How to do a Test Order on Shopify: A Step By Step Guide

A Shopify test order checks whether your store can take payments.

Run this check early so you can start getting paid without delays.

Discovering a broken checkout after paying for ads is frustrating. Test the checkout before spending that money.

A Shopify test order lets you check that each of the following parts of checkout works:

• Shopify and the payment provider process the order.
• The inventory quantity updates.
• Shipping details and email notifications are sent.
• Product taxes are correct.
• The transaction succeeds, or a failure triggers an alert.

Place a test order whenever you change payment settings or the checkout process.

Use Shopify’s Bogus Gateway to create test orders. It may be the best method if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.

Another method uses test mode within Shopify Payments.

You can also place an order with a real credit card and cancel it immediately to avoid fees. This checks the store’s actual checkout.

A late cancellation may leave you with a small fee. The test still helps confirm that checkout works from the start.

The following steps explain test orders through Shopify’s Bogus Gateway and Shopify Payments.

1. How to Place Test Orders Using Shopify Bogus Gateway

In Shopify admin, open Settings and select Payments.

Turn off your current payment method and enable the Bogus Gateway for the test.

Under Third-party payment providers, choose “Choose another provider” and select (for testing) Bogus Gateway. This deactivates the existing provider automatically. Select a cancellation reason to confirm deactivation.

You may initially have only a deactivate option for the current provider. After confirming it, the Third-party payment providers section appears so you can select another provider.

Order any listed product from your Shopify store. At the payment stage, Bogus Gateway will be the only available method.

Use these card details:

• Name on card: Bogus Gateway
• Credit card number: Enter 1 to simulate success, 2 to simulate failure and 3 for a provider error.
• Expiry date: Enter a future date.
• CVV code: Enter any three numbers.

Select “Complete order”. With option 1, the transaction should succeed and take you to the thank you page. If that page does not appear, ask Shopify support why the test payment cannot complete.

After confirming that orders process correctly, return to Payment Providers and reactivate a real payment provider.

2. How to Place a Shopify Test Order Using Shopify Payments

Open Settings in Shopify admin, then select Payments.

Choose Manage in the top-right of Shopify Payments.

Under Test mode, select Enable test mode and save. Real credit cards cannot make payments while this is enabled, so avoid using it on a live store.

Place an order through your Shopify store.

Use the following card details:

• Name on card: Any two words
• Credit card number: Choose a number from the table below for the card and transaction type you want to test.
• Expiry date: Enter a future date. To test an invalid-expiry message, enter an invalid month or a year in the past.
• CVV code: Enter any three numbers, or a two-digit number to trigger an invalid-security-code message.

3. How to Place Shopify Test Orders With a Real Transaction

Use a real credit card and payment gateway to confirm that the process works without disrupting checkout on a live store.

For a third-party gateway, sign in to the payment provider and check that the transaction completed and the funds reached you.

Check “Orders” to confirm that the order was placed. Inventory shipping should also have updated.

Cancel and refund the test order by opening its order number and selecting “Refund.” You should receive a refund notification by email.

After refunding, check with your credit-card provider to confirm that it processed successfully.

Final Thoughts

Regular test orders reveal checkout faults so you can fix them before they frustrate customers.

Find problems before customers encounter them, or you may lose potential sales.