Using Stripe Test Mode During Your Trial

Modified on Sun, 23 Aug at 8:27 PM

Test Mode lets you verify your payment setup end to end without processing real transactions. It is the right way to find a broken merge tag or a wrong receipt — before a paying student does.

Before You Begin

Test Mode is offered during the trial only. Once the account moves to a paid subscription it is no longer available.
Find it at Payments → Payment Settings → Test Mode. Choose Live Mode or Test Mode.
Have a class published on your public registration page to test against.
Set aside fifteen uninterrupted minutes — the one thing you must not do is get distracted and leave Test Mode on.

✔ The Test Mode tab appears only on trial accounts. On a paid or free-tier account, Payment Settings shows just Taxes, Shipping, Payment Processing Charges and Reschedule Rules.

✔ How to tell whether you have it. Open Payments → Payment Settings and look at the tab list on the left. A trial account shows Test Mode alongside Taxes, Shipping, Payment Processing Charges and Reschedule Rules. A paid or free-tier account shows only those four — if that is what you see, Test Mode is no longer available on your account and the rest of this article does not apply.

Step 1: Understand What Test Mode Does

Payments are processed through Stripe’s sandbox, so no real charges occur.
The page displays the supported Stripe test card numbers and instructions.
Test transactions do not create production enrollments and do not affect live data.
Every test transaction is clearly labeled Test Transaction.
A warning banner is shown across the app while Test Mode is active.

Step 2: Run a Sensible Test

Switch to Test Mode.
Open your public registration page and enroll as a student would.
Pay with one of the listed Stripe test cards.
Check that the confirmation email arrives and reads correctly — this is the best time to catch a broken merge tag.
Check that the enrollment appears where you expect and that the receipt is right.
Switch back to Live Mode.

✔ Do not forget step 6. The warning banner exists precisely because a forgotten Test Mode means real students appear to pay and no money arrives.

Step 3: Know What to Look For

Check	Why it matters
Confirmation email content	Merge tags that render as raw placeholders are invisible until someone reads a real email.
Receipt figures	Tax treatment and any processing fee should read the way you intended.
Where the enrollment lands	Confirms the class, roster and enrollment record are wired up as expected.
The public page itself	You see your registration page as a student does, which is rarer than it should be.

Best Practices

Test on a real class you intend to run, not a throwaway — the settings you want to verify travel with the class.
Read the confirmation email on a phone. That is where most students will read it.
Do a test run again after changing tax mode, processing fees, or email templates.
Switch back to Live Mode immediately after testing. Make it the last step, not something you mean to do later.
Use Send test in the Communication Hub to check individual email templates without running a full test enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Why can’t I see the Test Mode tab?	It is offered during the trial only, and appears only on trial accounts.
Do test payments charge a real card?	No. Payments are processed through Stripe’s sandbox.
Will a test create a real enrollment?	No. Test transactions do not create production enrollments and do not affect live data.
How do I tell a test transaction apart later?	Every one is clearly labeled Test Transaction.
How will I know Test Mode is on?	A warning banner is shown across the app while it is active.
Which cards can I use?	The supported Stripe test card numbers are displayed on the page.
Is there a lighter way to check one email template?	Yes — Send test in the Communication Hub.

✔ You’re all set. Test the full path once, fix what you find, and switch back to Live Mode before you close the tab.