The Fawry Payment Plugin enables Egyptian WordPress sites to accept payments via Fawry, the country’s premier electronic bill payment provider. This official plugin, created by Fawry, seamlessly incorporates the Fawry payment gateway into WooCommerce.
With more than 50,000 merchant locations around Egypt, Fawry offers a widely used and well-known local payment method. Enabling Fawry on your WooCommerce website is quick and easy with the help of the Fawry Payment Plugin.
Key benefits of using the Fawry Payment Plugin include:
Pre-orders, regular purchases, and subscriptions are among the common WooCommerce transaction types supported by the plugin. When a customer chooses Fawry as their payment option at checkout, they may effortlessly pay for any good or service on your website. The customer places the order usually, but when they visit a nearby Fawry agent location, they must pay offline.
How the Fawry Payment Plugin Works
Online retailers using WooCommerce may effortlessly take payments via the Egyptian Fawry payment network thanks to the Fawry payment plugin. It manages the whole payment process through an API interaction between the servers of Fawry and the WooCommerce store.
Along with other payment options that the store may accept, clients can pay with Fawry at the point of sale. The plugin initiates a server-to-server request to Fawry to start the transaction when a customer chooses Fawry.
The customer can then use the reference number that Fawry generates for the transaction to finish the payment through any payment channels that Fawry supports, including online through Fawry Plus, ATMs, retail locations, and banks.
The merchant’s WooCommerce store will receive a confirmation from Fawry containing the transaction information once the buyer has made payment via their preferred method. After that, the Fawry plugin will finish the order in the WooCommerce admin by confirming the payment.
The key supported payment methods through Fawry are:
This allows the merchant to tap into Fawry’s extensive on-the-ground network and many integrated banking partners. Customers have the flexibility to pay in person through multiple convenient channels.
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Installing and Configuring the Fawry Payment Plugin
The Fawry payment plugin can be installed directly from the WordPress plugin repository. To install:
Requirements
The Fawry payment plugin has the following requirements:
The plugin is compatible with any WordPress theme.
Configuration
Once installed and activated, the plugin will add a new “Fawry Payment Gateway” settings page under WooCommerce > Settings. Here you can configure the following options:
Make sure to enter your Fawry merchant credentials provided after signing up for an account. Save your settings to enable Fawry as a payment option during checkout.
Enabling Fawry Payments in WooCommerce
To enable Fawry as a payment method in your WooCommerce store, you first need to install and activate the Fawry payments plugin. Once installed:
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.
- Under “Payment Gateways” you will see Fawry as an option. Enable it.
- Configure the Fawry settings:
- Enabled – Check to enable Fawry
- Title – Text that shows up as payment option for customer
- Description – Extra text to describe Fawry payment
- Store ID – Your Fawry merchant ID
- Store Passphrase – Your secret passphrase
- Use Sandbox – Check for testing, uncheck for live payments
- Enable Payment Status Tracking – Check to track payments in WooCommerce
- Click “Manage” to configure default instructions and styling for the Fawry payment gateway.
- Under “Instructions” you can enter text to show to customers during checkout.
- Save changes.
Fawry should now show as a payment option during checkout in WooCommerce. Customers will be redirected to Fawry to complete payment before returning to the store.
Performing Transactions with Fawry
The Fawry payment gateway provides a seamless checkout experience for customers. Customers who choose Fawry as their payment method during checkout will be redirected to the Fawry payment page to complete the transaction.
The buyer has to confirm the payment amount and provide their cellphone number on the Fawry payment page. Fawry will send the customer a one-time password via SMS to authorize the transaction. To complete the payment, the customer must enter this OTP code on the payment page.
Once the OTP is entered correctly, the transaction will be processed instantly. The customer will see a confirmation page indicating that the payment was successful.
Meanwhile, the order status in WooCommerce will automatically update to reflect the successful payment. The store admin will see the Fawry transaction ID associated with the order for reconciliation purposes.
The transaction will fail if the OTP code is entered incorrectly or expires. The customer can attempt the payment again by re-entering their mobile number on the Fawry site. Failed payments due to incorrect OTP will not be processed or charged.
The Fawry gateway provides a user-friendly checkout experience. Customers need their mobile number and the OTP code to complete payments. The instant processing and order status updates provide a seamless experience for the customer and store admin.
