Find the first step that fails.
Does the page keep loading, is a delivery option missing or is the payment outcome unclear? Those are different problems. Start with the last working step and the first one that cannot continue.
Use one recognisable combination of product, variant, delivery region and payment method. Check whether the same route fails on another device. That gives your developer or payment provider a specific starting point.
Keep the customer in view when checkout needs attention.
A customer says they cannot pay. Is there already an order? What did they try, and what can you tell them now? In Daymerce, bring up the purchase and customer history while the issue is investigated.
Find the customer and any existing order.
Open Customer 360 and see whether the purchase was recorded. Start with the right person and products, rather than an isolated message.
Read the order details.
Check its status and recorded information. If payment is unclear, compare the reference with your provider before requesting another payment.
Give a useful update.
Tell the customer what you know and what happens next. While your developer or provider investigates, the question stays connected to the purchase. Daycare also gives shop checks a place beside your daily work.
You do not have to choose between investigating a problem and taking care of the customer.
The checkout keeps loading or payment fields never appear
Open WooCommerce’s Status area and note highlighted errors. Give the page address, time and reproduction steps to whoever manages the site. Ask them to inspect browser and server evidence for the failed request.
WooCommerce’s loading guidance identifies possible causes including script conflicts, failed requests and unexpected responses. The precise request differs with the checkout implementation. A spinner is a symptom; it does not identify the faulty plugin.
Avoid changing site URLs, removing files or pasting code from an unrelated forum answer. Have the cause checked against your actual setup, then try a targeted correction on staging.
The expected delivery option is missing
Compare the reported basket and address with the delivery service you intend to offer. Include the country, postcode, product type and any minimum-spend condition in your check.
With standard zone-based shipping, a customer matches one zone: the first applicable zone in the list. The methods in that zone determine the available choices. A matched zone with no methods can leave the customer without a delivery option. Review the zone order and methods, then any additional rules supplied by your extensions.
Test the same scenario on staging. Compare an address that should receive the same service, rather than changing several shipping rules at once.
The payment failed, timed out or looks uncertain
Find the order, read its notes and match the attempt to the provider’s dashboard using the reference and time. If a customer reports a charge, establish the payment position before asking them to pay again.
Pending payment means the order is unpaid. On hold can mean payment confirmation is outstanding, including delayed methods or separate authorisation and capture. Read the status guidance alongside the gateway’s instructions. Do not mark an order paid simply to dismiss an uncertain state.
Gateway setup, notification handling and customer declines call for different checks. Follow the payment troubleshooting guidance and your provider’s documentation. Ask a developer to inspect relevant logs privately when the notes do not explain the result.
It started after an update or new setting
Write down what changed and when: an extension update, theme release, delivery rule, offer or custom-code change. A close timing is a useful lead, not proof of the cause.
Back up the site and reproduce the issue on staging. The official conflict-testing process checks a default theme and a reduced plugin set, then restores components individually while repeating the same journey. Keep these disruptive checks away from live customers and involve your site specialist.
If the result stays unclear, agree on the next piece of evidence to collect. Several unrelated changes can hide which one actually helped.
Finish with a purchase journey you can trust
Give the person helping you a short issue record: what failed, how to repeat it, the exact message, relevant references, recent changes and checks already completed. This keeps the investigation moving without repeated questions.
Once a correction is ready, repeat the original failed scenario on staging through the expected test payment, order and follow-up. Also repeat a previously working scenario. Record what changed and what passed. Our checkout testing checklist supplies a practical structure.
Official sources
Technical guidance checked against the linked primary documentation on 23 October 2026. Confirm the instructions for your checkout, extensions and payment method.