Clover Payment Gateway for WooCommerce: Setup, Features & Comparison

Overview: Clover as a Payment Processor

Clover is one of the largest POS platforms in North America, processing billions of dollars in card transactions annually. Behind every Clover device is Fiserv's payment processing infrastructure, which handles authorization, settlement, fraud screening, and PCI compliance at scale.

For Clover merchants who also sell online through WooCommerce, the natural question is: can I use the same Clover processing account for my online card payments? The answer is yes. Rather than signing up with a separate payment processor like Stripe or PayPal for your online store (and managing two separate merchant accounts, two sets of transaction fees, and two settlement schedules), you can route your WooCommerce card payments through Clover.

This consolidation has real benefits. You get a single settlement deposit for both in-store and online sales. Your accountant sees one processor on your books instead of two. Your customer disputes and chargebacks are handled through one system. And your effective processing rate may be better, since your total volume is higher with a single processor.

CloverWoo vs. the Free Clover Payments Plugin

There are two ways to accept Clover payments on WooCommerce. Understanding the difference will help you choose the right one for your business:

In short: the free plugin is a payment-only solution. CloverWoo is a full POS integration that includes payments. If all you need is to accept cards through Clover on your WooCommerce checkout, the free plugin works. If you want your entire business connected — products, stock, orders, customers, and payments in one sync — CloverWoo is the right choice.

Supported Payment Methods

The Clover payment gateway in CloverWoo supports the following payment methods at WooCommerce checkout:

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, and Diners Club. These are the same card brands accepted on your Clover POS device.
• Debit cards: Visa Debit, Mastercard Debit, and other debit cards with card-network branding are processed as standard card transactions.
• Saved cards: Returning customers can save their card details (tokenized securely by Clover) for one-click checkout on future purchases. This also enables WooCommerce Subscriptions support for recurring charges.
• Tipping: Optionally display tip options at checkout. Customers can select a preset percentage (e.g., 15%, 20%, 25%) or enter a custom dollar amount. The tip is added to the total charge and appears as a separate line item on the Clover transaction.

Setting Up the Clover Payment Gateway in WooCommerce

If you have already installed CloverWoo and connected your Clover account (see our integration guide), enabling the payment gateway takes about two minutes:

1. Navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments in your WordPress admin.
2. Find Clover (CloverWoo) in the payment methods list and click Manage (or toggle it on).
3. Configure the Title (what customers see at checkout, e.g., "Credit Card") and Description (e.g., "Pay securely with your credit or debit card").
4. Select your Transaction Type: choose Authorize & Capture to charge immediately, or Authorize Only to place a hold and capture later.
5. Toggle Saved Cards on if you want to allow returning customers to save their payment method.
6. Toggle Tipping on if you want to display tip options at checkout. Configure your preset percentages.
7. Click Save Changes.

That is it. Your WooCommerce checkout now accepts card payments through Clover. Place a test order to verify everything works. If you are using sandbox mode, use Clover's test card numbers. In production, use a real card and refund the charge afterward.

Authorize & Capture vs. Direct Charge

The choice between authorize-and-capture and direct charge depends on your business model:

Direct charge (Authorize & Capture)

This is the default and most common mode. When a customer checks out, the card is charged immediately. The funds settle to your Clover account on the normal schedule (typically next business day). This is the right choice for most retail businesses where products are in stock and ship promptly.

Authorize only (capture later)

In this mode, the card is authorized (a hold is placed for the order amount) but not charged. You manually capture the payment later from the WooCommerce order screen. This is ideal for:

• Restaurants that need to add a tip or adjust the final amount after the meal.
• Pre-orders where you want to verify the card is valid but not charge until the product ships.
• Custom or made-to-order products where you confirm feasibility before charging.
• High-value orders that require manual fraud review before processing.

Authorizations typically expire after 7 days (this varies by card network and issuing bank). If you do not capture within this window, the hold is released and you need to create a new charge. CloverWoo displays the authorization expiry date on the order screen so you never miss the capture window.

