---
url: /payglocal-whmcs/features/payment-flow.md
description: >-
  Follow a PayGlocal payment from Pay Now through the encrypted, signed handoff,
  the hosted checkout, and the signature-verified callback that marks your
  invoice paid.
---

# How payments work

Trace a PayGlocal payment from **Pay Now** to a **Paid** invoice. The customer never enters card details on your site — the gateway hands off to PayGlocal's hosted **PayCollect** checkout, then verifies the signed result before touching the invoice.

## The journey at a glance

| Step | What happens | Where |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **1. Pay Now** | Customer clicks Pay Now on their invoice | Your WHMCS |
| **2. Encrypt & sign** | Gateway builds an encrypted, signed request and gets a redirect URL | Your server ↔ PayGlocal |
| **3. Hosted checkout** | Customer pays on PayGlocal's secure page | PayGlocal |
| **4. Verified callback** | PayGlocal returns a signed result; the gateway verifies its signature and cross-checks the status | Your server ↔ PayGlocal |
| **5. Marked paid** | The signature-verified result marks the invoice Paid; the customer returns | Your WHMCS |

## Step 1 — Customer clicks Pay Now

Customer opens the invoice, selects PayGlocal, and clicks **Pay Now**. Nothing sensitive is collected on your page.

![The Pay Now button on a WHMCS invoice](/payglocal-whmcs/img/payglocal-payment-flow-pay-now.png)
*Client Area → Invoices → Pay Now*

## Step 2 — Request is encrypted and signed

The gateway protects the request before sending it:

| Layer | Purpose | Key used |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **JWE** (JSON Web Encryption) | Encrypts the payload so only PayGlocal can read it | PayGlocal's public key |
| **JWS** (JSON Web Signature) | Signs the payload so PayGlocal can prove it came from you | Your merchant private key |

Both rely on the RSA key pair you configured — see [PayGlocal key setup](/payglocal-whmcs/guides/payglocal-keys). PayGlocal validates the request and returns a one-time redirect URL.

## Step 3 — Customer pays on the hosted checkout

The customer is redirected to PayGlocal's **PayCollect** hosted page and completes the payment there. Card details are entered on PayGlocal's environment — never on your server — keeping your PCI scope small and letting PayGlocal handle 3-D Secure.

![PayGlocal's hosted PayCollect checkout page](/payglocal-whmcs/img/payglocal-payment-flow-checkout.png)
*PayGlocal → PayCollect hosted checkout*

## Step 4 — Result is verified and cross-checked

PayGlocal sends a **signed (JWS) callback** to your WHMCS. The gateway runs two checks:

| Check | Role | On failure / disagreement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Signature verification** (JWS) | **Authoritative gate.** Verifies the callback with PayGlocal's public key. | If the signature can't be verified, the callback is rejected and the invoice is left untouched. |
| **Status-API cross-check** | **Best effort.** Confirms the final status and fills in details the callback doesn't carry (merchant transaction ID, amount). | If the status API disagrees, its status is trusted; if it's unreachable, the gateway proceeds with the signature-verified result and notes this in the Gateway Log. |

::: info Signature is the gate
The signature check is what protects you against spoofed or replayed callbacks — an unsigned or tampered message is never accepted. The status cross-check is a best-effort confirmation, not a second required gate.
:::

## Step 5 — Invoice is marked paid

On a signature-verified success, the gateway records the payment and sets the invoice to **Paid**, then returns the customer to a WHMCS confirmation. Every step is written to the Gateway Log.

## When things don't complete

* **Abandoned or declined** — no signed success callback arrives, so the invoice stays unpaid.
* **Paid at PayGlocal but not updated in WHMCS** — check **Utilities → Logs → Gateway Log**; it records the verification and status-check outcomes. See [Troubleshooting](/payglocal-whmcs/troubleshooting).

::: warning Payments require an active license
Payment processing is gated by your license. If the license is inactive, the gateway will not process payments. See [Licensing](/payglocal-whmcs/licensing).
:::

## Related pages

* [Security](/payglocal-whmcs/features/security) — how the encryption and verification protect you
* [PayGlocal key setup](/payglocal-whmcs/guides/payglocal-keys) — the RSA keys this flow uses
* [Configuration](/payglocal-whmcs/configuration) — enter your merchant details and keys
* [Going live](/payglocal-whmcs/guides/going-live) — test in sandbox, then switch to production
* [Troubleshooting](/payglocal-whmcs/troubleshooting) — when a payment doesn't complete