Whop sandbox API: test payments before going live

The Whop sandbox API lives at https://sandbox-api.whop.com/api/v1, with its own dashboard at sandbox.whop.com. It behaves like production (same Bearer auth, same webhooks) but no money moves, so you can run test payments with test cards before taking real orders.

WhopForWoo ships with Sandbox Mode turned on, so your first payments on a fresh install are always test payments.

Sandbox vs production

The two environments share nothing: not accounts, not keys, not products, not webhooks. Sandbox and production API keys look identical, so label them clearly.

Test a WooCommerce checkout in the Whop sandbox

1. Create a sandbox account and API key

Sign up at sandbox.whop.com (separate from your whop.com login). The sign-up creates your first business, which owns the API keys and payments. Then open sandbox.whop.com/dashboard/developer, go to Account API Keys and select Create. Details: how to get a Whop API key.

2. Configure the plugin in Sandbox Mode

In WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Whop:

1. Check that Sandbox Mode is enabled (it is by default). API calls then go to sandbox-api.whop.com.
2. Paste the sandbox API Key and your sandbox Account ID (biz_…).
3. Save.

A sandbox badge appears on the payment box so nobody mistakes a test checkout for a live one.

3. Add a sandbox webhook

In the sandbox dashboard, open Developer → Webhooks → Create webhook, paste https://yourstore.com/?wc-api=whop_webhook, select payment.succeeded, and copy the ws_… secret into Webhook Secret. Your store must be reachable over public https; for a local site, use a tunnel such as ngrok or Cloudflare Tunnel. See Whop webhooks.

4. Pay with a test card

While testing, set Checkout Mode to Hosted Redirect: the plugin’s settings note that Whop Elements (the embedded form) isn’t available in sandbox mode yet, so test payments go through Whop’s hosted sandbox checkout page. Place an order and pay with:

Use any future expiry (e.g. 12/34), any 3-digit CVC and any billing address.

5. Check the result

• The WooCommerce order is marked paid.
• Whop → Status & Tools shows the webhook delivery.
• The payment appears in the sandbox dashboard.

Also run the declined card and the 3D Secure card: you want to see what customers see when a payment fails.

What doesn’t work in the Whop sandbox

Whop lists these payment methods as not supported in sandbox yet:

• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• ACH bank accounts
• SEPA Direct Debit
• EU bank transfers and wire transfers
• Alipay, WeChat Pay and MobilePay

PayPal, Bancontact, iDEAL, Cash App Pay, Pix and Boleto complete through each provider’s own test flow.

Features unavailable in sandbox: payouts, crypto deposits and on-chain transfers, Discord DMs and role sync, up-to-date search results, and some background jobs such as fraud reviews.

So test cards in sandbox, then test wallets and the embedded checkout with one small real payment after going live, and refund it from your Whop dashboard.

Go live

1. Create a production API key at whop.com/dashboard/developer, scoped to what the store needs.
2. Create a production webhook to the same store URL and copy its new secret.
3. In WooCommerce, replace the API Key, Account ID and Webhook Secret with the production values.
4. Turn Sandbox Mode off, set Checkout Mode back to Whop Elements on Checkout, and save.
5. Place one small real order with the embedded form, check the order and the webhook, then refund it.

Never reuse a sandbox key or secret in production, or the reverse: requests fail with 401 and webhooks fail signature checks.