WP Simple Pay: Build a Stripe Payment Form (Connect, Test, Go Live)

This article is a localized edition of the Japanese original. Read the Japanese original

WP Simple Pay is a plugin for placing Stripe payment forms on a WordPress site. Without setting up a full online store like WooCommerce, you can put simple payments such as "buy one of this product" or "pay this amount" on a page.

This article uses the free version distributed on WordPress.org (plugin name "Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay", shown as "WP Simple Pay Lite" in the admin screen; the latest version as of October 2026 is in the 4.17 series), and the steps were checked in the Japanese admin screen of WordPress 7.1. The setup flow follows WP Simple Pay's official documentation.

What to check before you start

• A Stripe account: you can also create one during the connection process. To accept live payments, you need to complete your business details and identity verification on the Stripe side.
• The site must be served over HTTPS: show payment pages over HTTPS (How to move WordPress to HTTPS).
• Fees: in addition to Stripe's processing fees, the Lite version charges a WP Simple Pay fee of 3% per transaction (according to the plugin description and the notice in the admin screen). The paid Pro version removes this additional fee. Check Stripe's own fees on Stripe's pricing page.
• What Lite can do: you can create forms for one-time payments and recurring payments (subscriptions). Customers pay on Stripe's payment page (Stripe Checkout). Forms with the card fields directly on your site, coupons, tax rate management and refunds from WordPress are Pro features.
• Selling in Japan: when you sell goods or services by mail order, prepare a page with the disclosures required by Japan's Act on Specified Commercial Transactions.

1. Install the plugin and connect to Stripe

1. In the admin screen, go to "Plugins" → "Add Plugin", search for WP Simple Pay, then install and activate "Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay".
2. Open "WP Simple Pay" → "Settings" in the admin screen and display "Stripe" → "Account".
3. Click the "Connect with Stripe" button. You are taken to Stripe's site, where you log in with an existing account or create a new one and allow the connection.
4. Back in WordPress, check that it shows as connected.

WP Simple Pay connects through Stripe Connect, so you do not need to paste Stripe's publishable key or secret key by hand.

On Stripe's account registration screen, do not use "Skip this form", which skips filling in your details. The official documentation warns that this creates a temporary Stripe account that cannot be recovered or moved to live mode.

Right after installation the plugin is in test mode, and no real money moves. Stay in test mode until your forms are ready and tested.

2. Create a payment form

1. Open "WP Simple Pay" → "Add New Payment Form". You can also start from one of the provided templates.
2. Set the form title and what is being paid for (amount, currency, one-time or recurring, and so on).
3. Save (publish) the form.

The "Payment Success Page" and "Payment Failure Page" shown after payment can be checked under "WP Simple Pay" → "Settings" → "Payment Confirmations" → "Pages".

3. Place the form on a page

Place the form on a page or post in one of these ways.

• With a block: in the block editor, add the "WP Simple Pay - Payment Form" block and choose your form.
• With a shortcode: the list under "WP Simple Pay" → "Payment Forms" shows a shortcode for each form. Paste it into a Shortcode block or similar. The format is as follows, where the number is the form ID.

[simpay id="123"]

4. Try a payment in test mode

In test mode, you can try payments with the test card numbers that Stripe publishes. These values are commonly used:

Open the page with the form while logged out, go to Stripe's payment page from the payment button, and complete the payment. Check the following:

• Whether the "Payment Success Page" appears after payment
• Whether the payment is recorded when you switch the Stripe dashboard to test mode (WP Simple Pay's screen also tells you to view test transactions with the Stripe dashboard in test mode)
• Whether the amount and currency are as intended

5. Switch to live mode

When testing is done, switch to live mode following the official documentation.

1. On the Stripe side, complete the registration needed to accept live payments (business details, identity verification, payout bank account and so on).
2. In "WP Simple Pay" → "Settings" → "Stripe" → "Account", set "Payment Mode" to "Live Mode" and save.
3. Connect to Stripe again in live mode, and check that it shows as connected in live mode.
4. Each form also has its own "Payment Mode" (in the "Payment" settings of the form edit screen). Check that no form is still left in test mode.
5. Open the pages with live forms and check that they display correctly and lead to the right place.

Running it safely

• Protect your Stripe account: the Stripe dashboard holds your sales and customer information. Turn on two-step authentication and limit who can log in.
• Keep the plugin updated: apply updates to payment-related plugins promptly, since they include security fixes.
• Decide how to handle refunds and cancellations: Lite cannot issue refunds from the WordPress screen, so do it in the Stripe dashboard.
• Protect your WordPress administrator account too: anyone who gets into the admin screen can change form amounts or the connected account. Use a strong password and two-step authentication.

Summary

• WP Simple Pay (Lite) connects through Stripe Connect, so you do not enter API keys by hand. Lite adds a 3% fee per transaction on top of Stripe's fees
• Connect from "Connect with Stripe" under "WP Simple Pay" → "Settings" → "Stripe" → "Account", and do not use "Skip this form", which creates a temporary account
• Create forms with "Add New Payment Form" and place them on pages with a block or a shortcode
• Check the payment flow in test mode with a test card, then set "Payment Mode" to "Live Mode" and reconnect in live mode
• When selling in Japan, also prepare the disclosures required by the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions

Related articles

• How to connect Gravity Forms to Stripe
• Fixing WooCommerce Stripe errors: connection, webhooks, 3D Secure and refunds
• How to move WordPress to HTTPS

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