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Troubleshooting Common WooCommerce PayPal Payments Card Button Issues

22 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Woocommerce paypal payments

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Many WooCommerce store owners use the 'WooCommerce PayPal Payments' plugin to offer customers a variety of payment options, including credit and debit card processing. However, a frequent source of confusion and technical issues revolves around the interaction between the plugin's two main card payment methods: Advanced Card Processing and the Standard Card Button.

This guide will explain the common problems that arise, their likely causes, and the most effective steps to diagnose and resolve them.

Common Problems and Their Symptoms

Based on community reports, the most prevalent issues include:

  • Missing or Hidden Payment Options: The credit card gateway radio button or the 'Place Order' button is invisible on the checkout page until a specific action is taken, like selecting a country.
  • Duplicate Card Fields: Enabling both Advanced Card Processing and the Standard Card Button gateway can sometimes result in two sets of credit card fields appearing.
  • Conflicting Button Display: Buttons from one payment method (like Apple Pay) may incorrectly appear within the section for another (like the Standard Card gateway).
  • Unexpected Styling Changes: The appearance of card input fields or buttons may change drastically after a plugin update, often looking broken or incorrectly sized.
  • Standard Card Button Not Appearing: The black credit card button may be absent even when the feature is enabled in the settings.

Why Do These Issues Happen?

These problems typically stem from a few key sources:

  1. Plugin or Theme Conflicts: This is the most common cause. Other plugins, especially those related to caching (like Autoptimize), optimization, checkout field editors, or country restrictions, can interfere with how the PayPal Payments plugin loads its scripts and styles. Your theme may also override critical CSS or JavaScript functions.
  2. Simultaneous Gateway Activation: The 'WooCommerce PayPal Payments' team has indicated that using both the Advanced Card Processing and the Standard Card Button gateway on the same checkout page is an edge case and that support for this configuration may be removed in a future update. Running both simultaneously often leads to conflicts.
  3. Changes in PayPal's SDK: The plugin relies on external code from PayPal. Updates to this SDK can change how elements are styled or behave, which may break existing customizations or conflict with other scripts on your site.
  4. Configuration Errors: Settings within the plugin or a PayPal account itself can sometimes become misconfigured, preventing certain features from displaying correctly.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Follow these steps to identify and fix the problem.

1. Perform a Conflict Test

This is the most critical step for diagnosing the root cause.

  1. Switch to a Default Theme: Temporarily activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four or the WooCommerce Storefront theme.
  2. Disable All Other Plugins: Deactivate every plugin except for WooCommerce and WooCommerce PayPal Payments.
  3. Test Checkout: Visit your checkout page and see if the issue is resolved.
  4. Re-enable Components: If the issue is fixed, reactivate your theme and plugins one by one, testing the checkout after each activation, until you find the one causing the conflict.

2. Review Your Payment Gateway Configuration

Since running both card processing methods can cause problems, choose one:

  • For Advanced Card Processing: Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > PayPal Payments. Enable Advanced Card Processing and ensure the Create gateway for Standard Card Button option is unchecked.
  • For Standard Card Button: In the same settings, disable Advanced Card Processing and ensure the Create gateway for Standard Card Button option is checked.

3. Check for Optimization Plugin Conflicts

If you use caching, minification, or asset optimization plugins (e.g., Autoptimize, W3 Total Cache), try temporarily disabling them. Specifically, disable options that aggregate JavaScript or CSS files into HTML. These optimizations can break the inline scripts and styles the plugin uses to show and hide payment fields.

4. Clear All Caches

Clear your WordPress caching plugin's cache, your browser cache, and any server-level cache (like a CDN or object cache). Then, test the checkout again.

5. Review the System Status

Ensure your WordPress, WooCommerce, and PayPal Payments plugin are all updated to their latest versions. Many issues are resolved in subsequent updates.

Conclusion

Issues with card buttons and fields in 'WooCommerce PayPal Payments' are frustrating but often solvable. The vast majority of cases are caused by conflicts with other software on your site. By methodically performing a conflict test and carefully configuring your payment gateways, you can usually isolate and resolve the problem, providing a smooth checkout experience for your customers.

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