
💡Quick Answer: How to Accept Recurring Square Payments Without WooCommerce
You can easily accept recurring Square payments in WordPress by using the right plugin:- Choose WPForms if: You want to accept recurring payments and build other forms on your site, like contact forms, surveys, event registrations, or membership signups.
- Choose MyPayKit if: You only need a simple payment or subscription form connected to Square. It’s a good choice if you want the fastest setup.
- Choose Charitable if: You run a nonprofit or fundraising website and need to accept recurring donations through Square. It’s built specifically for donation campaigns.
Why Accept Recurring Payments on Your WordPress Site?
Recurring payments turn one-time customers into steady, predictable income. There’s no need to send invoices or chase payments each month, and automatic billing helps maintain long-term relationships through consistent engagement. This works especially well for these kinds of websites:| Type of subscription | Example |
|---|---|
| Memberships or Subscriptions | Premium content, online communities, or courses |
| Service Retainers | Monthly web services, consulting, or maintenance plans |
| Subscription Products | Recurring product boxes or digital downloads |
| Donations | Monthly contributions for nonprofits or causes |
Why Is Square a Good Choice for Recurring Payments?
Square is a popular payment platform that makes accepting online recurring payments simple and secure. It handles everything from credit card processing to PCI compliance (the strict security standards required for accepting credit cards), so you don’t have to worry about the technical side. Plus, if you already use a Square card reader in your physical store, using it for your website keeps all your online and offline sales in one single dashboard. Here’s why Square works well for accepting payments in WordPress:- Easy to Use: The dashboard is clean and intuitive, making it easy for beginners to accept payments quickly.
- Secure Payment Handling: Square manages card security and compliance, keeping customer information safe.
- No Extra Hardware Needed: Online subscriptions work without card readers or point-of-sale equipment.
- Works With WordPress Plugins: Plugins like WPForms, MyPayKit, and Charitable integrate with Square, allowing recurring payments to be set up without coding.
Why Not Use WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is great for full online stores, but it can feel overkill if all you want is a simple subscription, membership, or donation form. I’ve seen beginners get overwhelmed by its many settings when there’s no need to manage products, shipping, or inventory. Here’s why lightweight payment plugins often make more sense:- Faster to Set Up: No need to configure products, shipping, or checkout pages.
- Easier to Manage: A simpler dashboard means fewer settings to navigate.
- Beginner-Friendly: Focused tools for payments or donations make it easier to get started.
- Targeted Features: Lightweight plugins provide exactly what’s needed for recurring payments without extra clutter.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Before getting started with one of the methods in my tutorial, make sure you have the basics ready. This will make the process much smoother:- A Self-Hosted WordPress.org Site: You’ll need a WordPress.org site with hosting and a domain name. Self-hosted WordPress gives you full control, lets you install plugins, and works perfectly with Square. For details, see our guide on how to create a WordPress website.
- SSL Certificate: You must have an SSL certificate enabled (so your site uses https://). Square requires a secure connection to process payments and protect data.
- A Square Account: Square handles all credit card payments for recurring subscriptions. Signing up is free and only takes a few minutes. You’ll need a business name, an email address, and a bank account to receive payments.
- Admin Access to Your Site: You need the Administrator user role to install plugins, connect payment processors, and manage site settings.
| Plugin | Best For | Ease of Use | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| WPForms | Subscriptions + other payment forms | Beginner-friendly | Contact forms, surveys, registrations |
| MyPayKit | Simple Square payment forms | Very easy | Lightweight setup |
| Charitable | Nonprofits / donation forms | Easy | Donation campaigns, supporter management |
- Method 1: Accept Recurring Square Payments With WPForms (For Beginners Who Want Recurring Payments + Other Forms)
- Method 2: Accept Recurring Square Payments With MyPayKit (For Simple Recurring Payment Forms)
- Method 3: Accept Recurring Payments With Charitable (For Nonprofits and Recurring Donations)
- Before You Go Live With Recurring Square Payments (Final Checks)
- Frequently Asked Questions About Accepting Recurring Square Payments in WordPress
Method 1: Accept Recurring Square Payments With WPForms (For Beginners Who Want Recurring Payments + Other Forms)
I recommend WPForms for anyone who wants to accept recurring payments and the flexibility to create other forms. It integrates smoothly with Square, and it offers plenty of extra features if you want to expand beyond payments. Overall, it is the best WordPress form builder, great for small businesses, service providers, and membership sites.
Step 1: Install and Activate WPForms
First, you need to install and activate WPForms on your WordPress site. If you don’t know how to do that, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Just follow our guide on installing a WordPress plugin to get started.
📍Note: WPForms does have a free version that works well for basic contact forms. However, to use Square and set up recurring subscriptions, you’ll need the Pro plan or higher, which unlocks the Square addon and all the advanced payment features.
After activation, you’ll need to enter your license key. Think of the license key like a password that tells WPForms your site is allowed to access Pro features and updates.

