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Frequently Asked Questions ​

Common questions about OwnPay.

General ​

What is OwnPay? ​

OwnPay is a white-label payment platform that lets you:

  • Accept payments online
  • Manage multiple payment gateways
  • Process refunds and disputes
  • Control user access with RBAC
  • Customize branding and checkout

Is OwnPay self-hosted or cloud? ​

OwnPay is self-hosted. You install it on your own server (shared hosting or VPS).

Benefits:

  • ✅ Full control of data
  • ✅ No recurring SaaS fees
  • ✅ Customizable to your needs
  • ✅ PCI compliance under your control

Can I use OwnPay for my business? ​

Yes, OwnPay works for:

  • ✅ E-commerce stores
  • ✅ SaaS platforms
  • ✅ Service businesses
  • ✅ Digital product sales
  • ✅ Donation platforms
  • ✅ Invoicing

How much does OwnPay cost? ​

OwnPay is free to download and use.

You pay:

  • Hosting cost (server)
  • Payment gateway fees (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
  • Optional: Enterprise support

Installation & Setup ​

What are OwnPay's system requirements? ​

Minimum:

  • PHP 8.3+
  • MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
  • 2GB RAM
  • 20GB disk space
  • HTTPS

Recommended:

  • PHP 8.3+
  • MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.5+
  • 4GB+ RAM
  • 50GB+ disk space
  • Dedicated IP

Can I install OwnPay on shared hosting? ​

Yes, if your host has:

  • PHP 8.3+
  • MySQL/MariaDB
  • SSH access
  • Writable storage/ directory

cPanel-based hosts usually work well.

Do I need a domain name? ​

Yes, for HTTPS and custom checkout.

You can start with a subdomain (e.g., pay.yourdomain.com).

How long does installation take? ​

Usually 15-30 minutes via web installer:

  1. Upload files
  2. Visit /install
  3. Follow prompts
  4. Done

Full instructions

Payments ​

What payment methods do you support? ​

Out of the box:

  • Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
  • Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • PayPal
  • Bank transfers

Via plugins:

  • bKash (Bangladesh)
  • Nagad (Bangladesh)
  • GCash (Philippines)
  • AliPay (China)
  • WeChat Pay (China)
  • 50+ more

Which payment gateways can I use? ​

Popular gateways:

  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Square
  • 2Checkout
  • Razorpay
  • Custom gateways

View all gateways

Can I use multiple payment gateways? ​

Yes! You can:

  • ✅ Configure 2+ gateways
  • ✅ Load balance payments
  • ✅ Use different methods per gateway
  • ✅ Switch if one goes down

What currencies do you support? ​

OwnPay supports 100+ currencies including:

  • USD, EUR, GBP
  • INR, BDT, PHP
  • CNY, JPY, SGD
  • AUD, CAD, ZAR
  • ...and many more

How long until funds settle to my bank? ​

Depends on gateway:

  • Stripe: 1-2 days
  • PayPal: 1 day
  • Square: Next business day
  • Razorpay: 1 day (premium) or 2-3 days
  • Bank transfer: 3-5 days

Check your gateway's settlement policy.

Can customers save cards? ​

Yes, with support from your payment gateway:

  • Stripe: Yes
  • PayPal: Yes
  • Square: Yes
  • Others: Check documentation

OwnPay stores tokenized references only, never raw card data (PCI-compliant).

Do you support subscriptions? ​

Not built-in, but you can:

  • Create recurring payment links
  • Use webhooks to handle renewals
  • Build custom logic via API

Gateways ​

How do I add a payment gateway? ​

  1. Go to Gateways → Payment Gateways
  2. Click Add Gateway
  3. Select gateway type (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
  4. Enter API credentials
  5. Choose payment methods
  6. Test and save

Full instructions

Where do I find my API keys? ​

Each gateway is different:

Check your gateway's documentation for the exact path.

Why is my gateway showing "Invalid Credentials"? ​

Common causes:

  1. Wrong API key or secret
  2. Copied from wrong environment (test vs live)
  3. Key is truncated or has extra characters
  4. Gateway account is suspended
  5. Keys need to be rotated

Solution:

  1. Go back to your gateway dashboard
  2. Copy credentials again (fresh)
  3. Paste carefully (check for spaces)
  4. Test with a test payment
  5. Contact gateway support if still failing

Can I use test mode? ​

Yes, every gateway has:

  • Test mode - No real charges, test cards only
  • Live mode - Real transactions

Always test in test mode first!

Test card for most gateways:

4111 1111 1111 1111
Exp: 12/25
CVV: 123

What if a payment fails? ​

OwnPay records the failure and shows:

  • Error message from gateway
  • Decline reason
  • Customer can retry

Check Payment Issues for solutions.

Users & Permissions ​

How many users can I add? ​

Unlimited. Add as many team members as needed.

Can I create custom roles? ​

Yes! Go to People → Roles and create roles with custom permissions.

Example: Create a "Support Team" role with:

  • View Transactions
  • Create Payment Link
  • View Customers
  • But NOT manage gateways or staff

Learn more

Can I limit what users can see? ​

Yes, via roles:

  • Master Admin - Everything
  • Brand Manager - Their brand only
  • Staff - Limited features
  • View Only - Read-only
  • Custom - Whatever you define

How do I remove a user? ​

  1. Go to People → Staff
  2. Find user
  3. Click Remove

User loses access immediately.

Can I audit user actions? ​

Yes! Go to Reports → Audit Log to see:

  • Who did what
  • When they did it
  • Changes to settings
  • Payment actions

Data ​

Where is my data stored? ​

On your own server. OwnPay doesn't store your data.

