WooCommerce Payments activation error

  • Resolved cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)


    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello,

    As per the request of a WC Expert in another thread, I am opening a new support thread here at the current stage of my issue.

    I disabled the WooCommerce Stripe Gateway, used a new browser and cleared its cache. Same session error. I noticed that PayPal Payments was enabled in the WC settings, so I disabled that.

    Once I did that, the session error was gone, but now I have a “Finishing payments setup” screen with a progress bar that refreshes constantly but doesn’t complete anything.

    Any advice for this different issue would be greatly appreciated!

    I just tried the “Complete Setup” again and the same refreshing screen. There aren’t any fatal errors appearing in the WC logs after this issue.

    System Status Report

    ### WordPress Environment ###

WordPress address (URL): [Redacted]
Site address (URL): [Redacted]
WC Version: 9.8.5
Legacy REST API Package Version: The Legacy REST API plugin is not installed on this site.
Action Scheduler Version: ✔ 3.9.2
Log Directory Writable: ✔
WP Version: 6.8.1
WP Multisite: –
WP Memory Limit: 256 MB
WP Debug Mode: –
WP Cron: ✔
Language: en_US
External object cache: –

### Server Environment ###

Server Info: Apache
PHP Version: 8.2.16
PHP Post Max Size: 60 MB
PHP Time Limit: 30
PHP Max Input Vars: 1000
cURL Version: 7.74.0
OpenSSL/1.1.1w

SUHOSIN Installed: –
MySQL Version: 11.2.3-MariaDB
Max Upload Size: 60 MB
Default Timezone is UTC: ✔
fsockopen/cURL: ✔
SoapClient: ✔
DOMDocument: ✔
GZip: ✔
Multibyte String: ✔
Remote Post: ✔
Remote Get: ✔

### Database ###

[REDACTED]

### Post Type Counts ###

amp_validated_url: 1
attachment: 99
custom_css: 2
elementor_library: 2
elementor-hf: 1
ml-slide: 2
ml-slider: 1
nav_menu_item: 26
page: 33
post: 6
ppfuture_workflow: 4
product: 124
revision: 364
shop_order: 3
shop_subscription: 2
wc_membership_plan: 1
wc_user_membership: 2
wp_global_styles: 4
wp_navigation: 1
wp_template: 2
wpcdt_countdown: 1
wpforms: 17

### Security ###

Secure connection (HTTPS): ✔
Hide errors from visitors: ✔

### Active Plugins (2) ###

WooPayments: by WooCommerce – 9.3.0
WooCommerce: by Automattic – 9.8.5

### Inactive Plugins (26) ###

Admin Menu Editor: by Janis Elsts – 1.13.1
Advanced Access Manager: by VasylTech LLC <support@aamplugin.com> – 7.0.1
All in One SEO: by All in One SEO Team – 4.8.2
AMP: by AMP Project Contributors – 2.5.5
Book Em Now Forms: by Sergio Milardovich – 1.1.1
Elementor: by Elementor.com – 3.27.6
Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights: by MonsterInsights – 9.5.2
MetaSlider: by MetaSlider – 3.98.0
Post Types Order: by Nsp Code – 2.3.5
Premium Starter Templates: by Brainstorm Force – 4.4.20
PublishPress Future: by PublishPress – 4.6.0
Relevanssi: by Mikko Saari – 4.24.5
Ultimate Addons for Elementor Lite: by Brainstorm Force – 2.3.1
Ultimate Addons for Elementor Pro: by Brainstorm Force – 1.39.4
User Menus: by Code Atlantic – 1.3.2
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce: by CartFlows – 1.0.13
WooCommerce.com Update Manager: by Automattic – 1.0.3
WooCommerce Memberships: by SkyVerge – 1.27.1
WooCommerce PayPal Payments: by PayPal – 3.0.5
WooCommerce Product Vendors: by WooCommerce – 2.4.2 (update to version 2.4.3 is available)
WooCommerce Stripe Gateway: by Stripe – 9.5.0
WooCommerce Subscriptions: by WooCommerce – 7.4.0
WooCommerce Tax: by WooCommerce – 3.0.0
WPForms: by WPForms – 1.9.5.2
WPForms Post Submissions: by WPForms – 1.8.0
WP Mail SMTP: by WP Mail SMTP – 4.4.0