Step 2: Enable the Square Addon
Next, you need to enable the Square addon so your forms can accept recurring Square payments. From your WordPress dashboard, go to the WPForms » Addons page. Find the Square addon in the list and click the ‘Install Addon’ button.
Step 3: Connect Square to WPForms
Previously, you downloaded and activated the Square addon, which added Square as a payment option in WPForms. But at this stage, it’s not yet connected to your Square account. Without this connection, the forms you create won’t be able to process any payments. I’ve seen many beginners miss this step, so it’s important to follow it carefully. To connect Square, go to WPForms » Settings » Payments » Square in your WordPress dashboard. You’ll see a section labeled ‘Connection Status’ with a ‘Connect with Square’ button.


💡Expert Tip: WPForms offers a Test Mode, which I always recommend using first. It lets you simulate payments to make sure everything is working correctly before going live.
Once you’re confident, switch to Live Mode to start accepting real recurring payments.
Step 4: Create a Square Payment Form
If you don’t have a form yet, creating one with WPForms is really easy thanks to its drag-and-drop builder. From your WordPress dashboard, go to WPForms » Add New Form. WPForms offers 2000+ premade templates for contact forms, surveys, order forms, and more, so you can get started quickly without building everything from scratch. You can also use its AI Form Builder to generate a custom template—just give your form a name, describe what you want, and it will create a starting point for you.

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Step 5: Enable Recurring Payments on Your Form
Now it’s time to set up recurring payments for your Square payment form. From the WPForms visual editor, switch to the Payments » Square tab on the left. To charge users on a recurring basis, toggle on the ‘Enable recurring subscription payments’ option. This tells WPForms that the payment field you added in the previous step should be used for subscriptions, not just one-time payments.
- Plan Name: Give your subscription a title. This is what will appear in transactions in your Square account, so make it clear and descriptive.
- Phase Cadence: This is just a technical term for the billing cycle. Choose how often the payment should occur—options include Monthly, Yearly, or a custom interval.
- Customer Email: Select the email field from your form to map it to Square. This ensures Square can send the receipt to the right person.
- Customer Name: Select the field in your form that contains the customer’s name so it appears correctly in your Square dashboard.
- Customer Address: Select the field containing the customer’s address (required for some payment types).

Step 6: Embed Your Form and Manage Payments
Once your form is ready, the next step is to make it accessible to your users. WPForms comes with a built-in block that lets you add your form to any page or post without touching a single line of code. Just open the page or post where you want the form, click ‘Add Block’, select WPForms, and choose the form you just created.

Method 2: Accept Recurring Square Payments With MyPayKit (For Simple Recurring Payment Forms)
If you’re looking for a simple way to accept recurring payments through Square, I recommend MyPayKit. It’s a lightweight payment plugin that focuses specifically on collecting Square payments, making it perfect for service businesses, memberships, and deposits. The plugin handles both one-time and recurring payments, and setting it up usually takes just a couple of minutes—even if you’re not very technical. I’ve tested MyPayKit myself, and it delivered on its promise: clean, professional payment forms that connect directly to Square’s payment system.
Step 1: Install and Activate MyPayKit
The first step is to install the MyPayKit plugin on your WordPress site. If you want a detailed walkthrough, check out our guide on how to install WordPress plugins. It covers everything step by step, so even beginners can follow along easily.
📍Note: To use recurring payments, you’ll need the Pro plan of MyPayKit. The free version works for simple one-time payments, but subscriptions and recurring billing require the Pro upgrade.
Step 2: Connect Your Square Account
Once MyPayKit is activated, you’ll see a new menu in your WordPress dashboard called MyPayKit Forms. Click on it to get started. This will take you to a new screen where you have to click the ‘Connect With Square’ button.


Step 3: Create a Square Payment Form
Once you’re in the MyPayKit form builder, you’ll see the form settings panel on the left and a live preview of your form on the right. By default, it already includes fields for the customer’s first name, last name, email, and payment details. I suggest starting by giving your form a clear name so you can easily identify it later, and adding a short description to explain what the payment is for. You can also upload an image, like your business logo, to make the form look more professional and match your branding.


Step 4: Set Up Recurring Payments
Now it’s time to set up recurring payments in MyPayKit. From the form builder, scroll down to the ‘Amount Type’ section in the left column. Here, you have two main options. First, you can set an exact amount that you want your customers to pay. Then, select how often the payment should repeat using the dropdown menu. You can choose one-time, weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly, twice a year, or annually. This is perfect for a monthly service retainer, a quarterly subscription box, or an annual membership.

Step 5: Embed Your Payment Form
Now that your form is ready, go back to the main MyPayKit Forms page in your WordPress dashboard. You’ll see the form you just created listed there. Next to the form, you’ll find a shortcode. If you’re new to WordPress, a shortcode is a small piece of code that makes it easy to add features, like forms, directly into posts or pages without touching any other code. Click the ‘Copy’ button next to this shortcode.


