Test & go live
Test both Google Pay™ credential types in the sandbox before switching to production.
Google Pay™ has two environments — TEST for development and PRODUCTION for live payments. Contact your VINR account manager to confirm your account is approved before switching to production.
Testing in the TEST environmentAsk
In the VINR sandbox, Google Pay tokens are processed as TEST environment tokens automatically. For a direct API integration, set environment: 'TEST' in the PaymentsClient constructor. Elements and hosted checkout set this automatically whenever you are working in a VINR sandbox account — no separate Google Pay configuration is needed.
In TEST mode:
- No real cards are charged and no real money moves.
isReadyToPayreturnstrueregardless of whether the device has a real card enrolled.- Google provides pre-defined test cards for each credential type — see Google's test card suite for card numbers and how to select CRYPTOGRAM_3DS vs PAN_ONLY credentials in the test sheet.
Test scenarios by credential type
Test both credential types if your account has both enabled. The two types have different security profiles and different VINR handling — cover them separately.
CRYPTOGRAM_3DS (device token)
Use a test card configured as a tokenised device credential. In the Google Pay test sheet, select a card marked as a device token.
| Scenario | Expected outcome |
|---|---|
| Successful payment | Sheet appears, customer confirms, payment.completed fires — no 3DS challenge |
| Declined by issuer | Payment fails with a decline code; your UI shows the error |
| Customer cancels | Sheet dismissed; checkout recovers and allows retry |
No 3DS challenge should appear for CRYPTOGRAM_3DS in normal test flows. If one appears, check that your test card is configured as a device token.
PAN_ONLY (card on file)
Use a test card configured as a PAN_ONLY credential (card saved to Google Account, not device-tokenised).
| Scenario | Expected outcome |
|---|---|
| Successful payment + 3DS passes | VINR triggers step-up automatically; challenge completes; payment.completed fires |
| Successful payment, no challenge needed | VINR assesses risk and processes without challenge; payment.completed fires |
| 3DS step-up fails | Payment declined; payment.failed fires; customer can retry with another method |
| Declined by issuer | Payment fails with a decline code |
| Customer cancels | Sheet dismissed; checkout recovers |
VINR's 3DS step-up on PAN_ONLY is automatic. You do not implement or trigger it — verify only that your integration handles the nextAction.type === "challenge" step-up and confirms the payment (Elements and hosted checkout manage this for you; custom API integrations must complete the 3DS challenge the same way as any card payment).
You do not need any separate VINR Dashboard configuration for sandbox testing. The VINR sandbox accepts Google Pay TEST tokens out of the box.
Going liveAsk
Once you've finished testing, work through the Go-live checklist before switching to PRODUCTION. It covers account confirmation, auth method confirmation, environment switch, button compliance, checkout experience requirements, error handling, and webhook setup.
Direct API integrations only: Google requires you to request production access via the Google Pay & Wallet Console before you can accept live payments. This is separate from VINR account approval — both are required. Hosted checkout, Elements, and payment link integrations are exempt; VINR's existing merchant registration covers them.
Common issuesAsk
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Google Pay button does not appear | isReadyToPay returned false — check the browser console; in production, the domain may not be allowlisted |
Payment fails in production with invalid_token | environment still set to TEST, merchantInfo.merchantId / gatewayMerchantId mixed up, or account not yet approved for live payments — contact your VINR account manager |
PAN_ONLY payment returns nextAction.type: "challenge" | Expected — VINR's 3DS step-up triggered; complete the challenge like any 3DS card payment |
| Button rejected by Google review | Button style does not follow Google Pay brand guidelines |
allowedAuthMethods mismatch error | Your code specifies a method your VINR account is not configured for — confirm with your account manager |
See alsoAsk
Go-live checklist
Step-by-step checklist before switching to the PRODUCTION environment.
Authentication methods
CRYPTOGRAM_3DS vs PAN_ONLY: what each type means and how VINR handles it.
Set up Google Pay (API)
Dashboard configuration and direct API integration.
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