How do I make a test payment?

This is the fastest way to prove your lomi. account, API key, checkout, and webhook assumptions work together.

Before you start

You need:

A lomi. account.
CLI access via lomi login, or a test secret key such as lomi_sk_test_....
A local or hosted success URL and cancel URL.

Option A: CLI (recommended)

Install and log in

npm install -g lomi.cli
lomi login
lomi quickstart

Create a checkout session

Interactive:

lomi checkout create

Headless (for scripts and agents):

lomi checkout create \
  --amount 10000 \
  --currency XOF \
  --success-url https://example.com/success \
  --cancel-url https://example.com/cancel \
  --json

Open the checkout_url from the output in your browser.

Forward webhooks (optional)

lomi listen http://localhost:3000/webhooks

See CLI quickstart for the full terminal workflow.

Option B: cURL

Create a checkout session

curl -sS -X POST "https://sandbox.api.lomi.africa/checkout-sessions" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $LOMI_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "amount": 10000,
    "currency_code": "XOF",
    "title": "Test order",
    "success_url": "https://example.com/success",
    "cancel_url": "https://example.com/cancel"
  }'

The response includes a hosted checkout URL. Open it in your browser.

lomi. hosted checkout payment page in sandbox

2. Pay with a test method

For a simple successful card payment, use:

Field	Value
Card number	`4242 4242 4242 4242`
Expiry	Any future date, for example `12/34`
CVC	Any three digits

You can also test mobile money methods in sandbox. See sandbox payments for the full behavior.

Verify the result

After payment, confirm:

The checkout redirects to your success URL.
The transaction appears in the dashboard test view.
Your test balance changes, if the method creates a completed test transaction.
Your webhook endpoint receives the event, if webhooks are configured.

Verify from the CLI:

lomi transactions list --json

What should I build next?

Follow the full path in Integration journey.
Use hosted checkout for app or store checkout, runnable sample: hosted checkout reference plugin.
Use payment links when you want a shareable URL.
For server-initiated Wave, MTN, or card flows, see Direct charges and the direct-charge reference plugin.
Use webhooks to reconcile payment states server-side.
Use the API reference for exact endpoint details.

How do I make a test payment?

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