Title: Slow Square Plugin Payment Processing
Last modified: February 4, 2026

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# Slow Square Plugin Payment Processing

 *  Resolved [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/)
 * Square payments are taking 45 seconds to 2 minutes to process. Have seen a variety
   of others in similar siutations but did not see a resolution. I believe I have
   ruled out the theme and other plugins. Need help to resolve.
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Fslow-square-plugin-payment-processing%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

 *  Plugin Support [LovingBro (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lovingbro/)
 * (@lovingbro)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18810167)
 * Hi [@ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/), thanks for
   sharing the details, I can see how delays of 45 seconds to a couple of minutes
   during payment processing would be concerning, especially when everything else
   on the site feels responsive, and I’m keen to help you narrow this down.
 * When Square payments take that long to complete, it’s often related to server
   communication, caching, or external requests rather than the checkout flow itself.
   A good first step is to confirm whether any server level or plugin based caching
   is active and temporarily disable it, as cached or delayed REST API requests 
   can slow down payment processing. This guide walks through general caching considerations
   for WooCommerce checkouts, [https://developer.woocommerce.com/docs/best-practices/performance/configuring-caching-plugins](https://developer.woocommerce.com/docs/best-practices/performance/configuring-caching-plugins).
 * It would also help to check your site’s environment and logs to see if anything
   is timing out while the payment is being processed. You can enable WooCommerce
   logging for Square by going to WooCommerce, Status, Logs, then selecting the 
   Square log after attempting a test payment. More details on logs can be found
   here, [https://woocommerce.com/document/finding-php-error-logs/](https://woocommerce.com/document/finding-php-error-logs/).
 * If the issue continues, the next recommended step is a plugin conflict test by
   temporarily disabling all non WooCommerce related plugins and then re enabling
   them one at a time to see if the delay returns. This guide explains how to do
   that safely, [https://woocommerce.com/document/how-to-test-for-conflicts/](https://woocommerce.com/document/how-to-test-for-conflicts/).
 * Once you’ve had a chance to check those points, feel free to share what you find
   or any relevant log entries, and we can take the investigation further from there.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18810208)
 * Thank you for all of this. Payments process, they are just slow. I have done 
   the plugin check with no change in the delay. There are no square logs being 
   produced in the woocommerce logs. I cleared out the woocommerce logs, disabled
   all plugins except for woocommerce plugins, and reran a shop and checkout. WP
   Debug is turned on, and no error log is generated. Appreciate additional help
   here. Thanks!
 *  Plugin Support [LovingBro (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lovingbro/)
 * (@lovingbro)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18810224)
 * Hi [@ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/),
 * I can see you have already done some solid troubleshooting there, and I appreciate
   how thorough you have been so far. To help narrow this down further, the next
   helpful step would be to review your WooCommerce System Status Report, as this
   gives insight into the server environment, PHP setup, and any configuration details
   that may impact how Square requests are handled.
 * You can generate this by going to WooCommerce, Status, then selecting Get system
   report, and copying the report. Please paste the full report into [https://pastebin.com](https://pastebin.com)
   and share the link here, which helps keep things readable and secure.
 * Once that is available, I will take a closer look and we can continue isolating
   what might be contributing to the delay.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18810230)
 * [https://pastebin.com/yjLBEEKT](https://pastebin.com/yjLBEEKT)
 * Thanks!
 *  Plugin Support [LovingBro (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lovingbro/)
 * (@lovingbro)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18810552)
 * Hi [@ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/), thank you 
   for sharing the system status report, I can see how challenging it is to deal
   with payments that complete but take an unusually long time, and I appreciate
   how methodical you have been with the troubleshooting so far. I am keen to keep
   working through this with you.
 * After reviewing the report, there are a few environment related points that stand
   out as potential contributors to the delay.
 * First, the WordPress memory limit is set to 256 MB. While this is generally workable,
   payment gateways like Square can be memory intensive during checkout, especially
   when handling API requests, order creation, and background processes at the same
   time. If your hosting provider allows it, increasing the memory limit to 512 
   MB or more would be a worthwhile test to see if processing time improves.
