VirtueMart · Nigeria

Accept Paga
payments on VirtueMart

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

  • NGN
VirtueMart 4.0+
4 payment methods
Free plugin
VirtueMart
Paga
Platform
VirtueMart 4.0+
Provider
Paga
Install via
Extensions → Manage → Install
Billing
One-time
PaymentHood fee
None
Compatibility

Paga on VirtueMart at a glance

VirtueMart version
VirtueMart 4.0+
Where you install it
Joomla admin → Extensions → Manage → Install
Coverage
  • Nigeria
Currencies
  • NGN
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 Paga's own fees, published on their pricing page (opens in new tab). PaymentHood adds nothing on top.

Coverage, currencies and payment methods as published by Paga, who set and update them. For the current list see Paga's own documentation (opens in new tab).

Payment methods

What VirtueMart customers can pay with

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

Paga wallet

The customer authorises payment from their Paga wallet

Bank USSD

One-time-use bank shortcode collection

Payment links

A shareable link created through the payment request API

Cards

Card payment through Paga Checkout

Setup

Connect Paga to VirtueMart

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

1

Open a Paga account

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

2

Add it in PaymentHood

Paste your Paga 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.

Why PaymentHood

Rather than a direct Paga 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 payment notification, validated before an order is released
Payment verification
Server-side transaction status query against the Paga API before fulfilment
Credentials
Principal, credential and API key with request hashing, held server-side in PaymentHood
  • Add a second provider without touching your VirtueMart checkout
  • Automatic failover when Paga 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 (opens in new tab)
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Customers with no card and often no smartphone. Between the wallet, bank USSD and the agent network, Paga can collect from people a card-only checkout simply cannot serve.

More than you would expect in Nigeria, where a lot of selling happens over WhatsApp and Instagram rather than on a storefront. A link converts a chat into a paid order without a checkout page.

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

Accept Paga on VirtueMart today

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