Sandbox
A sandbox that runs the same code as live
Every account starts in test mode. It is the same API, the same checks, the same events and the same webhooks: only the payments are simulated, so no real money moves.
I. What test mode gives
Everything, but the money
Open an account and all of this is there, before you send us a single document.
Test keys at sign-up
Your test secret key is shown the moment your account is created.
Simulated payments
A card page marked TEST, and cash codes you settle yourself.
Sample data in one click
Fill an empty dashboard with sample payments, and see how it reads.
Real webhooks
The same events, the same signatures and the same retries as live.
Kept apart from live
A test key sees test data only. Nothing crosses from one mode to the other.
The whole dashboard
Payments, refunds, balances, logs: every screen works on test data.
II. Test cards
Nine cards, nine outcomes
Type one on the simulated card page. Any other number is refused, and a real card never works in test mode.
| Card number | Scenario | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 4242 4242 4242 4242 | Success | Succeeds at once. |
| 4000 0000 0000 3220 | 3-D Secure | A simulated 3-D Secure page opens. Approve it and the payment succeeds; fail it and it is declined. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0002 | Declined | Declined. |
| 4000 0000 0000 9995 | Insufficient funds | Declined, for insufficient funds. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0069 | Expired card | Declined, as an expired card. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0119 | Processing error | Fails with a processing error. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0077 | Slow confirmation | Succeeds after 60 seconds. Until then the payment is not confirmed. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0085 | Repeated notifications | Succeeds once, though its confirmation arrives several times and out of order. |
| 4000 0000 0000 0093 | Lost confirmation | No confirmation ever arrives: the payment never succeeds. |
If the page asks for an expiry date or a security code, any future date and any three digits will do.
III. Cash helpers
Play the agent yourself
No agent accepts a test code. You decide what happens to it: on the voucher page, in the dashboard, or with the test helpers of the API.
| Helper | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pay | The code is paid and the payment succeeds. |
| Pay another amount | Nothing is credited: the payment waits for a person to review it. |
| Expire | The code reaches its deadline unpaid, and your customer can get a new one. |
| Refuse | The network refuses the code, and your customer can get a new one. |
| Suspend | The code is put on hold. Pay it afterwards and the payment succeeds. |
IV. From test to live
Going live is a change of keys
A request that works in test mode works in live mode. What differs is deliberate, and short.
| What | Test mode | Live mode |
|---|---|---|
| Money | None moves | Real payments |
| Keys | Test keys, from sign-up | Live keys, once your account is activated |
| Card page | A simulation marked TEST, for test cards only | Our payment partner’s secure page |
| 3-D Secure | A simulated page where you choose the outcome | Your customer’s bank |
| Cash codes | Settled with the helpers; no agent accepts them | Paid in cash at a CashPlus agent |
| Test helpers | Available | Refused |
What stays the same
- The checks on every request, and the error codes
- The statuses a payment goes through
- The events, their signatures and their retries
- The idempotency keys
- The minimum amounts
Your sandbox opens with your account
Sign up, copy your test key, and take a first test payment.