How to Use Playground / Sandbox Accounts with PayPal, Square, Stripe, and CDG

Gigbuilder University
1

What is a Playground / Sandbox Account?

Before you flip the switch to take real payments, you should test your setup end-to-end — without charging anyone’s actual card. That’s what a sandbox (also called a playground or test environment) is for. Each payment processor provides a free sandbox so you can simulate deposits, test your client portal, and confirm everything works perfectly.

Step 1 — Turn On Test Mode in Gigbuilder

Gigbuilder has a global Test Mode / Sandbox toggle:

  1. Go to Setup → Gigbuilder Setup → Merchant Services
  2. In the Merchant Integration section, find the Test Mode/Sandbox dropdown
  3. Set it to YES – Sandbox for Testing
  4. Click Save

Important: Always have Test Mode set to YES while you’re entering sandbox credentials. This prevents any accidental real charges. Switch it to NO – Process Payments only after you’ve verified everything works and you’ve entered your live credentials.

Step 2 — Get Your Sandbox Credentials

PayPal

  1. Go to developer.paypal.com and log in with your regular PayPal account
  2. Click Apps & Credentials → Create App
  3. Give your app a name (e.g., “My DJ Business Test”) and select Sandbox
  4. Copy the Client ID from the sandbox app
  5. Back in Gigbuilder Merchant Services → PayPal section, set Use PayPal to Yes and paste your sandbox Client ID
  6. Click Save

Pro Tip: The PayPal sandbox gives you test buyer accounts pre-loaded with fake money. Log in at sandbox.paypal.com with the test credentials from your developer dashboard to simulate client payments.

Square

  1. Go to developer.squareup.com and sign in
  2. Click Create Application — name it something like “Gigbuilder Test”
  3. In your app’s settings, click the Sandbox tab
  4. Copy your Sandbox Personal Access Token and Sandbox Location ID
  5. In Gigbuilder, select Square Processing as your merchant
  6. Enter those sandbox credentials and click Save
  7. Then click Authorize SQUARE if prompted — you may need to step through the OAuth flow using your sandbox account

Stripe

Stripe’s test mode is built right into your regular Stripe account — no separate signup needed.

  1. Log in at dashboard.stripe.com
  2. Toggle Test mode ON (top-right corner of your Stripe dashboard)
  3. Go to Developers → API Keys
  4. Copy your Publishable key (starts with pk_test_) and Secret key (starts with sk_test_)
  5. Enter them in Gigbuilder under Merchant Integration → Stripe
  6. Click Save

Pro Tip: In Stripe test mode, use card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any future expiration date and any 3-digit CVV to simulate a successful payment. Use 4000 0000 0000 9995 to test a declined card.

CDG Commerce (WeDJ.com)

CDG Commerce is Gigbuilder’s built-in payment option for WeDJ.com clients.

  1. Log in to your CDG Control Panel (your account manager can provide the URL)
  2. Contact CDG Commerce / WeDJ.com support to request sandbox credentials
  3. Enter those credentials in Gigbuilder under Merchant Integration → WeDJ.com (CDG Commerce)
  4. Click Save

Step 3 — Run a Test Transaction

Once your sandbox credentials are in and Test Mode is set to YES:

  1. Open your client portal (from the Web Tools section of Gigbuilder)
  2. Create a test event and attempt a deposit payment
  3. Use your processor’s test card numbers or test buyer accounts to complete the payment
  4. Confirm the payment shows up in your Gigbuilder dashboard and that your client receives a receipt

Step 4 — Go Live

When you’re satisfied everything works:

  1. Log in to your real processor account and copy your live/production credentials
  2. Go back to Merchant Services in Gigbuilder and enter the live credentials
  3. Change Test Mode/Sandbox to NO – Process Payments
  4. Click Save
  5. Run one small live test (you can refund yourself afterward) to confirm real payments are processing

If you run into any issues during setup, reply below and we’ll be happy to help!

— Jayla, Gigbuilder Support