--- title: "GoCardless Direct Debit" description: "The GoCardless plugin lets customers pay at checkout by Direct Debit (Bacs, SEPA, ACH, BECS, PAD). The customer authorises a mandate on a GoCardless hosted page, and the order is confirmed when…" url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/payment-methods/payment_gocardless" markdown_url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/payment-methods/payment_gocardless.md" last_updated: "2026-11-14T13:51:32+00:00" version: "J2Commerce 6" breadcrumbs: - title: "Home" url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/" - title: "J2Commerce 6" url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6" - title: "Payment Methods" url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/payment-methods" - title: "GoCardless Direct Debit" url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/payment-methods/payment_gocardless" --- # GoCardless Direct Debit The GoCardless plugin lets customers pay at checkout by Direct Debit (Bacs, SEPA, ACH, BECS, PAD). The customer authorises a mandate on a GoCardless hosted page, and the order is confirmed when GoCardless confirms the payment. It is for store owners who have a GoCardless account and want to collect bank payments and subscription renewals. ## Requirements - Joomla 6.0.0 or later. - J2Commerce 6.3.6 or later. - A GoCardless account with an access token, a webhook endpoint secret and a creditor ID. Use the sandbox values for testing. --- ## Installation 1. Go to **System** -> **Install** -> **Extensions** and upload the plugin package. 2. Go to **System** -> **Manage** -> **Plugins** and search for **GoCardless Direct Debit**. 3. Enable the plugin and open it to edit the settings. --- ## Settings Credential fields change with the Sandbox / Test Mode switch: sandbox fields show when it is on, live fields when it is off. | Setting | What It Does | Default | Options | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Display Name | Name shown to customers at checkout. | GoCardless Direct Debit | Text | | Display Image | Image shown next to the payment method. | Empty | Media file | | Sandbox / Test Mode | Sends all transactions to the GoCardless sandbox. No real payments are collected. | Yes | Yes, No | | Live Access Token | Your live access token (starts with `live_`). | Empty | Text | | Live Webhook Endpoint Secret | Secret used to verify live webhook signatures. | Empty | Text | | Live Creditor ID | Your creditor ID (`CR_...`). Used to check refund availability. | Empty | Text | | Sandbox Access Token | Your sandbox access token (starts with `sandbox_`). | Empty | Text | | Sandbox Webhook Endpoint Secret | Secret used to verify sandbox webhook signatures. | Empty | Text | | Sandbox Creditor ID | Your sandbox creditor ID. | Empty | Text | | Allow Mandate Renewals | Lets stored mandates pay subscription renewals. Also lists mandates as saved payment methods for customers. | Yes | Yes, No | | Payment Confirmed Status | Order status set when GoCardless confirms the payment. | Order status with ID 1 | Any order status | | Payment Pending Status | Order status set when the mandate is authorised but the payment is not yet confirmed. | Order status with ID 7 | Any order status | | Payment Settled Status | Optional status set when the payment is paid out to you. Empty means no change. | Empty | Any order status | | Payment Failed Status | Order status set when a payment fails, is cancelled or is charged back. | Order status with ID 6 | Any order status | | Cancel Order Status | Order status set when you cancel a payment from the admin order. | Order status with ID 6 | Any order status | | Refund Order Status | Order status set when you issue a refund from the admin order. Empty means no change. | Empty | Any order status | | Debug Mode | Writes debug logging to `logs/payment_gocardless.php`. Turn off in production. | No | Yes, No | The plugin also has the standard J2Commerce payment fields: sub-template, surcharge (name, percent, fixed amount, tax class), geozone restriction, minimum and maximum subtotal, thank-you article, custom messages for each payment stage, and dashboard icon options. --- ## How Payments Work 1. At checkout the customer chooses the method and clicks **Authorise Direct Debit**. 2. GoCardless shows a hosted page where the customer authorises the mandate. 3. After the redirect back, the order gets the Payment Pending Status and the customer sees a pending page. 4. When GoCardless sends the payments.confirmed webhook, the order gets the Payment Confirmed Status. This usually takes 2-5 business days. The method is hidden at checkout when the order is outside the geozone or the subtotal is outside the minimum and maximum. ### Webhook Setup In your GoCardless dashboard, create a webhook endpoint that points to your site and paste its secret into the matching endpoint secret setting. ``` https://example.com/index.php?option=com_ajax&plugin=payment_gocardless&group=j2commerce&format=json&task=webhook ``` ### Admin Order Actions On an order paid with GoCardless, administrators with permission to edit orders see these buttons. - **Sync Payment Status** reads the current payment status from GoCardless and updates the order. - **Cancel Payment** works only while the payment is pending submission. - **Check Refund Availability** checks whether your creditor account allows refunds. - **Issue Refund** refunds the payment. Leave the amount blank to refund in full. --- ## Common Setups ### Testing With the Sandbox 1. Leave **Sandbox / Test Mode** on. 2. Enter the sandbox access token, endpoint secret and creditor ID. 3. Place a test order and authorise the mandate with GoCardless test bank details. ### Going Live 1. Enter the live access token, endpoint secret and creditor ID. 2. Set **Sandbox / Test Mode** to No. 3. Create the webhook endpoint in your live GoCardless account. --- ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Fix | | --- | --- | | Dashboard shows "GoCardless access token is not configured." | Enter the access token for the mode you are in (live or sandbox). | | Dashboard shows "GoCardless is running in sandbox mode." | Turn off Sandbox / Test Mode to collect real payments. | | "Unable to start the Direct Debit authorisation." | Check the access token and enable Debug Mode to read the log. | | Order stays pending. | Direct Debit takes 2-5 business days. If it stays pending longer, check the webhook endpoint and secret, or use Sync Payment Status. | | "Your GoCardless creditor account is not enabled for refunds." | Contact GoCardless support to enable refunds. | --- ## Uninstalling 1. Go to **System** -> **Manage** -> **Extensions**. 2. Search for **GoCardless**, select the plugin and click **Uninstall**.