### Settings ###

Legacy API Enabled: –
Force SSL: –
Currency: USD ($)
Currency Position: left
Thousand Separator: ,
Decimal Separator: .
Number of Decimals: 2
Taxonomies: Product Types: external (external)
grouped (grouped)
simple (simple)
subscription (subscription)
variable (variable)
variable subscription (variable-subscription)

Taxonomies: Product Visibility: exclude-from-catalog (exclude-from-catalog)
exclude-from-search (exclude-from-search)
featured (featured)
outofstock (outofstock)
rated-1 (rated-1)
rated-2 (rated-2)
rated-3 (rated-3)
rated-4 (rated-4)
rated-5 (rated-5)
visible (visible)

Connected to WooCommerce.com: ✔
Enforce Approved Product Download Directories: –
HPOS feature enabled: –
Order datastore: WC_Order_Data_Store_CPT
HPOS data sync enabled: –

### Logging ###

Enabled: ✔
Handler: Automattic\WooCommerce\Internal\Admin\Logging\LogHandlerFileV2
Retention period: 30 days
Level threshold: –
Log directory size: 747 KB

### WC Pages ###

Shop base: #92 - /shop/
Cart: #93 - /cart/ -  Contains the woocommerce_cart shortcode
Checkout: #94 - /checkout/ -  Contains the woocommerce_checkout shortcode
My account: #95 - /my-account/ -  Contains the [woocommerce_my_account] shortcode
Terms and conditions: ❌ Page not set

### Theme ###

Name: Storefront
Version: 4.6.1
Author URL: https://woocommerce.com/
Child Theme: ❌ – If you are modifying WooCommerce on a parent theme that you did not build personally we recommend using a child theme. See: How to create a child theme
Theme type: Classic theme
WooCommerce Support: ✔

### Templates ###

Overrides: –

### WooPayments ###

Version: 9.3.0
Connected to WPCOM: Yes
WPCOM Blog ID: 226154355
Account ID: ❌ Not connected
Logging: Disabled

### Admin ###

Enabled Features: activity-panels
analytics
product-block-editor
coupons
core-profiler
customize-store
customer-effort-score-tracks
import-products-task
experimental-fashion-sample-products
shipping-smart-defaults
shipping-setting-tour
homescreen
marketing
mobile-app-banner
onboarding
onboarding-tasks
pattern-toolkit-full-composability
product-custom-fields
remote-inbox-notifications
remote-free-extensions
payment-gateway-suggestions
printful
shipping-label-banner
subscriptions
store-alerts
transient-notices
woo-mobile-welcome
wc-pay-promotion
wc-pay-welcome-page
launch-your-store
add-to-cart-with-options-stepper-layout

Disabled Features: product-data-views
experimental-blocks
coming-soon-newsletter-template
minified-js
product-pre-publish-modal
settings
async-product-editor-category-field
product-editor-template-system
use-wp-horizon
blockified-add-to-cart

Daily Cron: ✔ Next scheduled: 2025-05-18 01:10:35 -04:00
Options: ✔
Notes: 217
Onboarding: completed

### Action Scheduler ###

Canceled: 1
Oldest: 2025-05-14 16:13:18 +0000
Newest: 2025-05-14 16:13:18 +0000

Complete: 754
Oldest: 2025-04-16 20:08:49 +0000
Newest: 2025-05-17 16:06:53 +0000

Failed: 897
Oldest: 2020-07-09 13:10:48 +0000
Newest: 2025-05-17 16:06:53 +0000

Pending: 11
Oldest: 2025-05-17 19:04:41 +0000
Newest: 2026-03-24 16:01:19 +0000


### Status report information ###

Generated at: 2025-05-17 15:02:49 -04:00
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)

    (@lovingbro)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thanks so much for creating the new thread and for continuing to dig into this. I understand you’re now facing a new roadblock where the “Finishing payments setup” screen endlessly refreshes, and I can imagine how discouraging that must feel after already resolving the session error.

