# Whop payment gateway: use Whop to take payments on WooCommerce

> Is Whop a payment gateway? Whop is a payment platform and merchant of record. Here is how it works as a WooCommerce gateway and which API calls it uses.

Updated: 2026-11-11 · Canonical: https://whopforwoo.com/whop-payment-gateway

> **Is Whop a payment gateway?** Not in the classic sense. Whop is a payment platform that acts as *merchant of record*: it sells on your behalf, routes the payment to a processor, and pays out your balance. To use it as a WooCommerce payment gateway you need a connector plugin, because Whop doesn't ship one.

**A Whop payment gateway for WooCommerce is a plugin that adds Whop as a payment method and passes each order to Whop for payment.** WhopForWoo does this with Whop's embedded checkout (Whop Elements), so the customer pays on your checkout page and your server confirms the payment with Whop before marking the order paid.

## Whop gateway vs a classic gateway

| | Classic gateway (e.g. Stripe on WooCommerce) | Whop |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the seller of record | You | Whop |
| Sales tax | You calculate, collect and remit | Optional: Whop calculates and collects, or also remits in the US, EU and UK (2% fee) |
| Card rate (US domestic, standard) | Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.7% + $0.30 |
| Payouts | To your bank | Bank, PayPal or Coinbase wallet, 200+ countries |
| Reserves | Possible | Possible (rolling or fixed) |

Whop's routing layer ("orchestration", 0.8% when enabled) can send a payment through several processors. For you it stays one account, one balance, one dashboard. Full fee breakdown on [Whop fees](https://whopforwoo.com/whop-fees).

## Payment methods through the gateway

On the embedded form WhopForWoo turns on **cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay**. Whop's checkout can also show other methods depending on the buyer's country and currency (ACH, PayPal, crypto, Klarna and other financing). One limit to know: Whop states that iDEAL only appears on the checkout opened from a Whop store or product page, not on direct checkout links or embedded checkouts.

![Whop payment form inside WooCommerce showing card, Apple Pay and Google Pay](https://whopforwoo.com/img/gateway-payment-methods-form.png)

## Whop payment gateway API: what happens under the hood

WhopForWoo talks to `api.whop.com` with a dated API version header. For each order:

1. **Create a checkout configuration** for the exact order total, with the WooCommerce order ID, order key and site in its metadata. An idempotency key prevents duplicates if a request is retried.
2. **Mount Whop Elements** in the payment box. Card data is entered in Whop's iframe; the browser never sends it to your server.
3. **Read the payment back** with `GET /payments/{id}` when the customer returns, and check order, site, checkout configuration, paid status, amount and currency.
4. **Receive the webhook** `payment.succeeded`, verified with HMAC-SHA256 (Standard Webhooks format), five-minute replay window, de-duplicated on `webhook-id`.
5. **Complete the order** once, under a per-order lock, whichever of steps 3 and 4 arrives first.

If the amounts don't match, the order goes on hold with a note instead of being marked paid. The only other outbound call is to `open.er-api.com` for exchange rates when your store currency isn't one of Whop's 47 native currencies.

Your API key and webhook secret stay on the server: they're never sent to the browser or written to logs.

More on the integration on [Whop payment integration](https://whopforwoo.com/whop-payment-integration).

## Setting it up

1. Install WhopForWoo and activate your licence.
2. In Whop, create an API key and note your Account ID.
3. In **WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Whop**, paste both, then add the webhook URL to Whop and subscribe to `payment.succeeded`.
4. Choose Whop Elements (embedded) or hosted redirect.
5. Test with Sandbox mode, then go live.

Before payouts, Whop asks you to complete identity verification (KYC): personal details, bank account and an ID upload.

Get WhopForWoo: https://whopforwoo.com/pricing

## FAQ

### Is Whop a payment gateway?

Whop is a payment platform that acts as merchant of record and routes each payment to a processor. It isn't a WooCommerce gateway by itself; a plugin such as WhopForWoo connects it to the WooCommerce checkout.

### Does the Whop gateway support Apple Pay and Google Pay?

Yes. WhopForWoo enables Apple Pay and Google Pay on the Whop payment form it shows at checkout, on devices that support them.

### Which Whop API does the gateway use?

Whop's REST API at api.whop.com/api/v1: it creates a checkout configuration per order, reads the payment back with GET /payments/{id}, and verifies the payment.succeeded webhook signature (Standard Webhooks).

### What does the Whop payment gateway cost?

Whop charges 2.7% + $0.30 per successful domestic card payment, with extra percentages for international cards, currency conversion and optional services. The plugin licence starts at $129, as a one-time payment.

### Can I run the Whop gateway next to Stripe?

Yes. WooCommerce supports several payment gateways at once; Whop shows as one more payment method.

## Related

- [Whop WooCommerce plugin: Whop checkout inside your store](https://whopforwoo.com/): Connect Whop to WooCommerce. Whop's payment form sits inside your checkout, every payment is verified server-side, and orders exist before anyone pays.
- [Whop payment integration: connect Whop checkout to WooCommerce](https://whopforwoo.com/whop-payment-integration): How a Whop payment integration works end to end: API key, checkout configuration, Whop Elements, signed webhooks and server-side checks, on WooCommerce.
- [Whop fees: what Whop charges per payment and per payout](https://whopforwoo.com/whop-fees): Whop fees in 2026: 2.7% + $0.30 per domestic card payment, plus international, conversion, tax and payout fees. Worked examples and a fee calculator.
- [Is Whop checkout safe? What protects buyers and merchants](https://whopforwoo.com/is-whop-checkout-safe): Is Whop checkout safe and legit? Card fields, 3D Secure, fraud screening, disputes and reserves explained, plus what a store integration must check.
- [WhopForWoo pricing](https://whopforwoo.com/pricing): WhopForWoo pricing: Solo $129, Dropshipper (5 sites) $249, Pirate (unlimited) $499. One-time payment, updates included. 14-day refund.
- [Whop vs Stripe: fees, payouts and tax compared for a WooCommerce store](https://whopforwoo.com/whop-vs-stripe): Whop vs Stripe: 2.7% + $0.30 vs 2.9% + $0.30, merchant of record vs your own account, tax, payouts and disputes. Worked examples for a WooCommerce store.