 * Next, the PHP post max size is set to 64 MB. This setting usually impacts larger
   payloads, but during checkout it can still play a role when multiple requests
   are being processed together. Your host can confirm whether increasing this value
   slightly is supported and whether it helps reduce latency.
 * I also noticed the Action Scheduler tables are relatively large, with a number
   of failed and pending actions present. Even though the failed count is low, background
   actions running during checkout can add load to the server and slow down external
   requests like those sent to Square. Reviewing and cleaning up completed actions
   under Tools, Scheduled Actions may help reduce that overhead. You can find more
   details here, [https://woocommerce.com/document/understanding-the-woocommerce-system-status-report/scheduled-actions/](https://woocommerce.com/document/understanding-the-woocommerce-system-status-report/scheduled-actions/).
 * Another important point is that WooCommerce Square debug mode is currently disabled.
   Enabling debug logging will allow the plugin to record detailed information about
   the communication between your site and Square. This is especially useful since
   no Square logs are currently being generated. Please enable debug mode in WooCommerce,
   Settings, Payments, Square, then run a test checkout and check the WooCommerce
   logs again. This guide explains how to locate and review logs, [https://woocommerce.com/document/finding-php-error-logs/](https://woocommerce.com/document/finding-php-error-logs/).
 * Since plugin conflicts and PHP errors have already been ruled out, the next most
   likely cause is server level latency or delayed outbound requests to Square. 
   The Square debug logs should help confirm exactly where the delay is occurring
   so we can take more targeted next steps.
 * Once you have enabled Square debug mode and tested another checkout, feel free
   to share any new log entries or updates and we will continue narrowing this down
   together.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18811814)
 * Lots of changes. Website is more responsive, square processing still slow
 * System status: [https://pastebin.com/2zerbxyK](https://pastebin.com/2zerbxyK)
 * From the square log: **
   2026-02-06T00:15:45+00:00
    Notice [Performance] process_payment
   completed in 27.753s with 8.83MB of memory usage
 *  Plugin Support [shahzeen(woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/shahzeenfarooq/)
 * (@shahzeenfarooq)
 * [3 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18815000)
 * Hi there!
 * Thank you for sharing the logs and system status.
 * I’ve reviewed the Square logs, and currently I’m seeing a transaction taking 
   about **28 seconds**. While this is slightly slow, you mentioned that transactions
   sometimes take **45 seconds to 2 minutes**. Could you please check your logs 
   again and see if there are any entries showing performance times in that range?
   I’m asking this becaues I have tried to place some test order on my site and 
   every thing appear to work fine on my end.
 * If you notice consistently longer times, it may also be helpful to **contact 
   your hosting provider** to check for any server-side delays or resource limitations
   that could be affecting payment processing.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18815316)
 * Thank you. If 28 seconds is within the normal toloreance, then i think we’ll 
   need to do some wider testing. We have very low volume since we’ve been trying
   to resolve this before fully launching. Our hosting is on godaddy, are there 
   any known issues there?
 *  Plugin Support [LovingBro (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lovingbro/)
 * (@lovingbro)
 * [3 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18815416)
 * Hi [@ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/),
 * At the moment, there are no known or widespread issues specific to GoDaddy that
   would cause Square payments to consistently process slowly. That said, reaching
   out to their support team is still a very worthwhile step, as they can review
   server level factors such as outbound request latency, firewall rules, resource
   throttling, or any limits that might affect external API calls during checkout.
 * It can also help to ask them to confirm whether there are any restrictions or
   delays on HTTPS requests to Square endpoints from your server. Since the Square
   logs show the delay occurring during the payment request itself, host level insights
   will be key in confirming whether this is environmental rather than plugin related.
 * Once you hear back from GoDaddy, feel free to share what they find and we can
   use that information to guide the next steps.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18816872)
 * Update from Go-Daddy. We updated memory to 1 GB. Confirmed no cloudflare on their
   end. Here is their feedback. Would prefer not to downgrade PHP. Tested and still
   getting ~30 second processing times.
