Redirecting After Payment

Reading time: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

Send customers to a custom page after successful payment instead of showing an inline message. This guide covers redirect configuration.

Prerequisites

• A payment form created
• A destination page to redirect to

Accessing Confirmation Settings

1. Edit your payment form
2. Click the Confirmation tab

Step 1: Choose Redirect Type

Select Redirect as your confirmation type (see Setting Up Confirmation Messages for type selection).

Step 2: Enter Redirect URL

Enter the full URL to redirect customers:

https://yoursite.com/thank-you/

Or select a page from your site.

Redirect Options

Internal Page

Redirect to a page on your site:

https://yoursite.com/thank-you/
https://yoursite.com/order-complete/
https://yoursite.com/welcome-member/

External URL

Redirect to another site:

https://app.example.com/onboarding
https://community.example.com/welcome

With Parameters

Pass payment data via URL parameters:

https://yoursite.com/thank-you/?transaction_id={transaction_id}&amount={amount}

URL Parameters

Add Smart Tags to pass data:

Parameter	Example
?transaction_id={transaction_id}	Pass transaction ID
?email={payer_email}	Pass customer email
?amount={amount}	Pass payment amount
?form={form_id}	Pass form identifier

Multiple Parameters

/thank-you/?txn={transaction_id}&email={payer_email}&name={payer_name}

Common Redirect Destinations

Thank You Page

Create a dedicated thank-you page with:

• Confirmation message
• Next steps
• Related content
• Social sharing buttons

Member Area

For membership purchases:

• Redirect to member dashboard
• Log in automatically (if configured)
• Show new member resources

Download Page

For digital products:

• Redirect to download page
• Provide file links
• Include access instructions

Onboarding Flow

For subscriptions or services:

• Start onboarding wizard
• Account setup page
• Getting started guide

Course Access

For course purchases:

• Redirect to course start
• Show curriculum
• Begin first lesson

Creating a Thank You Page

Step 1: Create the Page

1. Go to Pages > Add New
2. Title: “Thank You” or “Order Complete”
3. Add your content

Step 2: Design the Content

Include:

• Confirmation header
• Order summary (if using parameters)
• Next steps
• Support contact
• Related offers (optional)

Step 3: Get the URL

Copy the page’s permalink for use in form settings.

Dynamic Thank You Pages

Using URL Parameters

Your page can read parameters:

$transaction_id = $_GET['transaction_id'];
$amount = $_GET['amount'];

Personalized Content

Display personalized messages:

Thank you for your purchase of $[amount]!
Your transaction ID is [transaction_id].

Multiple Forms, Different Redirects

Each form can redirect to different pages:

• Product A → Product A thank you
• Product B → Product B thank you
• Donations → Donation thank you

Redirect vs Message Comparison

Redirect	Message
Custom page design	Form page design
Full page control	Limited to message area
Can include scripts	No custom scripts
SEO for thank you page	No separate page
More setup required	Quick to configure

External Integrations

CRM/Marketing Tools

Redirect to tracking pixels:

/thank-you/?purchase=complete

Then track conversions on that page.

Webinar Registration

After course purchase:

https://webinar.example.com/register?email={payer_email}

Community Signup

After membership:

https://community.example.com/signup?member={payer_email}

Delay Before Redirect

The redirect happens after:

1. Payment confirms with PayPal
2. Transaction saves locally
3. Brief success indication
4. Then redirect executes

This ensures the payment completes before redirecting.

Testing Redirects

1. Configure redirect URL
2. Save the form
3. Make a test payment
4. Verify redirect happens
5. Check URL parameters work

Troubleshooting

Redirect not happening

• Verify Redirect type selected
• Check URL is valid
• Test payment completes fully
• Check for JavaScript errors

Parameters not passing

• Check Smart Tag spelling
• Verify parameter format
• URL encode special characters
• Test in browser

Wrong page displayed

• Verify URL is correct
• Check for redirects in WordPress
• Clear caching

Redirect loop

• Don’t redirect back to form
• Check page doesn’t redirect again
• Verify destination page exists

Best Practices

1. Create dedicated page – Don’t use generic pages
2. Clear next steps – Tell customers what to do
3. Include support – Provide contact info
4. Test thoroughly – Verify with real payments
5. Track conversions – Add analytics if needed

What’s Next?

• Setting Up Confirmation Messages – Message alternative
• Using Smart Tags in Emails – URL parameters
• Configuring Customer Receipt Emails – Email confirmations