Testing Issuing

Learn how to test your integration and simulate purchases.

You can issue cards and simulate purchases using your own Stripe integration in test mode. This allows you to test your integration before you go live without having to make real purchases. You can only use these cards for testing within your Stripe account and not for external purchases.

Caution

When testing your authorization endpoint, make sure that you have set the endpoint for test mode in your Issuing settings. Toggle View test data to switch between test and live mode data and settings.

Funding your test mode Issuing balance

Before creating test mode transactions, you must add test mode funds to the Issuing balance on your account. These aren’t real funds, and you can only use them for simulating purchases in test mode.

Issuing users in the US

Issuing users in the US use “pull” funding, and use Top-ups to fund their Issuing balance. You can create test mode top-ups in the Dashboard, or with the Top-ups API. Read more about funding Issuing balances for US users.

Issuing users in the UK and euro area

To top up their balance, Issuing users in the UK and Europe “push” funds using Funding Instructions. You can do this in the test mode Dashboard, or with the Funding Instructions API. Read more about funding Issuing balances for UK and euro area users.

You can simulate a card purchase by specifying authorization details in the Dashboard.

Create a card
Dashboard

Use the API or Dashboard to create a cardholder and card in test mode.

Create a test authorization
Dashboard

In the Dashboard, first make sure you’re viewing test data. Go to the Issuing Cards page, find your newly-created card, and scroll to the Authorizations section. Then click Create test authorization.

In some cases (such as fuel or hotel authorizations) you may be able to control the amount when approving the authorization. Check the Authorization amount is controllable box in order to enable this functionality.

Click submit to create the authorization. If you’ve configured your synchronous webhook, you can use it to approve or decline. The browser will redirect to the page for the newly-created authorization.

Creating a capture
Dashboard

To create a test capture with an authorization in the Dashboard, make sure you’re viewing test data and complete the following steps:

Go to the Authorizations page under Issued Cards.
Click the authorization you want to capture, then Capture.

You can capture an authorization for an amount below, more than or equal to what’s been authorized. You can also capture multiple times irrespective of what state the authorization is in.

Enter the amount you want to capture and click Submit to create the capture. The browser will redirect you to the Authorizations page with the captured authorization selected.

You can also capture funds with a force capture. Force captures are captures initiated despite receiving a declined authorization, or even without an authorization.

Go to the Overview page under Issued Cards.
Go to the Transactions section on the page and click Create force capture.

You can force capture any amount.

Enter the amount you want to capture and click Submit to create the force capture. The browser redirects you to the Transactions page with the transaction selected.

Viewing transaction details
Dashboard

A corresponding transaction is created when the authorization is captured. You can view more details on the Transactions page in the Dashboard.