How to add Addon Stripe with Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular WordPress form plugins — but it doesn’t support payments out of the box. If you want to accept Stripe payments directly from your contact forms, the

Addon Stripe with Contact Form 7 plugin bridges that gap. This guide walks you through every step: installing the plugin, connecting your Stripe account, and testing that payments work correctly — even if you’ve never done it before.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have the following ready before you start:

  • A WordPress website with the Contact Form 7 plugin already installed and active.
  • A free Stripe account. If you don’t have one yet, sign up at stripe.com — it takes about 5 minutes.
  • Administrator access to your WordPress dashboard.

Step 1: Install the Plugin

The Addon Stripe with Contact Form 7 plugin is available for free in the official WordPress plugin repository. Here’s how to install it:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. In the left sidebar, go to Plugins > Add New.
  3. In the search box, type: Addon Stripe with Contact Form 7.
  4. Locate the plugin by the developer plugin999 and click Install Now.
  5. Once installed, click Activate to enable it on your site.

Tip: Make sure Contact Form 7 is already installed and active before activating this plugin, otherwise the integration won’t work.

Step 2: Get Your Stripe API Keys

To connect your WordPress site to Stripe, you’ll need two keys: a Publishable Key and a Secret Key. Here’s how to find them:

  • Go to stripe.com and log in to your account.
  • In the top-right corner, make sure the toggle is set to Test mode if you want to test payments first (recommended). Switch to Live mode only when you’re ready to accept real payments.
  • Click on Developers in the left sidebar, then select API keys.
  • You’ll see two keys: a Publishable key (starts with pk_test_ or pk_live_) and a Secret key (starts with sk_test_ or sk_live_). Copy both of these — you’ll need them in the next step.

Important: Never share your Secret key publicly or commit it to a Git repository. It gives full access to your Stripe account.

Step 3: Configure the Plugin in WordPress

Now let’s connect the plugin to your Stripe account:

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Contact > Integration in the left sidebar.
  2. Find the Stripe panel and click Setup Integration.
  3. Paste your Live Publishable Key and Secret Key from Stripe into the corresponding input fields.
  4. If you want to use sandbox (test) mode, check the Use Sandbox option and enter your test keys instead.
  5. Click Save (or Submit) to store your settings.

Step 4: Enable Stripe on a Contact Form

Once the plugin is connected to Stripe, you need to enable it on a specific form:

  1. Go to Contact > Contact Forms and click Edit on the form you want to add payments to.
  2. You’ll see a new Stripe tab appear at the top of the form editor. Click on it.
  3. Check the Enable Stripe option to turn on payments for this form.
  4. Fill in the required fields:
  5. Customer Email: Enter the Contact Form 7 field tag that captures the user’s email (e.g., [your-email]).
  6. Item Description: A short description of what the user is paying for.
  7. Price: The payment amount (in the smallest currency unit, e.g., cents for USD).
  8. Currency: Select the currency (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP).
  9. Success Return URL: The page users will be redirected to after a successful payment.
  10. Click Save to apply your settings.

Step 5: Test Your Payment Form

Before going live, always test your payment form using Stripe’s sandbox (test) mode:

  • Make sure you have Use Sandbox enabled in the plugin settings and that you’re using test API keys.
  • Open your form on the frontend (as a visitor would see it) and submit a test entry.
  • When prompted for payment, use Stripe’s test card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry date (e.g., 12/26), and any 3-digit CVC.
  • If everything is set up correctly, you’ll be redirected to your Success Return URL and the payment will appear in your Stripe dashboard under Test mode.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Stripe tab not appearing in the form editor

Make sure both Contact Form 7 and the Addon Stripe plugin are active. Try deactivating and reactivating the Stripe addon plugin.

Payment fails with an authentication error

Double-check that your Publishable and Secret keys are entered correctly and that you’re using the right set (test vs. live). Keys are case-sensitive.

Form submits but no payment is charged

Ensure the Enable Stripe option is checked in the form’s Stripe tab, and that the Price field is filled in with a valid amount.

Emails not sending after payment

This is often a general Contact Form 7 email issue, not Stripe-related. Check your WordPress email settings or use an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP.

Final Notes

Once you’re satisfied that everything works in sandbox mode, switch the plugin to live mode by unchecking Use Sandbox and replacing your test keys with your live Stripe API keys. Your forms will now process real payments.

Keep in mind that Stripe charges a processing fee per transaction (typically 2.9% + $0.30 for US cards). Make sure to account for this when setting your prices.