Built-in connector
Braintree connects to BigCommerce as the built-in 'PayPal powered by Braintree' gateway under Settings > Payments > Embedded, with no app to install; BigCommerce maintains the integration and PayPal Braintree is on the Embedded Payment Provider list, so orders through it carry no Open Payment Provider Fee. Connection is by pasting the Braintree merchant ID, public key, private key and merchant account ID, one configuration per currency.1
Connects through Built-in gateway in the BigCommerce control panel (Settings > Payments > Embedded > Online Payment Methods > Braintree). Credentials are entered by hand from the Braintree Control Panel: Merchant ID, Public Key, Private Key and Merchant Account ID, plus the same key pair in the Notifications endpoint section for webhooks. Runs on Optimized One-Page Checkout or a Checkout SDK custom checkout; server-side orders go through the Payments API's 'PayPal Powered by Braintree' gateway. Biggest gotcha: Test mode is a support ticket, not a toggle.
| Capability | On this integration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Yes2 | Credit and debit cards with an optional CVV requirement on stored cards; stored cards for logged-in shoppers need a plan tier the two BigCommerce articles state differently (Growth vs Scale). |
| Apple Pay | Yes2 | Braintree is a supported Apple Pay gateway; enable it under Digital Wallets and pick Braintree as the provider. Discover is added automatically; if it is missing, toggle Apple Pay off and on. Manual capture works when the gateway is set to Authorize Only. |
| Google Pay | Yes2 | Toggle Google Pay in the Braintree account (Settings > Account Settings > Processing Options) first; only 13 country-currency pairs are allowed (US/USD, UK/GBP, CA/CAD, AU/AUD, NZ/NZD, SG/SGD, HK/HKD, PL/PLN, HR/HRK, and EUR in DE/IE/ES/SK). Custom checkouts need checkout-js 1.812.1+ or checkout-sdk-js 1.921.0+. |
| PayPal | Yes2 | PayPal, stored PayPal accounts, PayPal Pay Later and Venmo (USD, US IP address, not available on partner merchant accounts) all run through the Braintree connection; Venmo buttons appear on cart, product and quick-cart pages rather than the checkout payment step. |
| ACH bank payments | Limited2 | ACH Direct Debit for US stores in USD on a Stencil theme; Braintree must activate ACH (24-48 business hours), and a webhook built from the Notification URL and keys is required. Stored ACH accounts need Cornerstone 6.12.0+ and can only be saved during checkout. |
| SEPA Direct Debit | Yes2 | SEPA Direct Debit is in the article's alternative payment method list alongside iDEAL, Bancontact, BLIK, EPS, Przelewy24 and MyBank; APMs are authorize-and-capture only and depend on the webhook being configured. |
| Buy now, pay later | Yes2 | PayPal Pay Later is offered through Braintree in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, with storefront messaging and buttons on product, cart and checkout pages. |
| 3-D Secure | Yes4 | BigCommerce's gateway table ticks 3D Secure for Braintree; it is switched on by the Braintree Accounts team on request, not from the BigCommerce control panel. |
| Saved cards (vault) | Yes4 | Stored cards, stored PayPal accounts (Cornerstone 4.4.0+) and stored ACH accounts (Cornerstone 6.12.0+) are supported; a new stored card triggers a small validation hold that is never captured, and Braintree's paid Account Updater is suggested for subscription merchants. |
| Subscriptions | Yes4 | BigCommerce's gateway table ticks Recurring Payments for Braintree, but the Braintree article says recurring billing needs a subscription app or custom Payments API work on top of stored payment methods; Venmo is excluded from recurring. |
| Partial refunds | Yes2 | Refunds run from the BigCommerce control panel; the BigCommerce article gives PayPal refunds a 60-day window while Braintree's own docs say 180 days, and cards have no time limit. |
| Multi-currency | Yes4 | One Braintree merchant account ID per currency, each connected as a separate BigCommerce configuration with its own Notification URL. |
| Level 2 / Level 3 data | Yes2 | Level 2 and Level 3 fields are sent for US domestic commercial-card transactions; Braintree is on BigCommerce's list of gateways that process them. |
| Network tokens | Not verified here5 |
Capability status reflects the integration and documentation available at the time of verification, not necessarily every capability of the underlying gateway or platform.
