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Interswitch Payment Gateway for VirtueMart

Accept Interswitch payments on VirtueMart with the free PaymentHood plugin. Install in minutes, no gateway code.

VirtueMart · Nigeria / Africa

Accept Interswitch
payments on VirtueMart

Install the free PaymentHood plugin for VirtueMart, connect your Interswitch account, and Interswitch appears as a payment option at checkout. No custom gateway code, and no second integration when you add another provider later.

  • NGN
  • USD
Create Free Account Download the plugin
VirtueMart 4.0+
4 payment methods
Free plugin
VirtueMart
Interswitch
Platform
VirtueMart 4.0+
Provider
Interswitch
Install via
Extensions → Manage → Install
Billing
One-time
PaymentHood fee
None
Compatibility

Interswitch on VirtueMart at a glance

VirtueMart version
VirtueMart 4.0+
Where you install it
Joomla admin → Extensions → Manage → Install
Coverage
  • Nigeria
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Uganda
  • Gambia
Currencies
  • NGN
  • USD
Billing models
One-time checkout payments. Recurring billing is not supported by the VirtueMart plugin yet.
Cost
The plugin is free and open source. You pay Interswitch's own fees, published on their pricing page. PaymentHood adds nothing on top.

Coverage, currencies and payment methods as published by Interswitch, who set and update them. For the current list see Interswitch's own documentation.

Payment methods

What VirtueMart customers can pay with

Each method Interswitch supports appears in your VirtueMart checkout. Enabling one is a PaymentHood dashboard setting — nothing changes on the Joomla side.

Cards

Verve, Visa and Mastercard, local and international

USSD

Bank shortcodes for customers without a smartphone

Bank transfer

Direct transfer confirmed against the order

QR

Scan-to-pay at checkout

Setup

Connect Interswitch to VirtueMart

Four steps, no code. The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the VirtueMart installation guide.

1

Open a Interswitch account

Register with Interswitch and finish their onboarding. Funds settle from Interswitch to your own bank account.

2

Add it in PaymentHood

Paste your Interswitch credentials into the PaymentHood dashboard. They stay server-side and never reach your storefront.

3

Install the plugin

Download the VirtueMart plugin and install it from Extensions → Manage → Install in your Joomla admin.

4

Enable and test

Paste your PaymentHood API key into the plugin settings, run a sandbox order end to end, then switch to live.

Full VirtueMart installation guide
Why PaymentHood

Rather than a direct Interswitch plugin

A single-provider plugin works until you need a second provider. These are the parts you would otherwise build and maintain yourself.

Webhook security
Signed transaction notification, validated before an order is released
Payment verification
Server-side transaction query against the Interswitch API before fulfilment
Credentials
Client ID and secret exchanged for an access token, held server-side in PaymentHood
  • Add a second provider without touching your VirtueMart checkout
  • Automatic failover when Interswitch is unreachable, instead of a failed order
  • Idempotent charge creation, so a double-submitted order is not a double charge
  • One reconciliation view across every provider you run
  • Free and open source — read the plugin on GitHub
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Naira is the primary settlement currency, with multi-currency acceptance and USD settlement available for eligible flows. Confirm your own account's currency support with Interswitch rather than assuming it.

Verve is Nigeria's domestic card scheme and a large share of Nigerian debit cards carry it. A checkout that only takes Visa and Mastercard will decline a meaningful number of otherwise-good Nigerian cards.

Card penetration is lower than transfer usage, and card declines are common. A checkout offering a one-time virtual account number — the customer transfers from any bank app and the payment confirms in seconds — will convert materially better than one offering cards alone. It is the single most important local method to enable.

No. Interswitch bills you directly for its own fees, and PaymentHood takes no percentage and no per-transaction cut at any volume. See PaymentHood pricing.
Related

Keep reading

Interswitch overview

Coverage, currencies, payment methods and how PaymentHood secures the Interswitch integration.

Read more

PaymentHood for VirtueMart

The plugin itself: features, billing models and every provider it can reach.

Read more

All payment providers

Every provider PaymentHood connects to, filterable by global, regional and crypto.

Browse providers

Accept Interswitch on VirtueMart today

Free plugin, no PaymentHood transaction fee, and room to add another provider whenever you need one.

Create Free Account Installation guide