How to Place a Test Subscription Order

Testing your subscription setup is a great way to ensure everything works smoothly — from checkout to payment processing to post-purchase notifications.

This guide walks you through how to place a test subscription order using either Shopify Payments test mode or a real transaction with refund.

When Should You Place a Test Subscription?

You should test at least once:

• During your initial store setup
• After making changes to your payment provider
• Any time you're launching new subscription products or plans

Option 1: Using Shopify Payments Test Mode

If you're using Shopify Payments, you can enable test mode to simulate subscription checkouts without processing a real charge.

How to test with Shopify Payments:

1. Go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin
2. In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage
3. Check the box for Enable test mode, then click Save
4. Go to your storefront and place a subscription order using Shopify's test payment details

Complete the checkout process and review the experience, including:

• Order confirmation
• Subscription creation in Sip
• Customer notification emails

Option 2: Real Transaction + Refund

If you're not using Shopify Payments or test mode isn't available, you can place a real order using your live payment provider and refund it afterward.

How to test with a real transaction:

1. Confirm that your live payment provider is active and working

2. Go to your storefront and place a subscription order using your own card

   Complete checkout and verify that:

   • The payment goes through
   • A subscription contract is created in Sip
   • Emails and order confirmations are sent properly
3. After confirming, cancel and refund the order from your Shopify admin

Need Help?

If you run into any issues during testing or want help reviewing your subscription setup, feel free to reach out from within the Sip app — we’re here to support you!