Payments

Overview

Payments (pkg_payments) is a Joomla extension package for accepting one-time and recurring payments through Stripe. It includes a payment processing component, a site module for displaying pricing plans, and a background task plugin for webhook processing.

Payments integrates with Subscription Manager to automatically generate subscription keys when customers complete a purchase.

Payments is open source software released under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPL-3.0-or-later).

Stripe Integration

Complete payment processing with test and live modes, webhook signature verification, and automatic product synchronisation.

Flexible Pricing

Support for multiple currencies (GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, AUD), one-time and recurring billing, and configurable tax rates.

Payment Links & Discounts

Shareable checkout URLs, promotional discount codes, and a site module for displaying pricing cards.

Installation

Step 1: Install the Package

1. Download the latest pkg_payments package from the extensions directory or from Multizone Limited
2. Log into your Joomla Administrator
3. Navigate to Extensions > Install > Install from File
4. Upload the pkg_payments_vx.x.x.zip file and click Install

Step 2: Verify Installation

1. Go to Extensions > Manage > Manage
2. Search for “Payments”
3. Ensure the component, module, and system plugin are all installed and enabled

Step 3: Initial Configuration

1. Navigate to Components > Payments
2. Click Options in the toolbar
3. Enter your Stripe API keys (test keys first for testing)
4. Configure your default currency and payment settings
5. Click Save & Close

Getting Started

Step 1

Create a Payment Plan

Navigate to Components > Payments > Payment Plans and click New. Each plan represents one product or extension you want to sell. Give it a name, slug, and description.

Plans are the top-level container — tiers and prices sit beneath them.

Step 2

Add Pricing Tiers

Open your plan and add tiers (e.g. Standard, Premium, Enterprise). Each tier can have multiple price rows for different currencies and billing intervals (monthly, yearly, one-time).

Mark one tier as featured to highlight it on your pricing page. Set a featured label like “Most Popular” to display a ribbon.

Step 3

Set Up Stripe Webhook

In your Stripe Dashboard, create a webhook endpoint pointing to your site’s webhook URL. This allows Stripe to notify your site when payments succeed, fail, or are refunded.

The webhook URL is shown in Options > Stripe Configuration. Copy the signing secret back into your Payments configuration.

Your Payments Subscription

Payments itself uses a tiered subscription model. It is freely available as a trial, and paid subscriptions unlock higher transaction limits and additional features.

Stripe Configuration

API Keys

You need two sets of API keys from your Stripe Dashboard: test keys for development and live keys for production. Navigate to Developers > API keys in your Stripe account to find them.

• Publishable Key (pk_test_ or pk_live_) — Used in the browser for Stripe Checkout
• Secret Key (sk_test_ or sk_live_) — Used server-side for creating sessions and managing subscriptions

Webhook Setup

Webhooks allow Stripe to send real-time payment notifications to your site. In your Stripe Dashboard:

1. Go to Developers > Webhooks
2. Click Add endpoint
3. Enter your webhook URL (shown in Payments Options)
4. Select the events to listen for (payment_intent, checkout.session, invoice, customer.subscription)
5. Copy the signing secret (whsec_) into your Payments configuration

Tax Rates

Tax rates are configured per currency in Stripe and can be overridden per price row in the tier editor. Create tax rates in your Stripe Dashboard under Tax rates, then enter the tax rate IDs in your Payments configuration.

Security

Built-in Security Features

• Webhook Signature Verification — Every incoming webhook is verified against Stripe’s signing secret
• IP Whitelisting — Restrict webhook access to known Stripe IP addresses
• Session Timeouts — Configurable admin session timeouts (5–120 minutes)
• Comprehensive Logging — Full audit trail of all transactions and webhook events
• Payment Links — 32-character cryptographically secure URLs

Troubleshooting

Support