The FloatPay WooCommerce plugin is now available for South African merchants. This post walks through what the integration involves, what you will need before starting, and what your checkout will look like once it is live. We have aimed to keep the process as straightforward as possible — most merchants with a working WooCommerce setup should be able to go live in under thirty minutes.
Before You Begin: What You Need
The integration requires a few things to be in place before you start:
- An active FloatPay merchant account: If you have not yet applied, start at our merchant page. Approval typically takes one to two business days.
- Your FloatPay API credentials: Once your merchant account is approved, you will find your API key and merchant ID in the FloatPay Merchant Portal under Settings → API Access.
- WordPress 5.8 or higher with WooCommerce 6.0 or higher installed and active.
- PHP 7.4 or higher on your server. Most SA hosting environments (CPanel-based shared hosting at Afrihost, Xneelo, etc.) run PHP 8.x by default — you can confirm your version in WordPress under Tools → Site Health.
- SSL certificate on your domain: HTTPS is required for any payment gateway integration. If your site is still running on HTTP, enable SSL through your hosting panel before proceeding.
Step 1: Install the Plugin
The FloatPay plugin is available through the WordPress plugin directory.
- In your WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for "FloatPay" in the plugin search bar.
- Click Install Now on the FloatPay for WooCommerce plugin, then click Activate.
Alternatively, if you prefer manual installation, download the plugin ZIP from the Merchant Portal under Integrations → WooCommerce. Upload it via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin in WordPress admin.
Step 2: Configure Your Settings
After activation, navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments. You will see FloatPay listed as an available payment method. Click Manage to open the configuration screen.
The key fields to complete:
- Enable/Disable: Toggle on.
- Title: The text displayed to shoppers at checkout. We suggest "Pay in 4 with FloatPay — No interest" or your own preferred wording. Keep it short and clear.
- API Key: Paste your FloatPay API key from the Merchant Portal.
- Merchant ID: Paste your Merchant ID.
- Environment: Select Sandbox for testing, Live for production. Start in Sandbox to verify the flow end-to-end before going live.
- Minimum order amount: FloatPay activates for orders of R100 and above. You can set a higher minimum if your product range starts at a higher price point.
- Maximum order amount: The default ceiling is R5,000, reflecting the NCA's lighter-touch affordability assessment threshold. Custom limits above this require a conversation with your FloatPay account manager.
Click Save changes.
Step 3: Add the Instalment Callout to Product Pages
This is the step most merchants underestimate. Simply enabling FloatPay at checkout is not enough to maximise conversion. The per-instalment price needs to be visible on the product detail page — before the shopper adds the item to cart.
The plugin includes a built-in product page widget that automatically calculates and displays the per-instalment amount below the product price. To enable it, return to the FloatPay plugin settings and look for the Product Page Display section. Toggle on Show instalment preview on product pages. The widget will render as something like: "or 4 × R[amount] with FloatPay — No interest. Learn more"
The widget respects your product pricing — if you have variable products (different sizes or variants at different prices), it updates dynamically as the shopper selects their variant. You can customise the text and the link destination from the widget settings.
Step 4: Test in Sandbox Mode
With Sandbox environment selected in your plugin settings, add any product to your cart and proceed to checkout. FloatPay should appear as a payment option. Select it and proceed — you will be redirected to the FloatPay sandbox checkout, where you can complete a test approval using the test credentials provided in your Merchant Portal.
Confirm that:
- The order appears in WooCommerce as a pending or processing order after sandbox approval.
- The FloatPay instalment breakdown is accurate for the test order total.
- The thank-you page or order confirmation email contains the correct order details.
- If you have a return or refund workflow, test a sandbox refund through WooCommerce → Orders and verify the FloatPay plan adjusts accordingly.
Step 5: Switch to Live and Go Live
Once sandbox testing is complete, return to the plugin settings and switch Environment to Live. Save changes. At this point FloatPay is live on your checkout.
Announce it. Add a banner or notice on your homepage or product pages confirming that split payment is now available. Include it in your next email to customers. The merchants who see the fastest BNPL adoption are those who actively communicate the new payment option to their existing customer base rather than waiting for shoppers to discover it at checkout.
Common Issues and How to Resolve Them
FloatPay not appearing at checkout: Check that the payment method is toggled on in WooCommerce settings and that the order total falls within your configured minimum and maximum limits. Also verify that your SSL certificate is active — FloatPay will not load over HTTP.
API authentication error: Double-check that you are using the correct API key and Merchant ID for the selected environment (Sandbox keys will not work in Live mode).
Instalment widget not showing on product pages: Confirm the product page display setting is enabled. If your theme uses a non-standard product page template, the widget injection point may need manual adjustment — contact the FloatPay support team with your theme name and we can advise.
Refund not processing: Refunds through WooCommerce trigger a refund request to FloatPay automatically for orders in a refundable state. If a refund fails, check the order notes in WooCommerce for the specific error returned by the API, and contact support with the order ID.
Need help with the integration? Reach the FloatPay merchant support team — we typically respond within one business day.