 * That call is Square → external API round-trip, not WooCommerce rendering or PHP
   execution. Still, here’s what I can do from the GoDaddy cPanel / hosting angle
   to either help or definitively rule hosting out: Confirm PHP version compatibility
   Square + Woo is most stable on: PHP 8.0 or 8.1 But this might require charge 
   for extended support because it’s outdated.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18820028)
 * Hi there, any update from my reply 2 days ago? Thanks!
 *  [Sai (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/saivutukuru/)
 * (@saivutukuru)
 * [3 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18821734)
 * Hi [@ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/),
 * Thanks for your patience, and for sharing the detailed feedback from GoDaddy.
 * Based on everything you’ve tested so far, this does **not** appear to be a WooCommerce
   core issue:
    - Plugin conflicts ruled out
    - No PHP errors
    - Memory increased to 1GB
    - No caching interference
    - Square logs show:
      `process_payment completed in ~27–30 seconds`
 * That log entry is especially important because it tells us the delay is happening**
   inside the Square API request itself**, specifically during the external round-
   trip call from your server to Square’s servers.
 * A normal Square payment request typically completes in just a few seconds. ~28–
   30 seconds is definitely slower than expected, even if it eventually succeeds.
 * At this point, the most likely causes are:
    1. **Outbound network latency from your server to Square**
    2. Firewall / security inspection delaying HTTPS requests
    3. Server-level resource throttling
    4. Geographic routing latency between your GoDaddy server and Square’s API endpoints
 * Since GoDaddy confirmed this is an external API round-trip delay, the next step
   would be to ask them very specifically:
    - Can they test outbound latency from your server to `connect.squareup.com`?
    - Are outbound HTTPS requests being rate limited or inspected?
    - Is ModSecurity or any firewall performing deep packet inspection?
    - Is the account on shared hosting with CPU throttling?
 * You can explain to them that the WooCommerce Square log confirms the delay occurs
   during the API call, not during PHP execution.
 * Regarding PHP versions: Square works well on PHP 8.1 and 8.2. Downgrading to 
   8.0 should not be necessary unless Square specifically documents an incompatibility(
   which is unlikely here, since the request succeeds).
 * If GoDaddy cannot reduce outbound latency, you may want to test the site temporarily
   on:
    - A staging install on another host
      or
    - A higher-tier hosting plan
 * Even a quick migration test would definitively confirm whether hosting is the
   bottleneck.
 * At this stage, everything points to infrastructure/network latency rather than
   WooCommerce or the Square plugin itself.
 * Let us know what GoDaddy reports after checking outbound request timing specifically,
   which will give us the final piece of the puzzle.
 *  Thread Starter [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/)
 * (@ajwesseler)
 * [3 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18822084)
 * From godaddy: I have reviewed your account and seen that the current resources
   as been exceeded on your hosting which may casue issue, Here the hosting resources
   as to be updated or you can remove the files on your hosting to decrese limit
 * It was hit between 7 am and 9 am today. Can you see what’s going on? this is 
   a lite website without much traffic.
    -  This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by [ajwesseler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ajwesseler/).
 *  Plugin Support [shahzeen(woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/shahzeenfarooq/)
 * (@shahzeenfarooq)
 * [3 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18822946)
 * Hi there!
   Thank you for the update, To assist you further could you please ask
   GoDaddy very specifically:
    - Which resource was exceeded (CPU, processes, memory, I/O)?
    - Are outbound HTTPS requests being rate-limited or inspected?
    - Is ModSecurity or another firewall delaying external API calls?
    - Is the site on shared hosting with CPU throttling?
 * If possible, the fastest way to confirm this is to:
    - Test the site (or a staging copy) on a **higher-tier GoDaddy plan** or another
      host
    - Run the same Square checkout and compare the timing
 * If the delay disappears, that conclusively confirms hosting as the root cause.
   
   Let us know what you find.
 *  Plugin Support [Kay U a11n](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kingsleyinfo/)
 * (@kingsleyinfo)
 * [2 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18837410)
 * Since there’s been no recent activity on this thread, I’m marking it as resolved.
   Don’t hesitate to start a new thread if you need help in the future.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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 * 15 replies
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 * Last reply from: [Kay U a11n](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kingsleyinfo/)
 * Last activity: [2 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slow-square-plugin-payment-processing/#post-18837410)
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