The Easy Digital Downloads Check Payment Gateway plugin provides a seamless way for store owners to accept offline payments via check or money order. Designed for businesses that need flexibility beyond instant digital transactions, this extension allows you to offer a manual payment option during the checkout process. Whether you are selling high-ticket items, serving corporate clients who require invoicing, or operating in a region where digital processing is not always the preferred method, this plugin bridges the gap between your digital store and traditional payment workflows.
Key Features
- Seamless Integration: Fully integrates with the Easy Digital Downloads checkout flow, appearing as a standard payment option alongside your other gateways.
- Customizable Instructions: Easily configure the specific instructions your customers see during checkout, such as where to mail the check and who to make it payable to.
- Manual Order Management: When a customer selects the check payment method, the order is automatically set to a “Pending” status, allowing you to verify receipt of the payment before granting access to digital files.
- Admin Notifications: Receive immediate notifications when a new order is placed via check, ensuring you can track and process incoming payments efficiently.
- Flexible Status Control: Once you receive the check, you can manually update the order status to “Complete” within the Easy Digital Downloads dashboard, instantly triggering the delivery of digital goods to the customer.
- Clean Checkout Experience: Maintains the professional look and feel of your existing checkout page without requiring complex configurations or external redirects.
Use Cases and Who It Is For
This plugin is an essential tool for store owners who require a more traditional approach to payment collection. It is particularly well-suited for B2B (business-to-business) commerce, where corporate clients often prefer to pay via check or bank draft rather than using a corporate credit card for every transaction. By offering this gateway, you remove friction from the purchasing process for these high-value clients.
Additionally, this solution is perfect for vendors selling expensive digital assets, training courses, or software licenses where a manual verification step adds a layer of security and trust. It is also an excellent fallback option for businesses operating in niche markets or geographic locations where digital payment infrastructure may be limited or where customers simply prefer the security of traditional mail-in payments.
Setup and How It Works
Getting started with the Check Payment Gateway is straightforward and designed to be completed in just a few minutes:
- Installation: Install and activate the plugin through your WordPress dashboard just as you would with any other Easy Digital Downloads extension.
- Configuration: Navigate to the Easy Digital Downloads settings page under the “Payments” tab. Locate the “Gateways” section and enable the “Check” option.
- Custom Instructions: Enter your specific payment instructions in the provided text field. This is where you should clearly state the mailing address, the entity name for the check, and any reference numbers the customer should include.
- Checkout Visibility: Once saved, the “Check” option will automatically appear as a payment method on your checkout page.
- Order Processing: When a customer chooses this method, their order will be marked as “Pending.” You will see this in your EDD “Orders” screen. Once the physical check arrives and clears, simply edit the order in your WordPress dashboard and change the status to “Complete.” This action will automatically send the purchase receipt and download links to the customer.
Similar Plugins
While the Easy Digital Downloads ecosystem offers various payment gateway extensions, the Check Payment Gateway is the official and most reliable solution for handling offline check payments. Other manual payment methods for Easy Digital Downloads include the “Manual Payments” extension, which is often used for generic offline transactions like bank transfers or cash on delivery, depending on your specific business requirements.