FAQ

What does Chama mean?

In Kenya, chama is a swahili word that is used for an informal group of people with similar interests who invest their financial resources in a common goal.

How can I test this plugin without processing real payments?

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Chama → Settings → Stripe. Make sure you have selected the Test Mode for the Payment Mode and then click the Save Changes button.

Are there any additional fees that apply besides Stripe’s transaction fees?

For the free version of ChamaWP, there is a 3% fee on all transactions, in addition to the standard Stripe transaction fee that is applied to all payments. If you want to forego the 3% fee, you can use the Pro version of ChamaWP and pay a flat rate annual price.

I need help installing, configuring, or customizing the plugin. Can you help?

Please refer to our documentation site which provides helpful guides to get you started. If you encounter any issues, feel free to submit a ticket to our helpdesk.

I found a bug in the plugin, where do I report it?

If you find an issue with ChamaWP, let us know by submitting a ticket to our helpdesk.

Why are my transactions stuck in ‘processing’? Why are my subscriptions still ‘incomplete’?

There are a variety of reasons that could cause your transactions to be stuck in “processing” or your subscriptions may not change from “incomplete”. More often than not, the reason is that your webhook has not been correctly configured. A webhook is a link that Stripe uses to communicate with your website about any transactions made on your website. We have put together a handy guide on setting up a webhook here.

If you your webhook is correctly configured and your transactions/subscriptions are still not finalized, there may be an issue with the payment method used by the user. You can go to your stripe dashboard and check the transaction for any issues.

How do I view payment details on a transaction in Stripe?

To view payment details, simply go to Dashboard → Payments in your Stripe Dashboard. Here you will see a list of your most recent payments and can filter or navigate to narrow down to find specific records.

Once a payment is selected you should see all its details excluding the full credit card number. At the top is the payment method type, amount and a unique charge ID generated by Stripe. If there any issues with the payment, Stripe will provide the details.

Why are user accounts created whenever someone makes a payment?

User access is a critical piece of the process of accepting payments on your ChamaWP website. User accounts are created so that your supporters can view their transaction history, access receipts, update their profile information, manage their subscripitions, and potentially receive personalized communications, all while providing you with informative data on the payments you receive.

Do you store any sensitive credit card information

No. All financial & private information is stored by Stripe who are both highly trusted & PCI DSS compliant. You can find out more details on the information that is available to your website here.

Do you support other payment gateway methods besides Stripe?

Currently, we only support the Stripe payment gateway. However, we plan to implement additional payment methods such as Apple Pay, and Google Pay in future updates.

Does ChamaWP accept payments for NSFW content?

Since the content is hosted on your website, ChamaWP has no control on what content would prevent you from receiving payments. However, Stripe does have guidelines that determine which accounts they will allow to receive payments. You can find out more details here.

Be aware though, that Stripe(as well as many other payment gateways) does take a stringent view on NSFW content. Stripe has strict regulations on accounts with adult content. In Stripe’s rules and regulations they specify you cannot have pornography which depicts nude or sexual acts. NSFW content has disproportionate amounts of fraud and chargebacks. This is why payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc. have such high restrictions on this kind of content.

If you are still unclear whether your content meets Stripe’s guidelines, we recommend reaching out to Stripe for clarification.

I get an error when I try and activate ChamaWP Pro. What could be the issue?

Make sure that the free version of ChamaWP is deactivated and then try again. If the issue persists, submit a ticket to our helpdesk.

I am seeing some strange inconsistent issues when processing payments. What could be wrong?

You are more than likely experiencing some kind of caching issue. You would need to make sure that your monetization pages(especially your payment and receipt confirmation pages) are excluded from your caching system. For more details on caching, see this helpful guide.

How easy is it to upgrade from the FREE version of ChamaWP to ChamaWP Pro?

All you will have to do is purchase ChamaWP Pro, deactivate the FREE version of ChamaWP, install ChamaWP Pro and activate it. All your previous transactions will be transferred over.