To add a payment method to a WooCommerce invoice, enable your chosen gateways under WooCommerce > Settings > Payments, then use an invoicing plugin such as Challan to pull that selection onto the invoice automatically.
This guide walks through enabling gateways, configuring each one, and displaying the result on a real invoice, plus how to send a payment link and keep your records straight afterward.
Examples of WooCommerce invoice payment methods
WooCommerce ships with three built-in invoice payment methods, and you can add more through free and paid extensions. Here’s what’s actually available, and what each one fits best.
| Payment method | Built in? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Direct bank transfer | Yes | High-ticket items like electronics or jewelry |
| Check payment | Yes | Large purchases such as vehicles or property, or test orders |
| Cash on delivery (COD) | Yes | Mid-range, local orders like apparel |
| Stripe | Extension | Card payments; works in 46+ countries and 135+ currencies |
| PayPal | Extension | Widely recognized checkout option, low setup friction |
| WooPayments | Extension | Native WooCommerce payments, available in 38 countries at the time of writing |
WooCommerce Payments was rebranded to WooPayments, though you’ll still see the old name in some plugin listings and WordPress dashboards. Check the official WooPayments country list before recommending it to a client outside a supported region.
An invoice payment method is simply the option a customer selects to pay a bill after receiving it, rather than at checkout. A complete invoice payment record should include: the payment method used, the invoice due date, the currency, and any late fees or early-payment discounts you’ve agreed on.
How to enable a WooCommerce invoice payment method
Enabling a payment method takes three steps and applies to every invoice generated afterward.
Step 1: Open the payments settings
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments from your WordPress dashboard.
Step 2: Turn on the gateways you want
You’ll see three default options: direct bank transfer, check payment, and cash on delivery. Toggle on any combination of the three. If you want an option beyond these defaults, click “Discover other payment providers” in the same tab. This opens a list of supported gateways, including PayPal, WooPayments, and Stripe, with a filter for free options only.
Step 3: Save your changes
Click Save Changes. The gateways you enabled now appear at checkout, and any invoicing plugin you use will be able to pull them onto the invoice.
How to configure each invoice payment gateway
Turning a gateway on isn’t the same as setting it up. Each one needs its own configuration before it’s ready to use.
Direct bank transfer
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Direct bank transfer. Enable it, then add your account name, account number, bank name, sort code, IBAN, and BIC/SWIFT. You can list more than one account if you want to give customers a choice.
Don’t put a personal account here. If you’re just launching, open a business account under your store name first.
Check payments
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Check payments. There’s nothing to configure beyond enabling it and adding instructions if you have any. It’s a reasonable choice for test orders, but for real customer payments in 2026, expect most buyers to skip it in favor of a card or digital option.
Cash on delivery (COD)
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Cash on Delivery. Choose which shipping methods qualify (flat rate, free shipping, or local pickup), since COD is usually tied to how the order gets delivered. Save your changes once you’ve picked the right methods.
PayPal, WooPayments, and Stripe
These extensions each have their own setup wizard once installed. Follow the on-screen prompts. For PayPal specifically, you’ll need to connect an existing PayPal Business account before the option appears on invoices.
How to display the payment method on a WooCommerce invoice
WooCommerce doesn’t generate invoices on its own, and building them manually is slow and error-prone once your order volume grows. A plugin fills that gap. Challan, built by WebAppick, is a free WooCommerce invoice plugin that many store owners use specifically because it can display the payment method directly on the invoice.
Here’s how to turn that on:
- Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin, search for Challan, then install and activate it.
- Go to Challan > Settings > Invoice.
- Scroll to Order Settings and find the Display Payment Method toggle. Turn it on.
- Click Save Changes.
Open any recent order and click the invoice download button to confirm. The payment method now shows near the top of the PDF. Challan Pro adds a dedicated bank details table if you also want account information visible on the invoice; that toggle lives further down the same Invoice tab.
How to create a WooCommerce invoice payment link
A payment link is a button on the invoice itself that a customer clicks to pay immediately, rather than logging into a separate payment page. WooCommerce doesn’t build this natively, so you’ll need a plugin like Sliced Invoices, a free WordPress invoicing tool that’s been maintained since 2015.
