Find answers to the most commonly asked questions about the PowerTranz Payment Gateway for WooCommerce.
General Questions
What is PowerTranz?
PowerTranz is a payment processing platform that enables merchants in the Caribbean and Latin America to accept credit and debit card payments online. They provide secure payment infrastructure with features like 3D Secure authentication, tokenization, and fraud detection.
Which countries does PowerTranz support?
PowerTranz primarily serves merchants in the Caribbean and Latin America, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Bahamas, and other regional territories. Contact PowerTranz directly to confirm availability in your specific country.
What card types are accepted?
The gateway supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club. Actual card acceptance depends on your merchant account configuration with PowerTranz.
Setup Questions
How do I get PowerTranz API credentials?
Contact PowerTranz or your acquiring bank to apply for a merchant account. Once approved, PowerTranz will provide your PowerTranz ID, Password, and Gateway ID for both test and live environments.
What is the difference between Test Mode and Live Mode?
Test Mode uses sandbox credentials and processes simulated transactions—no real money is charged. Live Mode uses production credentials and processes real payments. Always test thoroughly in Test Mode before switching to Live Mode.
Do I need an SSL certificate?
Yes. An SSL certificate is required for PCI compliance and to securely transmit payment data. Your site must use HTTPS. Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt.
Should I use SPI or FPI integration?
SPI (Server Payment Interface) is recommended for most merchants. It can use a Hosted Payment Page or direct integration, supports Kount fraud detection, and reduces PCI compliance requirements.
FPI (Form Payment Interface) processes payments directly on your checkout page for a seamless experience but does not support Kount fraud detection.
Payment Questions
Why was a payment declined?
Payments can be declined for various reasons including insufficient funds, incorrect card details, expired cards, fraud prevention triggers, or bank restrictions. Check the order notes in WooCommerce for the specific response code and message. Refer to the Common Error Codes documentation for detailed explanations.
How long does payment settlement take?
Settlement times depend on your acquiring bank and merchant account terms. Typically, funds are deposited within 1-3 business days after the transaction is captured. Contact your acquiring bank for specific settlement schedules.
Can I process refunds through the plugin?
Yes. Navigate to the order in WooCommerce, click Refund, enter the amount, and click “Refund via PowerTranz”. Partial and full refunds are supported for captured transactions.
What is the difference between Sale and Authorize?
Sale captures funds immediately when the customer completes checkout. Authorize places a hold on the funds, which you capture later by changing the order status to Processing or Completed. Use Authorize if you need to verify orders before charging.
How do I capture an authorized payment?
Open the order in WooCommerce and change the order status to Processing or Completed. The payment will be captured automatically when you save the order.
Security Questions
Is this plugin PCI compliant?
The plugin is designed with PCI compliance in mind. SPI mode with Hosted Payment Page means card data never touches your server. FPI mode transmits card data securely to PowerTranz. However, you are responsible for maintaining overall PCI compliance for your website and business operations.
How does 3D Secure work?
3D Secure (3DS) adds an authentication step where the cardholder verifies their identity with their bank. This reduces fraud and shifts liability for chargebacks to the card issuer. The plugin supports 3DS 2.0 with frictionless authentication when possible.
What is Kount fraud detection?
Kount is an advanced fraud screening service that analyzes transactions in real-time to identify potentially fraudulent orders. It is available with SPI integration only. Contact the PowerTranz business development team to set up Kount for your account.
Technical Questions
Does the plugin support WooCommerce Subscriptions?
Yes. The plugin fully integrates with WooCommerce Subscriptions for recurring payments. Customers save their card during the initial purchase, and renewals are processed automatically using the saved token.
Can customers save their cards for future purchases?
Yes. When tokenization is enabled, customers can save their payment methods during checkout. Saved cards appear on future checkouts and in the My Account area. Card details are securely stored by PowerTranz—only a token is kept on your site.
Does the plugin work with WooCommerce Blocks checkout?
The plugin is optimized for the classic WooCommerce checkout. Block-based checkout compatibility may vary. For best results, use the classic checkout or test thoroughly if using blocks.
Can I use multiple currencies?
Yes. The gateway supports multiple currencies including USD, JMD, TTD, BBD, and others. Currency support depends on your merchant account configuration. The plugin sends the order currency to PowerTranz with each transaction.
Troubleshooting Questions
Why is my payment stuck on “Pending”?
This usually indicates the 3D Secure callback was not received or the customer abandoned the authentication process. Check that your callback URLs are accessible and not blocked by security plugins or firewalls. Enable debug logging to see detailed information.
Why am I getting “Invalid Credentials” errors?
Verify that your PowerTranz ID, Password, and Gateway ID are entered correctly. Ensure you are using test credentials when in Test Mode and live credentials when in Live Mode. Credentials are case-sensitive.
The gateway is not appearing at checkout. What should I check?
Confirm the gateway is enabled in WooCommerce → Settings → Payments. Check that your site uses HTTPS. Verify WooCommerce is up to date. If using geolocation restrictions, ensure the customer’s location is eligible.
How do I contact support?
For plugin support, visit sitepactja.com/support. For PowerTranz account or transaction issues, contact PowerTranz directly through your account representative.