BigCommerce says a Braintree sandbox account's credentials can be used when connecting the store, but the configuration must first be put into Test mode by BigCommerce support; there is no self-serve test toggle in the Braintree settings. Take Merchant ID, Public Key, Private Key and Merchant Account ID from the sandbox Control Panel (sandbox keys differ from production and nothing transfers between them), paste them under Settings > Payments > Embedded > Braintree, and paste the key pair again in the Notifications endpoint section, then create the webhook in the sandbox Control Panel pointing at the copied Notification URL, since ACH, APMs, Account Updater and fraud rules depend on it. Pay with Braintree sandbox cards (4111111111111111 Visa, 5555555555554444 Mastercard, 378282246310005 Amex) and use amounts of 2000.00-2999.99 to force a processor decline. Apple Pay inherits the gateway's test state; Google Pay needs the Braintree-side toggle plus a supported country/currency or the control panel shows an error. The server-side Payments API cannot use BigCommerce's Test Payment Gateway, so API-driven tests need this sandbox connection. Assert that the order's status, amount and currency match the transaction in the Braintree sandbox Control Panel, that an Authorize Only order captures from the control panel, and that a control-panel refund appears in Braintree.2
UAT-Ops runs integration flows like this against the real sandbox and keeps the evidence. Get one email when it opens.
BigCommerce accepts Braintree sandbox credentials for test transactions, but the configuration must be placed into Test mode by BigCommerce support before setup; there is no test switch in the Braintree settings the way Stripe OCS has one. Budget that round-trip for every staging store; sandbox keys and merchant IDs never carry over to production.
Source: support.bigcommerce.com2
PayPal Braintree is on the Embedded Payment Provider list, so orders through the control-panel gateway are exempt from BigCommerce's own Open Payment Provider Fee (2.0% Core, 1.0% Growth, 0.6% Scale) — Braintree's own processing rates still apply either way. BigCommerce's gateway list adds that custom integrations to an embedded processor, including via third-party apps, still incur the BigCommerce fee on top of Braintree's processing rate. Driving Braintree yourself through the Payments API can cost more than the built-in connection.
Source: support.bigcommerce.com4
The Braintree settings page has a Notifications endpoint section with its own Notification URL and separate public and private key fields. Skip it and card payments still work, so nothing fails loudly, but ACH Direct Debit, alternative payment methods, Account Updater and Braintree fraud rules silently stop. Each currency configuration has a different Notification URL and its own merchant account ID, so multi-currency stores repeat this per currency.
Source: support.bigcommerce.com2
The Braintree connection article says stored payment methods need a Growth plan or higher; the Enabling Stored Payment Methods article says Scale or higher. Both are current BigCommerce documentation. Confirm the tier before promising vaulted cards, stored PayPal accounts (Cornerstone 4.4.0+) or stored ACH (Cornerstone 6.12.0+) to a merchant on Growth.
Source: support.bigcommerce.com8
BigCommerce's article says PayPal transactions must be refunded within 60 days; Braintree's own documentation allows PayPal and Venmo refunds within 180 days of payment. If the control panel refuses a refund between day 60 and day 180, issue it from the Braintree Control Panel and reconcile the order by hand. Card refunds have no time limit on either side.
Source: developer.paypal.com9
Alternative payment methods (iDEAL, SEPA, Bancontact, BLIK, EPS, Przelewy24, MyBank, ACH, Venmo, Pay Later) are authorize-and-capture only even when the gateway is set to Authorize Only. Google Pay must first be toggled inside the Braintree account and covers 13 country-currency pairs; 3D Secure is enabled by the Braintree Accounts team, not from BigCommerce; Venmo vanishes on a partner merchant account.
Source: support.bigcommerce.com2
Integration capabilities, requirements, pricing, availability, and vendor policies may change over time. UAT-Ops documents information based on the authoritative sources and testing available at the time of review.
Where newer information, testing, or vendor documentation materially changes a published claim, UAT-Ops may revise the page to reflect the most current verified information. Readers should confirm time-sensitive requirements with the relevant vendor before making production or purchasing decisions.