    From the latest system status report you provided, I see you’re actively using the WooPayments plugin and no longer have Stripe Gateway or PayPal Payments enabled. That’s a great step toward isolating the issue. Based on what you described, it sounds like WooPayments is struggling to complete the account connection with WordPress.com.

    Can you confirm whether you’re logged in to the correct WordPress.com account in the same browser where you’re completing the setup? If you’re not logged in, or logged into a different WordPress.com account than the one linked to WooPayments, that could interfere with the setup loop.

    Next, please open your browser’s developer console (right-click > Inspect > Console tab), then try clicking the Complete setup button again. If you see any red error messages, copy and paste them into https://gist.github.com and share the link here so we can review. Even if there are no fatal errors in your WooCommerce logs, a browser console error can often point us in the right direction.

    Lastly, if possible, test again using an incognito window with all extensions disabled, just to rule out a caching or session persistence issue.

    Once we have the console output, we’ll be happy to continue from there with next steps! Looking forward to helping you get WooPayments fully activated.

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @lovingbro

    Thank you so much for your response. I appreciate the next steps!

    I have switched over to my Safari browser (to eliminate the conflicting WP.com logins) so I can have a clean sessions. In Safari, I am logged into our website as an admin under the “cwestcott” user name. I am logged into our WordPress account under the BookEmNow account “cwestcott” as well.

    I have ensured that our WooCommerce account has the latest credit card payment added as well.

    [ 1,008,577 characters of unreadable mess removed ]

    Do you think that is the issue?

    • This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by Jan Dembowski.
    • This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by Jan Dembowski.
    Moderator Jan Dembowski

    (@jdembowski)

    Forum Moderator and Brute Squad

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    @cwestcott2020

    Copying that data here will not and cannot work here. It just creates a mess that has no value. It was also 1,008,577 characters and that never could have worked.

    Please use https://pastebin.com/ or https://gist.github.com/ or the like instead and share a link to that paste in reply here.

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Good morning @jdembowski – my apologies for creating that mess. Thank you also for cleaning it up.

    I have linked it here.

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020 !

    The information you shared in the link is not accessible on our end. Could you please add the information again and share a new link so we can see exactly what you’re trying to show?

    Also, as my colleague mentioned, have you tried deactivating all plugins except WooCommerce and the WooPayments plugin to see if the issue still occurs?

    Additionally, could you please share any fatal error logs (if available) from WooCommerce > Status > Logs?

    Please use https://pastebin.com/ or https://gist.github.com/ and share a link to that paste in reply here. Once we have more information, we’ll be able to assist you further.



    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @shahzeenfarooq – thank you for your response.
    I have created a link to the WooCommerce Status here – as you will see, I only have 2 plugins active – WooCommerce & Woo Payments

    Also, there were no errors shown in the console when I attempted the complete setup. I was able to grab a screenshot of the error message in the admin panel between Woo Payments screens.

    I hope this all helps.

    Mahfuzur Rahman

    (@mahfuzurwp)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thank you for the screenshot and the details. Could you please enable the debug mode by navigating to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Accept payments with Woo > Manage, and then check for any fatal error logs under WooCommerce > Status > Logs? You can copy and paste it via https://gist.github.com/ and send the link here.

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @mahfuzurwp,

    Unfortunately, “Manage” is not available at the Accept payments with Woo level. The only action there is “Complete Setup”.

    The aren’t any fatal errors in the WooCommerce > Status > Logs

    Would it be wise to deactivate and delete the Woo Payments and the reinstall a fresh version of it?

    Thank you for your continued help!

    Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)

    (@lovingbro)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thank you for the update and for sharing all that information with us. I understand how persistent this issue has been and appreciate your patience and effort throughout the troubleshooting process.

    The reason you’re not seeing the Manage option under Accept payments with Woo is because the WooPayments setup hasn’t been completed yet. Without completing the setup, certain configuration options, including enabling debug mode, won’t be available. That also explains why no logs are being generated: WooPayments can’t log activity until it’s fully initialized and debug mode is active.

    Before going ahead with deactivating and reinstalling the plugin, I recommend trying the Reset account option first. This will clear any stuck onboarding session and let you start fresh without removing the plugin.

