Customizing Payment Method Visibility in Magento 2.4.7

Magento 2.4.7 provides a flexible payment framework that allows developers to control the visibility of payment methods programmatically. This is especially useful when you want to restrict certain methods from appearing on the frontend checkout but still keep them available for admin order management.

Overview

Magento’s core payment method retrieval is handled by the
\Magento\Payment\Model\MethodList::getAvailableMethods() method. It compiles all active and available payment methods for a specific quote context.

Plugin-Based Approach

Using an after-plugin on getAvailableMethods(), you can safely filter out specific payment methods based on custom business logic (store view, customer group, quote contents, cart value, etc.).

This approach maintains separation of concerns, doesn't affect admin functionality, and is upgrade-friendly.

Common Use Cases

Implementation Outline

Step 1: Define the Plugin

Create a plugin on the \Magento\Payment\Model\MethodList::getAvailableMethods() class.

Step 2: Register the Plugin in di.xml

Key Considerations

• Admin Order Unaffected: This plugin only filters the methods on the storefront. Admin order creation calls a separate method (getAvailableMethods() without quote context), which you don’t intercept here.
• Safe Filtering: Always validate the quote object before applying any filtering logic to avoid issues on pages where it’s not present.
• Scope Aware: Incorporate store, customer, and quote data when building your filtering logic to make it dynamic and relevant.
• Performance: Avoid heavy service calls or database queries within the plugin to keep checkout performance smooth.

Best Practices

By leveraging plugins in Magento 2.4.7, you can control payment method visibility on the frontend dynamically, without disrupting the admin workflow. This allows for a more tailored checkout experience that aligns with business logic, improves user experience, and ensures operational flexibility.

Strategic Frontend Payment Method Control in Magento 2.4.7

In a multi-market or feature-rich Magento 2.4.7 store, it's often necessary to restrict payment methods on the storefront while keeping them available in the admin area for backend operations. This selective visibility ensures a seamless customer experience and operational flexibility for store managers.

By leveraging Magento’s plugin architecture, especially through after plugins on the payment method list, developers can dynamically control which payment options are presented to users without permanently disabling them system-wide.

Why Restrict Payment Methods Only on the Frontend?

Controlling frontend-only availability of payment methods ensures smoother transactions, improved user targeting, and compliance with business logic, all while preserving full payment method availability for backend users.

Key Benefits of Frontend‑Only Payment Method Filtering

Additional Use Cases

Best Practice Highlights

• Use After Plugins: Preserve original logic while modifying the output list of methods.
• Avoid Filtering in Admin Area: Ensure admin users can access full functionality when processing orders manually.
• Add Configuration Controls: Allow easy toggling of frontend filtering from system configuration.
• Enable Logging for Testing: Track filtered methods and related conditions during development or debugging.
• Respect Payment Method Dependencies: Verify that filtering doesn't interfere with extensions or modules that depend on specific payment methods.

Module Setup and Declaration for Disabling Frontend Payment Methods in Magento 2.4.7

Prerequisites for Module Creation

Before you dive into creating your custom module to disable frontend payment methods, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:

• Magento 2.4.7 Installation: You must have a working installation of Magento 2.4.7. If you haven’t already, follow the official Magento documentation to install or update Magento to this version.
• Command-Line Interface (CLI) Access: You’ll need access to Magento’s CLI to run necessary commands like setup:upgrade, cache:flush, and others during the module creation and deployment process.
• Basic Knowledge of Dependency Injection (DI) and Plugins: A basic understanding of Magento’s DI system and plugin architecture will be helpful as these are the core concepts we’ll use to intercept and modify Magento's payment methods.
• Magento E-Commerce Solutions Knowledge: An understanding of how Magento 2 handles payments and how methods are displayed on both the frontend and backend will ensure a smooth implementation.

Step 1: Module Declaration

In this first step, you’ll need to declare your custom module in Magento. This process involves creating the registration.php and module.xml files.

1.1 registration.php

Create the registration.php file in the directory app/code/Vendor/DisableFrontPayment/. This file will register your custom module with Magento:

The registration.php file ensures that Magento recognizes your module as part of its application.

1.2 module.xml

Next, create the module.xml file in app/code/Vendor/DisableFrontPayment/etc/. This configuration file declares the module and ensures that it loads after Magento’s payment functionality.

The sequence tag ensures that Magento's core payment module is loaded before your custom module.

Step 2: Configure the Plugin

Magento uses plugins to intercept methods and modify their behavior. In this step, you’ll configure the plugin that will allow you to filter out specific payment methods on the frontend.

2.1 di.xml

The di.xml file will define the plugin and specify that it should execute after the getAvailableMethods() method of the Magento\Payment\Model\MethodList class.

