The WordPress Community Team announced an update to the CampTix, the plugin used for selling WordCamp tickets, that makes Stripe the default payment method. The gateway was previously available as a beta plugin and could be enabled on a per-site basis but is now available to all WordCamps.

When proposing Stripe as the default payment gateway in April, Hugh Lashbrooke cited the fact that PayPal is entirely blocked and inaccessible in some countries. He also identified Stripe’s simpler UI and larger number of supported currencies as its chief advantages.

PayPal has been the default for years on WordCamp websites but it currently supports only 26 currencies. Stripe supports 136 currencies, allowing WordCamp organizers to offer ticket purchases in more places than before. Previously, some communities were forced to build a local gateway integration to sell WordCamp tickets via PayPal, requiring those sales to be inconveniently funneled through a local bank account. The Stripe gateway option is a welcome update to support WordPress’ growing international community, which held camps in 73 countries in 2017.

It’s important to note that Stripe isn’t fully replacing PayPal. The Camptix plugin allows organizers to activate multiple payment gateways for cases where one or both make more sense, retaining the flexibility to support ticket sales at camps with different payment requirements.