Refunds and Partial Refunds

Processing refunds through CloverWoo is straightforward and works entirely within WooCommerce:

1. Open the order in WooCommerce → Orders.
2. Click Refund at the bottom of the order details.
3. Enter the refund amount. For a full refund, this matches the order total. For a partial refund, enter the specific amount (e.g., refunding one item from a multi-item order).
4. Click Refund via Clover (CloverWoo). The refund is sent to Clover's API immediately.
5. The refund appears in your Clover dashboard and on the customer's card statement within 5-10 business days.

You can process multiple partial refunds on the same order (for example, if a customer returns items at different times). Each refund is tracked separately in both WooCommerce and Clover. If inventory sync is active, refunded items are automatically restocked.

For authorize-only transactions that have not been captured yet, you can void the authorization instead of refunding. Voids release the hold on the customer's card immediately rather than waiting for the hold to expire. CloverWoo handles voids through the same refund interface.

PCI Compliance and Security

Any business that accepts card payments must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The level of compliance effort depends on how your system handles card data:

• CloverWoo uses Clover's hosted iframe (also called Clover's hosted checkout or Clover.js). The credit card form that customers see at checkout is rendered inside a secure iframe served directly from Clover's servers. Your WooCommerce site never receives, processes, or stores raw card numbers.
• Tokenization: When a customer enters their card details, Clover's iframe generates a one-time token. This token is sent to your server, which uses it to create the charge through Clover's API. The token cannot be used to retrieve the original card number.
• SAQ A eligibility: Because card data never touches your server, you qualify for SAQ A, the simplest PCI self-assessment questionnaire. This means no penetration testing, no quarterly network scans, and no extensive security documentation. You simply attest that you use a compliant hosted payment form.

For saved cards, Clover stores the tokenized card data in their PCI-certified vault. Your WordPress database only stores a reference ID and the last four digits of the card (for display to the customer). Even if your database were compromised, no usable card data would be exposed.

Transaction Fees and Pricing

CloverWoo itself charges a flat $60/month subscription with no per-transaction fees from CloverWoo. Your payment processing fees are determined by your Clover merchant agreement, which you negotiated (or accepted) when you set up your Clover account.

Typical Clover processing rates for card-not-present (online) transactions are:

• 2.3% + $0.10 to 2.6% + $0.10 for standard card-not-present transactions. The exact rate depends on your Clover plan and processing volume.
• No additional gateway fee from CloverWoo. Some competing integrations charge a per-transaction gateway fee on top of the processor's rate. CloverWoo does not.
• Volume discounts may be available. Contact Clover or your payment processing representative to negotiate better rates if your online volume increases after launching CloverWoo.

To see your exact rates, log in to your Clover dashboard and check Account & Setup → Pricing, or refer to your original merchant agreement. If you are comparing CloverWoo to alternatives like Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) or PayPal (2.99% + $0.49), factor in that Clover's online rates are often lower, especially for merchants with established processing history.

Tipping at WooCommerce Checkout

Tipping is essential for restaurants, salons, delivery services, and other service-oriented businesses. CloverWoo lets you add a tipping step to your WooCommerce checkout:

• Preset percentages: Configure up to four preset tip options (e.g., 15%, 18%, 20%, 25%). Customers click one button to add the tip.
• Custom amount: Allow customers to enter a custom dollar amount if the presets do not fit their preference.
• No tip option: A "No tip" button is always displayed. Tips are never required.
• POS integration: The tip amount is passed to Clover as part of the order, so it appears on the POS receipt and in Clover's tip reporting. Your staff sees the tip on the kitchen or counter ticket.

Line Items, Modifiers, and Order Notes on POS

When an online order is processed through CloverWoo, the Clover device does not just show a lump sum. It receives the full order breakdown:

• Individual line items with product name, quantity, and price. Each item appears as a separate line on the Clover receipt.
• Modifiers and variations: If a customer ordered a Large Blue T-Shirt, the size and color appear as modifiers. For restaurants, customization instructions (no onions, extra cheese) show up the same way.
• Discounts and coupons: Applied discounts appear as line-level adjustments, so POS staff see the original price and the discount applied.
• Order notes: Customer-provided order notes (gift messages, delivery instructions, special requests) are passed through and printed on the receipt.

This detailed receipt integration matters because your POS staff can fulfill online orders with the same efficiency as in-store orders. No switching between screens, no looking up order details on a computer. Everything is on the printed ticket.

Frequently Asked Questions