Create the di.xml file in app/code/Vendor/DisableFrontPayment/etc/di.xml:

This configuration tells Magento to apply your plugin after the getAvailableMethods() method is called. The sortOrder="10" defines the order in which multiple plugins are applied. You can adjust this value based on your needs.

Step 3: Implement the Plugin Logic

Now, you’ll implement the logic that filters the available payment methods. The plugin will check each available method and remove certain ones from the frontend list.

3.1 MethodListPlugin.php

Create the MethodListPlugin.php file in
app/code/Vendor/DisableFrontPayment/Plugin/MethodListPlugin.php. This file will implement the logic to remove specific payment methods from the list:

In this example, the plugin removes the "Cash on Delivery" payment method by checking its method code using $method->getCode(). You can extend this logic to remove other payment methods or apply more complex conditions.

Step 4: Enable the Module and Verify Changes

Once the module and plugin are in place, you need to enable the module and run Magento’s setup commands to apply the changes.

4.1 Run Setup and Cache Commands

Use the following commands to enable the module and clear Magento’s cache:

This will apply the module configuration, enable the plugin, and clear any cached data.

4.2 Verification

• Frontend Checkout: Visit the frontend checkout page. You should now see that the "Cash on Delivery" payment method is no longer available.
• Admin Panel: Navigate to the admin panel, and verify that "Cash on Delivery" is still available for order creation. This ensures that the method is only disabled on the frontend, not in the backend.

Best Practices for Disabling Frontend Payment Methods

When creating custom plugins and modules to disable payment methods, it’s essential to follow best practices to ensure smooth operation and prevent conflicts. Here are some key recommendations:

By adhering to these best practices, you ensure that your Magento store’s payment processing remains flexible, reliable, and efficient.

Additional Considerations and Use Cases

As your store grows, the need for more sophisticated payment method management may arise. Consider implementing additional logic for more complex use cases, such as:

• Custom Payment Method Filters: You can create conditions based on customer attributes, such as whether they are logged in, their purchase history, or their geographical location.
• Multiple Payment Methods Per Customer Group: Tailor the payment options available to specific customer groups, such as offering different payment methods for wholesale versus retail customers.
• Support for Multiple Store Views: If you operate multiple stores or store views (e.g., for different countries or regions), you can implement payment method filtering specific to each store view.

These advanced strategies can improve the user experience and streamline payment processing by providing only the most relevant and secure payment methods for your customers.

Advanced Techniques for Dynamic Payment Method Control in Magento 2.4.7

Magento 2.4.7 offers the flexibility to dynamically filter payment methods based on various storefront and customer-specific conditions. These advanced customization techniques help deliver a more tailored checkout experience while retaining backend operational efficiency.

Key Scenarios for Payment Method Filtering

Magento allows you to intercept and modify the payment method list using a plugin on MethodList::getAvailableMethods(). The logic can be extended with business-specific rules, such as customer group segmentation, cart contents, shipping preferences, and more.

Scenario-Based Filtering Techniques

Additional Custom Use Cases

To extend the flexibility further, Magento’s plugin system allows combining multiple conditions to deliver refined payment method behavior.

Best Practices for Implementation

• Always Use After Plugins: Use afterGetAvailableMethods() instead of before or around to avoid disrupting the original logic and preserve the integrity of method execution.
• Avoid Admin Area Filtering: Use \Magento\Framework\App\State to check if the area code is adminhtml. Skip filtering to avoid unintended effects in backend operations like manual order creation or refunds.
• Introduce Config Settings: Add configuration options in the Admin UI (system.xml) so store managers can control payment method visibility rules without code changes.
• Log Filtered Methods During Testing: Enable debugging by logging removed methods to validate filtering logic. Use \Psr\Log\LoggerInterface for logging during development.
• Validate Module Dependencies: Ensure compatibility if your store uses third-party modules that depend on specific payment methods. Improper removal may break workflows.

Conclusion

Managing payment visibility in Magento 2.4.7 is no longer just a developer trick—it's a best practice for modern, scalable eCommerce. By creating a lightweight custom module and using a safe plugin method, you can disable payment options like Cash on Delivery from the storefront while keeping them active in the backend for admins. This flexibility enhances your checkout flow, aligns with business strategies, and reduces unnecessary customer choices.

The beauty of this approach? It's upgrade-safe, modular, and fully customizable. You can apply advanced logic like filtering based on customer groups, shipping methods, or cart contents—all without touching core files.

Whether you're simplifying the frontend for a better user experience or tightening control for specific regions or B2B workflows, this method keeps your store clean, professional, and easy to manage.

Take full control of your Magento store’s payment system—one plugin at a time.