You control:

  • Server location
  • Backups
  • Access
  • Compliance

Can I export transaction data? ​

Yes, go to Payments → Transactions and click Export.

Formats:

  • CSV (spreadsheet)
  • JSON (integration)
  • PDF (reports)

Can I backup my data? ​

Yes! Use your hosting provider's backup tools, or:

bash
# Backup database
mysqldump -u username -p dbname > backup.sql

# Backup files
zip -r backup.zip public/ src/ templates/ storage/

Full backup guide

How do I delete a customer? ​

  1. Go to Customers
  2. Find customer
  3. Click Delete

Customer data is removed (respects GDPR).

Security ​

Is OwnPay secure? ​

Yes, OwnPay includes:

  • ✅ HTTPS/TLS encryption
  • ✅ PCI compliance built-in
  • ✅ Card data never stored (tokenized)
  • ✅ Signature verification for webhooks
  • ✅ RBAC for access control
  • ✅ Audit logs for compliance

Do you store credit card data? ​

No. OwnPay never stores:

  • Card numbers
  • Expiration dates
  • CVV codes

Payment gateways handle card data. OwnPay only stores:

  • Transaction ID (from gateway)
  • Amount
  • Status
  • Metadata

Is OwnPay PCI compliant? ​

Yes, OwnPay is PCI-DSS compliant by design:

  • Card data never stored
  • Payment gateway handles encryption
  • HTTPS only
  • Regular security audits

You maintain compliance by:

  • Using HTTPS
  • Keeping OwnPay updated
  • Using strong passwords
  • Monitoring access logs

How do I enable two-factor authentication? ​

  1. User goes to Account → Security
  2. Click Enable Two-Factor
  3. Scan QR code with authenticator app
  4. Enter code to confirm
  5. Save backup codes

Should I rotate API keys? ​

Yes, rotate quarterly:

  1. Create new API key
  2. Update your application
  3. Delete old key

Security guide

Webhooks & Integration ​

What are webhooks? ​

Webhooks are automatic notifications sent to your app when:

  • Payment succeeds
  • Payment fails
  • Refund processed
  • Chargeback filed

Instead of polling, OwnPay pushes updates to you.

How do I set up webhooks? ​

  1. Go to Developers → Webhooks
  2. Enter your webhook URL
  3. Copy the secret
  4. Click Save

OwnPay will send webhooks to that URL.

Full setup guide

Why is my webhook not working? ​

Check these:

  1. URL is HTTPS (not HTTP)
  2. URL is accessible from internet
  3. Your endpoint returns HTTP 2xx
  4. Firewall allows inbound on port 443
  5. Secret key is correct

Webhook troubleshooting

Can I test webhooks locally? ​

Yes, use ngrok:

bash
# Start ngrok
ngrok http 3000

# Use ngrok URL in OwnPay
# https://abc123.ngrok.io/webhooks/ownpay

# View requests in ngrok dashboard

Or use webhook.cool for temporary URLs.

Testing guide

Can I integrate with my app? ​

Yes! OwnPay provides:

  • REST API - Standard HTTP endpoints
  • SDKs - PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, Go
  • Webhooks - Event notifications
  • Hosted checkout - Payment form on OwnPay
  • Embedded checkout - Payment form on your site

Integration guides

Branding & Customization ​

Can I customize the checkout form? ​

Yes, you can customize:

  • Logo
  • Colors
  • Fonts
  • Email templates
  • Confirmation pages

Go to Settings → Branding

Can I use my own domain for checkout? ​

Yes! Configure a custom domain:

  1. Go to Settings → Domains
  2. Add your domain
  3. Update DNS records
  4. Verify domain
  5. Use custom domain in payment links

Full instructions

Can I white-label OwnPay? ​

Yes! You can:

  • Use your logo
  • Use your colors
  • Use your domain
  • Customize emails
  • Hide OwnPay branding

Your customers see only your brand.

Can I change the email templates? ​

Yes! Go to Settings → Email Templates to customize:

  • Payment confirmation
  • Invoice emails
  • Refund notifications
  • Account invitations

Can I add custom pages? ​

You can create custom landing pages using webhooks and your own application.

Integration guide

Support ​

How do I get help? ​

Free resources:

  • Documentation
  • FAQ (this page)
  • Troubleshooting guide

Paid support:

What's included in Enterprise Support? ​

  • Phone support
  • Email support
  • Priority response times
  • Setup assistance
  • Custom development advice

How do I report a security issue? ​

Email: [email protected]

Important: Do NOT post security issues publicly. Report privately so we can fix before disclosure.

Where can I suggest a feature? ​

Post on the community forum or contact support.

Advanced ​

Can I create plugins? ​

Yes! OwnPay supports:

  • Gateway plugins - Add payment methods
  • Addon plugins - Extend functionality
  • Theme plugins - Customize design

Plugin development guide

Can I customize the code? ​

Yes, but be careful:

  • Fork the code if you plan heavy customization
  • Keep a changelog of changes
  • Update when new versions release
  • Test thoroughly before deploying

Can I run multiple OwnPay instances? ​

Yes! Each instance:

  • Needs separate database
  • Can have separate domain
  • Can have separate payment gateways
  • Useful for multi-region or multi-brand

Can I migrate from another platform? ​

Maybe. It depends on:

  • Your current platform
  • Data structure
  • Payment gateway compatibility

Contact support for migration help.

How often should I update? ​

Security updates: Immediately (usually monthly) Feature updates: When you need features (every 2-3 months) Never skip versions - Always update step-by-step

Version updates guide

Summary ​

Still have questions?