    To do this:

    1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → WooPayments.
    2. Click on the three dots menu at the top right of the WooPayments settings card.
    3. Select Reset account from the dropdown.
    4. Then try running the setup again from the beginning.

    If the same issue reoccurs, repeat the Reset account step one more time. Then deactivate WooPayments, delete the plugin, reinstall it from the Plugins screen, and attempt the setup again.

    Let us know how that goes.

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @lovingbro – thank you very much for your follow-up!

    When I click on the three dots at WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → WooPayments I do not see a “Reset Account” option from the dropdown.

    You can see the screenshot I took here.

    Please let me know your thoughts!

    • This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by cwestcott2020.
    Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)

    (@lovingbro)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thanks for the update and for confirming what you’re seeing on your end.

    Let’s try accessing the reset account option directly through the onboarding URL. Please add the following to the end of your site’s domain name (while logged in as an admin):

    /wp-admin/admin.php?source=wcadmin-settings-page&page=wc-admin&path=%2Fpayments%2Fconnect&from=WCPAY_ONBOARDING_KYC

    So, for example, if your site is https://example.com, go to:

    https://example.com/wp-admin/admin.php?source=wcadmin-settings-page&page=wc-admin&path=%2Fpayments%2Fconnect&from=WCPAY_ONBOARDING_KYC

    Once you’re there, let me know if you can see the Reset account option in the top-right menu. If that option still doesn’t appear, we can move forward with deactivating and deleting the WooPayments plugin, then reinstalling it again for a clean start.

    Looking forward to hearing how that goes!

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @lovingbro

    Thanks once again for your response & help.

    The link provided unfortunately did not have a reset account button. I uninstalled the plugin, cleared the cache and reinstalled it. The same issue exists upon attempting the setup.

    I have a question: the link you sent in your response shows a message about “sandbox” as seen in this screenshot.

    Is that an expected message? I mean should I disabe the sandbox mode?

    Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)

    (@lovingbro)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thanks for following up and sharing the screenshot—it’s really helpful. I see from the message in your screenshot that your WooPayments account is currently in sandbox mode and that your business verification hasn’t been completed yet. This likely explains why you’re stuck at the “Finishing payments setup” stage.

    Please try completing the business details verification step as prompted in the setup screen. WooPayments requires a verified business profile before it can finish activating your account and show all the configuration options, including the live payment settings.

    As for the “sandbox” message, this simply means your account is currently set to test mode (sandbox), which allows you to simulate transactions without real payments being processed. Once you’re ready to accept live payments, you can turn off sandbox mode by completing the verification process and ensuring your account is set to live.

    Please let me know once you’ve completed the verification. If issues persist after that, we’ll continue troubleshooting together. You’re almost there!

    Thread Starter cwestcott2020

    (@cwestcott2020)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hello @lovingbro – thanks for the follow-up.

    I did what you asked and clicked on “Verify Business Details which brought me to this screen. Once I clicked continue, I received this error message. If you recall over on the first support thread, the message read “Missing publishable key in session response”.

    As you can see, Google’s console showed no errors, plus I also took a snapshot of the WC logs to see if there were any errors. None.

    What do you think we can do to get over these two linked errors we can’t solve?

    I think at this point, short of an epic solution that fixes everything after almost 2 weeks, I may have to revert to using the Stripe method.

    Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)

    (@lovingbro)

    10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @cwestcott2020,

    Thank you for getting back to us and for sharing those clear and detailed screenshots; they’ve been incredibly helpful throughout this process.

    Since we haven’t been able to replicate this issue on our end, and given that the missing publishable key and verification loop persist even after reinstalling WooPayments and clearing your setup, this doesn’t appear to be a widespread bug. I noticed in one of the screenshots that the interface itself suggests reaching out for direct support, and I’d recommend doing just that so our team can take a closer look at your account details securely and dig into what might be going wrong behind the scenes.

    Please reach out to us directly via our support channel here: https://woocommerce.com/my-account/contact-support/

    Make sure you’re logged in to the same WooCommerce.com account that’s connected to your store so we can better assist you. From there, we can escalate your case internally if needed and work with you one-on-one toward a resolution.

    Let us know once you’ve opened a ticket; we’ll be happy to continue helping from there.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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