Stripe, PayPal and other payment gateways

When a shopper pays in another currency, your payment gateway (the plugin that takes the payment, such as Stripe or PayPal) has to charge that currency. WC Currency Switch tells WooCommerce which currency the shopper is paying in, and most gateways simply use it. A shopper paying in EUR is charged in EUR, and a shopper paying in KWD is charged in KWD. What you need to check is that each gateway, and your account with the provider, accepts the currencies you sell in.

How it works#

WooCommerce has one setting for the store currency, and gateways ask WooCommerce for it when they build a payment. During a shopper’s visit, WC Currency Switch answers with the shopper’s active currency instead. So the gateway charges the amount in the currency shown at checkout, with no extra setup in most cases.

If a provider does not accept a currency, hide that gateway for that currency on the Payments tab (see Payment methods per currency). Otherwise the shopper can choose it and the payment fails.

Gateway notes#

Gateway	What to know
Stripe	Works with the active currency, including 3-decimal currencies such as KWD. No extra setup in WC Currency Switch. Check the currency is enabled on your Stripe account.
PayPal Payments	PayPal does not settle every currency. AED, KWD, SAR, QAR and ZAR, for example, are not supported, and INR only works for domestic accounts. Hide PayPal for those currencies on the Payments tab.
MyFatoorah	Works with the active currency. Which currencies you can take is set in your MyFatoorah account. WC Currency Switch adds no restrictions of its own.
Other gateways	Most read the store currency from WooCommerce and work as is. Check the provider accepts the currency, then hide the gateway on the Payments tab where it does not.

More about PayPal Payments#

• When PayPal Payments is active, WC Currency Switch adds HKD and MYR to the list of currencies PayPal Payments treats as supported.
• PayPal Payments sets up its buttons for one currency at a time. If you use Change currency follow and the checkout country changes the currency to one PayPal is offered in, the checkout always reloads so the PayPal buttons match the new currency.

Set it up#

1. List the currencies you have enabled on the Currencies tab.
2. For each gateway you use, check in the provider’s own documentation or account which of those currencies it accepts.
3. Go to WooCommerce > Currency Switch > Payments.
4. For each currency a gateway cannot take, open the currency’s panel, turn off Use store defaults, and turn off that gateway.
5. Click Save Changes.
6. Place a test order in each currency, with each gateway, before going live.

Examples#

Stripe and PayPal, selling in USD, EUR and KWD. Stripe is enabled for all three currencies on your Stripe account. PayPal does not accept KWD. On the Payments tab, open KWD, turn off Use store defaults and turn off PayPal. Shoppers paying in KWD see Stripe only. Shoppers in USD and EUR see both.

A provider that only settles one currency. If your only gateway can take just your store currency, turn on Settle orders in base currency under General > Checkout. Shoppers still browse in their own currency, but pay in your store currency. See Checkout currency options.

Good to know#

• Express pay buttons (such as Apple Pay or Google Pay) on product pages charge the currency shown on that page, even with Settle orders in base currency on.
• Orders keep their currency. The currency and exchange rate are saved on each order, including orders from the block checkout and express pay buttons. See The currency and exchange rate saved on each order.
• Refunds are made through the gateway in the order’s currency. See Order emails and refunds in another currency.

Related docs#

• Payment methods per currency
• Checkout currency options
• Change currency by billing or shipping country
• A payment method is missing at checkout