose a provider” button. A dropdown menu or a list of available payment gateways will appear. Scroll through this list until you find “Stripe.” Click on “Stripe” to select it as your preferred third-party payment gateway. If you already have Shopify Payments enabled, you might need to deactivate it or choose to add Stripe as an alternative.
3.2 Enter Your Stripe API Keys
After selecting Stripe, you will be prompted to enter your Stripe API keys. These keys allow Shopify to securely communicate with your Stripe account. You will need two specific keys: the “Publishable key” and the “Secret key.” To find these, log into your Stripe dashboard, navigate to “Developers” in the left-hand menu, and then click on “API keys.” You will see both your “Publishable key” (starts with pk_live_
) and your “Secret key” (starts with sk_live_
). Copy each key individually and paste them into the corresponding fields in your Shopify settings. Ensure there are no extra spaces before or after the pasted keys. Once both keys are entered, click the “Activate Stripe” button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
Step 4: Test and Activate Your Connection
4.1 Conduct a Test Transaction
Before making Stripe live for all customers, it’s crucial to perform a test transaction to ensure everything is working correctly. In your Shopify admin, go back to “Settings” > “Payments.” Under the Stripe section, you should see an option to “Enable test mode” or a similar setting. Activate test mode. Then, go to the front end of your Shopify store and add a low-value product to your cart. Proceed to checkout and select Stripe as the payment method. Use one of Stripe’s provided test card numbers (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242
for Visa, with any future expiration date and CVC) to complete the purchase. After the order is placed, check your Shopify admin for the new order and verify that it shows the payment as “Test” or “Pending.” Also, log into your Stripe dashboard and confirm that the test transaction appears there. Finally, remember to disable test mode in Shopify after your successful test.
4.2 Activate Stripe for Live Transactions
Once you have successfully conducted a test transaction and confirmed that payments are flowing correctly between Shopify and Stripe in test mode, you are ready to activate Stripe for live transactions. Return to your Shopify admin, navigate to “Settings” > “Payments.” Locate the Stripe payment provider section. If you enabled test mode for the test transaction, ensure it is now disabled. The “Activate Stripe” button should be clicked or confirmed if it’s not already active. This action makes Stripe available as a payment option for your customers, allowing them to use their credit and debit cards to make real purchases on your store. Monitor your first few live transactions to ensure smooth processing and accurate payouts.
FAQ: How long does Stripe account verification take?
Stripe account verification typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few business days, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. If additional documentation is required, it may take longer.
FAQ: Can I use Stripe alongside other payment gateways on Shopify?
Yes, Shopify allows you to enable multiple payment gateways. You can have Stripe active as a third-party provider even if you also use Shopify Payments or other options like PayPal.
FAQ: What happens if my Stripe API keys are incorrect?
If your Stripe API keys are incorrect, Shopify will not be able to connect to your Stripe account. Customers will see an error message during checkout when trying to pay via Stripe, indicating that the payment method is unavailable or that there was an error processing the payment.
FAQ: How do I handle refunds with Stripe on Shopify?
You can process refunds directly from your Shopify admin. When viewing an order paid via Stripe, you’ll see an option to “Refund.” Shopify will then send the refund request to Stripe, and the funds will be returned to the customer’s original payment method. You can track the refund status in both Shopify and your Stripe dashboard.