Worth knowing before you commit to it: the free version covers PayPal payment links out of the box, but gateways beyond PayPal typically require a separate paid extension, so check what you actually need before assuming everything is included.
- Install the plugin. Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin, search “Sliced Invoices,” then install and activate.
- Configure invoice settings. Go to Sliced Invoices > Settings > Invoices, choose when you want email notifications (for example, only when an invoice is paid), pick a template, and save.
- Set up the payment method. Scroll to the PayPal Gateway section, check Enable, then choose Sandbox for testing or Live for real transactions. Enter your API username, password, and signature, then save.
- Add the link to an invoice. Go to Invoices > Add New Invoice, choose the client, add line items, then check the PayPal box under Payment Settings. If PayPal isn’t configured yet, this checkbox won’t appear.
- Send it. Publish the invoice, then click the email icon to send it directly, or download the PDF and send it yourself. The customer receives a “Pay with PayPal” button they can click straight from the email.
How to track and manage invoice payments
Once payments start coming in, four habits keep your books accurate:
Confirm each payment against the invoice as soon as it lands, and let the customer know it was received. A quick confirmation email is a small thing that builds trust over repeat orders.
Update your records immediately: mark the invoice paid and log which method the customer used. Skipping this step is how small stores end up chasing down “did they pay or not” a month later.
Reconcile regularly by cross-checking invoices against your bank or gateway statements. This is the step most owners skip, and it’s the one that catches the discrepancies before they become real problems.
Follow up on anything unpaid. Keep a record of the dispute and the relevant order details so you’re not digging through email threads when a customer disputes a charge later.
WooCommerce has no built-in reminder system for unpaid invoices. Challan can send automatic emails tied to order status, which covers most reminder needs without a separate plugin.
Best WooCommerce invoice plugin for payment methods: Challan Pro
Challan is built by WebAppick, the team behind CTX Feed, a WooCommerce product feed plugin with 80,000+ active installs. Challan generates the invoice, packing slip, and shipping label from one plugin, and it’s the one used throughout this guide because it’s built specifically to surface the payment method on the PDF.
Key features
- Displays the payment method used, positioned near the top of the invoice
- Attaches the invoice PDF automatically to order confirmation emails, based on order status
- Adds a bank details table to the invoice (Pro)
- Supports order-language invoicing for multilingual stores (Pro)
- Bulk download for invoices, packing slips, and shipping labels
Pricing and current feature limits change, so check the official Challan pricing page before publishing anything specific to a plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is an invoice payment method?
It’s the option a customer uses to pay a bill they received after the order was placed, rather than at checkout. Common examples in WooCommerce are direct bank transfer, check, cash on delivery, and gateway extensions like PayPal or Stripe.
Does WooCommerce charge transaction fees?
WooCommerce itself is free and doesn’t charge a transaction fee. Individual payment gateways do, and the rate depends on the provider, so check the fee schedule for whichever gateway you connect (Stripe, PayPal, WooPayments, and so on) before publishing that number as fixed.
What payment gateways does WooCommerce support?
Three are built in: direct bank transfer, check payment, and cash on delivery. Beyond those, WooCommerce supports dozens of extensions, including PayPal, WooPayments, Stripe, and region-specific gateways available through the “Discover other payment providers” panel in Settings.
How do I send an invoice to a customer in WooCommerce?
WooCommerce doesn’t send standalone invoices on its own. A plugin like Challan can attach a PDF invoice to the order confirmation email automatically, based on the order status you choose.
Can I offer more than one payment option on an invoice?
You can enable multiple gateways in WooCommerce settings, and the customer picks one at checkout. The invoice then shows only the method they actually selected, not the full list.
Key takeaways
- WooCommerce ships with three built-in invoice payment methods: direct bank transfer, check payment, and cash on delivery.
- Extensions like PayPal, WooPayments (formerly WooCommerce Payments), and Stripe add more options, each configured through WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.
- WooCommerce doesn’t generate or display invoices natively. A plugin like Challan handles both, including showing the payment method directly on the PDF.
- A payment link lets customers pay straight from the invoice email; Sliced Invoices is a free option, though non-PayPal gateways usually need a paid add-on.
- Reconciling payments against your invoices regularly catches discrepancies before they turn into disputes.
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