Modal checkout and the redirect flow

Since version 2.6 the plugin offers two ways to present the payment form. Both keep card data off your server; they differ in where the customer enters their details.

Modal checkout (default from 2.6)

The customer clicks Place Order and the payment form opens in an overlay directly on the checkout page. They pay, the overlay closes, and the order completes without a single extra page load.

This is the shorter path, and it is available on every plan including the free build. Fewer page loads means fewer moments where a customer can hesitate or lose confidence.

Redirect to the order-pay page

The original flow. The customer is sent to a separate order-pay page to enter their card details, then returned to your store once payment completes.

It still works, and it remains available if your checkout is heavily customised and you would rather not change what is already proven.

Switching between them

Go to WooCommerce, then Settings, then Payments, then Scotiabank and look under Payment Behaviour. The setting applies to both the classic checkout and Block Checkout.

The sequence, either way

1. The customer reaches your checkout and chooses the card payment method.
2. The plugin sends the order amount, currency and reference to Scotiabank using your Store ID and Shared Secret.
3. Scotiabank returns a secure payment field, presented either in the modal or on the order-pay page.
4. The customer types their card details into that field. The details go directly from their browser to Scotiabank.
5. Scotiabank runs 3D Secure authentication if required, then approves or declines.
6. The result comes back to the plugin, which updates the WooCommerce order.

Why this matters for security

Your website never sees the card number. It is not in your database, not in your logs, and not in your backups. A compromise of your WordPress site does not expose your customers’ cards, because the cards were never there.

It also means the plugin cannot read the card field, which is occasionally a surprise when troubleshooting. If a customer reports a problem entering their card, you cannot inspect what they typed.

Why this matters for conversion

With modal checkout the customer never leaves your domain, and never sees an unfamiliar page. Page transitions during payment are a well-documented point of checkout abandonment, particularly on mobile.

Styling

The payment field can be styled to fit your checkout. Because it is served by the bank, the styling options are those the bank exposes rather than arbitrary CSS.