How to Auto-Cancel Pending Payments in Direct Payments WP

Setting up auto-cancellation for pending payments helps streamline your payment workflow by automatically cancelling unpaid transactions after a defined period. This prevents outdated pending orders from cluttering your records and keeps your payment management clean and accurate.

This guide explains how to configure the Auto-cancel Pending Payments feature in Direct Payments WP.

Quick Pre-Check (Before Setup)

Before enabling auto-cancellation, confirm the following:

• Direct Payments WP is installed and active.

• Your payment forms are already receiving submissions.

• You understand your typical payment completion window (e.g., same-day, 24 hours, 48 hours).

This ensures you choose a cancellation period that matches your business flow.

Step 1: Navigate to Plugin Settings

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.

2. Go to Direct Payments WP → Settings.

This opens the general configuration page where payment behaviour options are managed.

Step 2: Locate the Auto-cancel Pending Payments Option

1. Scroll down to the Auto-cancel Pending Payments section.

2. You will see a field that allows you to define the number of days before pending payments are automatically cancelled.

This setting controls how long unpaid payment submissions remain in a pending state.

Step 3: Set the Auto-Cancel Duration

1. In the Auto-cancel Pending Payments field, enter the number of days after which pending payments should be cancelled.

   • Example: Enter 2 to automatically cancel any unpaid payments after 2 days.

2. Click Save Changes.

Once saved, the system will automatically cancel pending payments that exceed the specified timeframe.

How Auto-Cancel Works

• If the user does not complete the payment within that period, the payment status will automatically change to Cancelled.

• This helps maintain accurate payment records and reduces manual cleanup.

Best Practices for Auto-Cancel Settings

• Use 1 day for time-sensitive payments (e.g., bookings or limited offers).

• Use 2–3 days for peer-to-peer or manual payment methods that may take longer to confirm.

• Avoid setting very long durations, as this may leave too many outdated pending payments in your dashboard.

Choose a timeframe that balances flexibility for customers with operational efficiency.

Troubleshooting Quick Tips

If pending payments are not auto-cancelling:

• Ensure the number of days field is not empty.

• Confirm changes were saved successfully.

• Check that the payment status is actually marked as Pending (not completed or cancelled manually).

• Clear caching if settings appear unchanged.