Test Mode

Test mode allows you to develop and test your PayGate integration without processing real payments or moving real money.

Test vs Live Mode

PayGate provides two environments:

Environment	API Key Prefix	Base URL	Description
Test	`sk_test_`	`api.sandbox.paygate.com.gh`	For development and testing
Live	`sk_live_`	`api.paygate.com.gh`	For production transactions

All test mode transactions are simulated. No real money is moved and no real mobile money prompts are sent.

Test API Keys

Get your test API keys from the Dashboard. Test keys always start with sk_test_ or pk_test_.

import PayGate from '@paygate/node'

// Test mode - use your test secret key
const paygate = new PayGate('sk_test_...')

// Live mode - use your live secret key
const paygateLive = new PayGate('sk_live_...')

Test Phone Numbers

Use these phone numbers to simulate different payment scenarios:

Successful Payments

Phone Number	Provider	Behavior
`0241234567`	MTN	Succeeds immediately
`0201234567`	Telecel	Succeeds immediately
`0271234567`	AirtelTigo	Succeeds immediately

Pending then Successful

Phone Number	Provider	Behavior
`0241234568`	MTN	Stays pending for 30s, then succeeds
`0201234568`	Telecel	Stays pending for 30s, then succeeds
`0271234568`	AirtelTigo	Stays pending for 30s, then succeeds

Failed Payments

Phone Number	Behavior	Error Code
`0241234560`	Insufficient funds	`insufficient_funds`
`0241234561`	Transaction declined	`transaction_declined`
`0241234562`	Phone unreachable	`phone_unreachable`
`0241234563`	Timeout (no response)	`timeout`
`0241234564`	Invalid PIN	`invalid_pin`
`0241234565`	Daily limit exceeded	`limit_exceeded`

Test Amounts

You can use any amount in test mode, but certain amounts trigger specific behaviors:

Amount (pesewas)	Behavior
Any amount	Normal processing
`99999999`	Fails with `amount_too_large`
`100`	Minimum amount (GHS 1.00)

Testing Webhooks

Using the Dashboard

Go to Settings > Webhooks in your Dashboard
Add your local webhook URL (use a tool like ngrok for local development)
Click Send test webhook to trigger test events

Using the CLI

# Trigger a test webhook event
curl -X POST https://api.sandbox.paygate.com.gh/v1/webhooks/test \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "event_type": "payment.succeeded",
    "webhook_id": "wh_abc123"
  }'

Simulating Different Scenarios

Successful Payment Flow

// Create a payment that will succeed
const payment = await paygate.payments.create({
  amount: 5000,
  currency: 'GHS',
  payment_method: 'mobile_money',
  provider: 'mtn',
  phone: '0241234567', // Always succeeds
  description: 'Test payment'
})

// Payment succeeds immediately in test mode
console.log(payment.status) // 'succeeded'

Failed Payment Flow

// Create a payment that will fail
const payment = await paygate.payments.create({
  amount: 5000,
  currency: 'GHS',
  payment_method: 'mobile_money',
  provider: 'mtn',
  phone: '0241234560', // Insufficient funds
  description: 'Test failed payment'
})

console.log(payment.status) // 'failed'
console.log(payment.failure_code) // 'insufficient_funds'

Async Payment Flow

// Create a payment that stays pending then succeeds
const payment = await paygate.payments.create({
  amount: 5000,
  currency: 'GHS',
  payment_method: 'mobile_money',
  provider: 'mtn',
  phone: '0241234568', // Pending then succeeds
  description: 'Test async payment'
})

console.log(payment.status) // 'pending'

// Wait for webhook or poll after 30 seconds
// The payment will transition to 'succeeded'

Test Mode Limitations

Test mode has some limitations compared to live mode:

No real mobile money prompts - Customers won't receive actual payment prompts
Simulated responses - All responses are simulated based on test phone numbers
No real money movement - No actual funds are transferred
Faster timeouts - Pending payments resolve faster than in production
Rate limits are relaxed - Higher rate limits for easier testing

Going Live

When you're ready to accept real payments:

Complete the Go Live Checklist
Switch to your live API keys (sk_live_...)
Update your base URL to production
Test with a small real transaction

See our Go Live Guide for a complete checklist before going to production.

Test Mode

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