Method 3: Accept Recurring Payments With Charitable (For Nonprofits and Recurring Donations)
If you’re running a nonprofit, church, or fundraising website, then I recommend using Charitable. It’s hands down the best donation plugin for WordPress, especially when you need to collect recurring donations through Square.
Step 1: Install and Activate Charitable
You can start by installing and activating the Charitable plugin on your WordPress site. If this is your first time, we have a step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin that walks you through the entire process.
📍Note: Charitable has a free version, which is great for collecting one-time donations.
However, to accept Square payments and set up recurring donations, you’ll need at least the Charitable Plus plan. This plan unlocks both the Square addon and the Recurring Donations addon, which are required for this method.
Upon activation, the next step is to add your license key. This ensures you receive updates and can use all the premium features.

Step 2: Enable the Square and Recurring Donations Addons
Next, you’ll need to enable the Square and Recurring Donations addons in Charitable. These two work together to make recurring donations possible. The Square addon lets you accept Square payments directly on your donation forms, while the Recurring Donations addon lets donors give on an ongoing schedule, such as monthly or yearly. To get started, go to Charitable » Addons from your WordPress dashboard. From here, locate the Square addon and click the ‘Install Addon’ button.

Step 3: Connect Square to Charitable
Now it’s time to connect your Square account to Charitable. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Charitable » Settings » Payment Gateways. You’ll see Square listed there. Simply click the ‘Enable Gateway’ button next to Square.


Step 4: Create a Donation Form
Now it’s time to create your first donation form in Charitable. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Charitable » Add New. This is where you’ll set up your fundraising campaign and donation form. Start by giving your campaign a clear, descriptive name. I usually recommend something short and specific, like ‘Support Local Animal Rescue.’ This title appears on your donation form and campaign page, so it should instantly tell visitors what they’re supporting.


Step 5: Set Up Recurring Donations in Your Form
Next, you’ll go to Settings » Donation Options in the Charitable Campaign Builder. This is where you control all the details for your donation form, including recurring donations. Start by reviewing the ‘Suggested Donation Amounts.’ Here you can define preset donation amounts, like $5, $10, $15, or $20, and even add a short description for each, such as ‘This is a small donation.’ I usually make the middle option the default because it encourages most donors to give a reasonable amount without feeling pressured.



Step 6: Publish Your Recurring Square Donation Form
Once you’ve finished configuring your recurring donation form, the next step is to publish it. Switch the form’s status to ‘Publish’ and click ‘Save’ to store your changes. Your fundraising campaign is now ready to accept recurring payments through Square.



Before You Go Live With Recurring Square Payments (Final Checks)
Before you start accepting recurring payments, I always recommend a few important checks. This ensures your forms run smoothly and your customers have a clear, professional experience.1. Testing Your Recurring Payments
I always recommend running a full test before going live. Most WordPress payment plugins, including WPForms, MyPayKit, and Charitable, let you test Square payments in test or sandbox mode, so you can simulate real payments without actually charging a card. To start testing, first enable Test Mode (sometimes called Sandbox Mode) in your plugin settings. This ensures you don’t accidentally charge your own credit card while trying things out.
⚠️ Important: Once you have finished testing, don’t forget to disable the Test Mode and switch back to Live Mode. If you skip this step, you won’t be able to accept real payments.
2. Add Clear Payment Terms
Next, make sure your payment terms are crystal clear. I suggest adding this information to the page where your payment form is embedded, so customers see it before they submit their payment. Ideally, you should include:- Billing Frequency: How often payments will be charged (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)
- Cancellation Policy: Explain how users can stop their subscription.
- Refund Policy: Whether refunds are available, and under what conditions.
3. Setting Up Email Notifications
Next, make sure your email notifications are configured. WPForms and Charitable let you set these up directly in the plugins. At a minimum, enable notifications for payment confirmations, failed payments, cancellations, and renewal reminders. Here’s a quick overview of what each email does:| Notification Type | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Payment Confirmation | Immediately lets customers know a payment was successful. |
| Failed Payment Notice | Alerts customers if a payment didn’t go through, so they can update their card. |
| Cancellation Confirmation | Confirms when a subscription is canceled |
| Renewal Reminders | Optional. Reminds customers before a recurring payment is processed. |
💡Expert Tip: WordPress sends emails using PHP, the underlying programming language on your server. By default, this can sometimes cause emails to end up in spam or not arrive at all.
To fix this, I recommend using WP Mail SMTP. It is the best WordPress SMTP plugin that ensures your payment receipts and admin notifications are actually delivered to the inbox, not the spam folder.
To get started, take a look at our tutorial on fixing the WordPress not sending email issue.















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