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Let donors authorize a one-time gift with Apple Pay on your WeGive checkout. Your organization owns the Apple account and merchant setup. WeGive connects it to VGS, which secures the payment details, and your approved payment processor completes the charge.
This setup is available by arrangement with WeGive for Donor Portal V2, using Chase Orbital or an approved, enabled Finix connection. It supports one-time USD payments. Recurring donations and Portal V1 are outside this setup. Organizations using Apple Pay through Stripe or Braintree should continue using their existing provider’s setup.

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Your setup at a glance

1

Prepare your Apple account

Confirm nonprofit eligibility, create or select your Merchant ID, and accept any required Apple agreements.
2

Connect two certificates

Download each certificate request from WeGive, have Apple sign it, and upload the matching certificate to WeGive.
3

Verify every donation domain

Publish Apple’s association file through WeGive, complete verification in Apple Developer, and confirm that result in WeGive.
4

Enable and test

Save VGS as your provider, enable Apple Pay on your checkout, and complete an agreed test donation.

Test and troubleshoot

Understand test organizations, check button visibility, and verify a complete donation.

Renew and maintain

Keep certificates, contacts, and donation domains current.

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Before you start

If you have a separate test or UAT organization in WeGive, open that organization before starting. Its setup access and configuration must be arranged separately.
Already accepting Apple Pay on this domain? Coordinate the change with WeGive before publishing a new association file. Publishing changes the file used for domain verification and can interrupt an existing Stripe or Braintree setup. Prepare your certificates first, then schedule domain publication and provider activation together.

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1. Prepare your Merchant ID

Open Apple Developer → Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles. Under Identifiers, change the filter from App IDs to Merchant IDs, if needed. Select the Merchant ID intended for this WeGive setup. If you need a new one, follow Apple’s Merchant ID registration instructions. A merchant identifier looks like merchant.org.example.donations. Check for an agreement banner. Your Account Holder may need to accept the Apple Pay Platform Web Merchant Terms and Conditions before Merchant Identity certificates and Merchant Domains become available. Being able to create a Payment Processing certificate does not mean those other controls are unlocked. Keep this Merchant ID open; both certificates and all domain registrations below belong to it.

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2. Start setup in WeGive

  1. Open Settings → Payments → Apple Pay in the correct organization.
  2. Select VGS in the provider menu to reveal the setup form.
  3. Enter your exact Apple merchant identifier and renewal email.
  4. Confirm that your nonprofit meets Apple’s donation requirements.
  5. Select Configure Apple Pay.
Choosing VGS to prepare the form does not save a provider change. The final activation step comes after validation.
The eligibility checkbox records your confirmation; it does not apply for Apple’s approval. The merchant identifier is fixed after setup starts. Contact WeGive if you entered the wrong one.

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3. Create and upload both certificates

A certificate signing request (CSR) is a file WeGive creates for Apple to sign. Use the request from the matching WeGive certificate card.

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Merchant Identity certificate

  1. In WeGive’s Merchant Identity card, select Download certificate request.
  2. In Apple Developer, open the same Merchant ID. Under Apple Pay Merchant Identity Certificate, select Create Certificate.
  3. Upload the identity CSR downloaded from WeGive.
  4. Download Apple’s signed .cer file.
  5. Return to WeGive’s Merchant Identity card, choose the signed certificate, and select Upload signed certificate.
  6. Confirm the certificate becomes Active.

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Payment Processing certificate

  1. In WeGive’s Payment Processing card, select Download certificate request.
  2. In Apple Developer, under Apple Pay Payment Processing Certificate, select Create Certificate.
  3. Upload the processing CSR downloaded from WeGive.
  4. Download Apple’s signed .cer file.
  5. Return to WeGive’s Payment Processing card, choose that certificate, and select Upload signed certificate.
  6. Wait for installation to finish and Connection status: Ready. If setup reports an error, follow its instructions or use Retry setup when offered.
Keep the two files paired with their certificate cards. Selecting a file does not upload it: use Upload signed certificate to finish each step.
WeGive validates the uploaded certificates and sets up the VGS connection automatically. You do not need a VGS account, service key, or route configuration file.
Use the CSRs generated by WeGive for this organization. A certificate created from a different provider’s CSR will not match. Installing the .cer in your Mac’s Keychain does not complete this setup. Upload the signed public certificate to WeGive; do not upload private keys or share Apple account passwords.
Apple’s reference guides cover web merchant identity and payment processing certificates.

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4. Verify each donation domain

WeGive lists the custom domains assigned to this organization’s Donor Portal V2. Repeat these steps for each exact hostname. For example, giving.example.org and giving-stg.example.org need separate verification; multiple checkout pages on giving.example.org share that hostname.
1

Add the domain in Apple Developer

Under your Merchant ID, find Merchant Domains, select Add Domain, and enter the hostname without https:// or a checkout path. Download the association file Apple provides for that domain.
2

Publish it from the matching WeGive domain row

Select Choose association file, choose Apple’s file, and check Publish this file on this domain. Select Publish file. For an existing upload, the action is Replace file.A descriptive download filename is fine. Upload the original contents to the correct domain row; do not edit or re-encode the file.
3

Check public file delivery

Select Check domain, then View public association file. The file must open directly over HTTPS, without a sign-in page or redirect.WeGive serves it at both of these paths on your domain:
Encoded text or a file download is expected. An error message or your donation homepage is not a successful file response.
4

Complete verification in Apple

Return to the Merchant Domains section in Apple Developer and select Verify. Wait for Apple to report that the domain is verified. See Apple’s domain verification instructions.
5

Confirm Apple's result in WeGive

Check Apple Developer shows this domain as verified for our merchant ID. Then select Confirm Apple verification. Confirm that WeGive’s verified-domain count increases.

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What the two checks mean

Confirming verification does not enable Apple Pay by itself. Replacing a file clears its verification record, so repeat the checks after replacement.

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5. Enable Apple Pay and test your checkout

  1. Resolve every remaining setup requirement.
  2. Confirm the certificates are active/installed and the intended checkout domain is verified.
  3. Select Save provider to activate VGS.
  4. Confirm Apple Pay is enabled in the settings for each checkout you plan to launch.
  5. Follow the testing guide and verify a complete one-time donation before launch.
If the page says Ready, VGS is already selected, and Save provider is disabled while Apple Pay remains unavailable, contact WeGive to confirm activation. Your certificates and domain files do not need to be recreated to resolve that state.
At least one verified domain is required for activation. That does not verify the other domains in the list: each checkout hostname must complete its own steps.

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Launch checklist

  • WeGive has confirmed your processor connection is eligible.
  • Both certificates belong to the intended Merchant ID and show completed states.
  • Every launch hostname is verified in Apple Developer and confirmed in WeGive.
  • VGS is saved and activated as the organization’s Apple Pay provider.
  • Apple Pay is enabled on the intended Portal V2 checkouts.
  • A complete one-time donation has been verified for the intended environment.
  • Your team knows who monitors certificate reminders and owns renewal.

Next: test your setup

Check single-page and stepper checkout, guest donations, and payment results.

Plan for renewal

Maintain the certificates and domains that keep Apple Pay available.