Payment Gateway Testing

September 2, 2016

You all must be cognizant of the payment gateway page, while using an e-commerce website for the purpose of online shopping. It is an established mechanism or service, which licenses and process the payments using the credit card. It acts an an intermediate or medium which encrypts the confidential data & information to carry out safe and secure transactions between the customer and the merchant or retailer.

Usually, a payment gateway is linked with the merchant account and transaction is carried out, when user's account also gets linked to the payment gateway through data and credentials provided by the customer.

Types of Payment Gateway:

Generally, payment gateway system is categorized under two types:

1. Hosted Payment Gateway:

The Customer is being directed to payment gateway page or link outside the domain of the e-commerce website. After the completion of the payment process, the customer is redirected back to the e-commerce website. Paypal and Worldpay are the examples of hosted payment gate-way.

2. Shared Payment Gateway:

In shared payment gateway, customer is directed to payment gateway link inside the domain of the e-commerce website. The customer stays on the website proceeds with the payment process. Examples: eWay, Stripe.

What is Payment Gateway Testing?

It's an e-commerce testing technique which is used to evaluate the functioning and other features of the payment gateway system, associated with an e-commerce website in order to ensure effective and hassle free transaction between the user and the merchant. Generally, it involves the process of simulating the end to end transaction process in a real environment to examine all the functionalities and aspects pertaining to a payment gateway system.

Approach to Payment Gateway Testing:

Payment gateway testing may be performed keeping in view, four major aspects that need to be assessed and evaluated. These are:

1. Functionality:

To check the basic working of the payment gateway. Whether the payment gateway is functioning appropriately and expectedly, what it supposes to do. It may also include other features also, like if the calculation is correct and as per the standards of a particular country (like Value added Tax-VAT, transaction or processing fee), etc.

2. Integration:

If the payment gateway is compatible and able to integrate with the variant types of cards.

3. Performance:

This may involve, the identification of the performance measures or metrics such as number of users per day accessing the website and accordingly, calculating the maximum possible concurrent users.

4. Security:

Hackers and crackers are making best use of the technologies to break into the system. Therefore, payment gateway should be strong and secure to nullify the effects of malicious attacks.

Test Cases for Payment gateway Testing:

Below given are some of the possible testing scenarios, which may prove to be useful in performing payment gateway testing.

Whether all the types of payment options available through the payment gateway are selectable or not.
Whether each payment option is showing its specification and requirements after being selected by the user.
What happens, after the failure of the payment process or if the session ends.
To check, if the payment gateway is allowing to enter data in the blank fields of the card number, card name, expiry date and CVV number.
To examine, how the payment gateway system behaves or responds, after leaving one or more fields, blank such as leaving CVV number field, blank, etc.
Whether the user is being redirected to the application page, after the successful completion of the payment process.
Applying language change, during the payment process.
Checking successful integration of all types of cards with the payment gateway system.
Whether the database is able to store and retrieve the credit card details and other useful information.
Checking the format of the amount to be paid, along with the currency format.
Checking transaction process for the Zero or negative amount value.
Evaluating the payment gateway after allowing and blocking the pop up.
Whether the transaction ID is being generated after the payment is done, successfully.
To check, whether transaction process is immediately transferred to the bank for the further processing.
Whether the mail, used to inform the customer is encrypted or not.
Checking the buffer pages between the application page and payment gateway system.
Checking back end process during the payment process.
Verifying security and error page during the payment process.
Whether the proper message or alert message is being shown for the successful payment or for the payment issues, respectively.