Transaction Reporting and Reconciliation
The WordPress admin dashboard of the Fawry Payment Plugin offers comprehensive transaction reporting. Merchants may see a list of all their Fawry transactions in WooCommerce > Fawry, along with the transaction ID, order ID, client name, payment amount, and status.
Merchants can reconcile Fawry payments with their bank accounts using the transaction report. Upon completion of a Fawry payment, the money is transferred by Fawry into the merchant’s bank account.
In WordPress, the transaction will first appear as “Pending.” The merchant can access this report, look up the transaction ID, and designate the transaction as “Complete” as soon as the money reaches their bank account.
Reconciling the Fawry transactions with the merchant’s bank statement is essential. It ensures that all payments have been received as expected. Some key steps for reconciliation include:
Proper reconciliation is essential for accounting, bookkeeping, and ensuring accurate WordPress reports. The Fawry Payment Plugin provides the data you need while following a regular reconciliation routine to catch any potential problems.
Security and Compliance
Integrating Fawry as a payment gateway for your WooCommerce store introduces additional compliance considerations to manage. Most importantly, you must ensure PCI compliance to handle customer payment information securely.
The Fawry plugin leverages WooCommerce’s built-in tools to handle compliance. All sensitive customer data is exchanged directly between the customer and Fawry, keeping your store out of the scope of PCI regulations. However, you’ll still need to take precautions:
Additionally, enabling Fawry means monitoring for fraud. While Fawry’s risk management tools provide a base level of protection, store owners can take additional steps:
With proper precautions, Fawry can securely expand the payment options for a WooCommerce store without greatly increasing compliance overhead or fraud risk. Their integration handles most of the heavy lifting in keeping stores compliant and secure.
Troubleshooting Issues
In case the integration does not work as expected or errors occur during payment processing, here are some common issues and how to fix them:
Payment Failures
If payments fail consistently, first check the plugin logs under WooCommerce > Status > Logs. This can provide more details on the exact error.
Some common payment failures include:
Missing Payment Options
If Fawry is not appearing as a payment option during checkout, try the following:
Incorrect Order Totals
If the order total sent to Fawry is incorrect, check that:
Logging and Debugging
For advanced troubleshooting, enable debug logging in the plugin settings. This will log requests and responses during transactions.
Check the JavaScript console for front-end errors. And inspect network requests to see the raw API calls.
With debugging enabled, replicate the issue then examine the logs. They can help narrow down configuration issues versus problems on Fawry’s side.
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Alternatives to Fawry
The Fawry payment gateway plugin is not the only option available to accept online payments in WordPress and WooCommerce. Here’s an overview of some alternatives and their pros and cons.
PayPal
PayPal is one of the most widely used payment gateways worldwide. Its main advantages are:
Potential drawbacks include:
Stripe
Stripe is a popular payment processor for online businesses. Key pros:
Downsides to evaluate:
Local Bank Transfer Plugins
For businesses selling mainly to local customers, bank transfer plugins tailored for specific countries can be an option.
Advantages:
Tradeoffs:
The choice depends on your target audience, business model, and country. Fawry is ideal for Egypt, while globally recognized gateways like PayPal or Stripe may be better for international sales. Evaluate the alternatives to pick the best fit.
Conclusion
The Fawry payment gateway plugin offers a seamless way for WordPress and WooCommerce sites in Egypt to accept payments through Fawry, one of the most popular local payment methods. The key benefits of using the Fawry plugin include:
Seamless integration with WooCommerce – the plugin enables Fawry to be a payment option during checkout with just a few clicks. No development work is needed.
Localized checkout experience – by offering Fawry, you give customers the option to pay with a familiar payment method and in EGP. This results in higher conversion rates.
Automatic order status updates – the plugin automatically updates the order status in WooCommerce based on payment notifications from Fawry.
Detailed payment reports – you can easily reconcile payments and generate reports filtered by date ranges and payment statuses.
PCI compliance – the plugin securely handles sensitive customer payment information without passing it to your server.
The Fawry payment gateway plugin is highly recommended for any WordPress/WooCommerce site targeting Egyptian customers. Accepting local payment options like Fawry is critical to providing a seamless, localized online shopping experience. Implementing the plugin requires