Apple Pay and Google Pay let shoppers pay with a card stored in a digital wallet instead of typing card details into a checkout form. This guide shows how to turn on both wallets in Shopify, in WooCommerce through WooPayments, and in a custom checkout built on Stripe, and explains the domain checks attached to the buttons.

Before you start

Each platform sets its own conditions. Shopify says a store needs a credit card payment provider that supports Apple Pay, SSL activated on the store’s domain, and compliance with Apple’s Acceptable Use Guidelines for websites. For Google Pay, Shopify’s help page says the store must follow the Google Pay API Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. WooCommerce says a site using WooPayments must be served over HTTPS.

Apple also ties its button to registered domains. Apple’s developer documentation says merchants must register and verify all top-level domains and subdomains where the Apple Pay button appears, and that those domains can’t sit behind a proxy or redirect. The three platforms below say they handle that work. Shopify says it handles domain verification, so Stripe users don’t add a verification file. WooCommerce says Stripe verifies WooPayments sites with Apple, so no verification file or Apple merchant ID is needed. Stripe says it handles Apple’s merchant validation behind the scenes.

Option 1: Shopify

Shopify documents the same desktop path for both wallets:

  1. From the Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
  2. In your credit card payment provider’s section, click Manage.
  3. In the Wallets section, select Apple Pay, Google Pay or both.
  4. Click Save.

The Shopify mobile app follows the same route under Settings > Payments. Shopify Payments supports Google Pay in all regions except France. Shopify Payments merchants in France turn on Apple Pay by clicking Manage under Advanced settings, then Activate for Apple Pay in the Wallets section. Merchants with a third-party provider can search for either wallet under Settings > Payments. Shopify says Google Pay adds no extra fees, though the provider’s normal processing fees apply.

Option 2: WooCommerce with WooPayments

WooPayments controls both wallets with one setting, and WooCommerce says they must be enabled together.

  1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Payments > Settings.
  2. Open the Express Checkouts section.
  3. Check Apple Pay / Google Pay.
  4. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

Saving the settings registers the site’s domain. The buttons can appear on the checkout page, the cart page and individual product pages. Clicking Customize for Apple Pay / Google Pay under Express Checkouts lets merchants choose those locations and adjust button text, size, color scheme and border radius. To test, WooCommerce says to turn on test mode and complete a purchase on a supported device using a real card in the Apple account, which is not charged; test cards can’t be used.

Option 3: A custom checkout on Stripe

Stripe’s domain registration guide applies to sites that use Stripe Elements or the embeddable version of Stripe Checkout. It lists Apple Pay, where registration is marked as required, along with Google Pay, Link, PayPal and other methods. Every domain and subdomain that shows a button needs registering, such as example.com, www.example.com and shop.example.com:

  1. Open the Payment method domains page in the Stripe Dashboard and click Add a new domain.
  2. Enter the domain name.
  3. Click Save and continue.
  4. Repeat for each additional domain or subdomain.

Testing needs registered domains too. Stripe says a domain registered in live mode is also registered in sandboxes automatically, and that local testing needs an HTTPS address from a tool such as ngrok.

Common problems

  • Apple Pay is missing from the Shopify admin. Shopify says merchants on Cybersource, Authorize.net or First Data Payeezy should ask the processor to enable network tokenization, and Stripe users should accept Apple Pay’s Terms of Service in the Stripe dashboard.
  • The button doesn’t show at checkout. On Shopify, recheck the requirements; the Buy Button sales channel doesn’t support Apple Pay. On WooPayments, confirm the setting is on and the site uses HTTPS, try Apple’s demo page to rule out the device, and check that guest checkout, or account creation during checkout with password setup links, is enabled under WooCommerce > Settings > Accounts & Privacy.
  • WooPayments domain verification fails. Turn on Log Error Messages under Payments > Settings > Advanced settings. Uncheck Apple Pay / Google Pay, save, refresh, check it again and save. Then look in the latest woopayments log, under WooCommerce > Status > Logs, for an “Error registering domain with Apple” entry. Registration attempts are limited per hour, so WooCommerce suggests waiting an hour or two between retries.
  • Two sets of buttons appear. Another gateway or extension may be adding its own; keep the wallets enabled in one gateway only.
  • Discounts don’t apply. Shopify says Apple Pay shoppers must enter a discount code on the checkout page before using the button, and that Google doesn’t apply discounts to products that don’t need a shipping address, such as digital products.
  • Buttons disappear from a Stripe site. Check the Payment method domains page. If a domain is disabled, Stripe says the payment methods no longer appear on it.
  • A direct Apple integration rejects a domain. Apple says the same domain can’t be registered under a different Team ID.