Payload CMS E-commerce Currency Bug

Hey guys, let's dive into a tricky little bug that some of you might run into when setting up your e-commerce sites with Payload CMS. We're talking about currency configurations, specifically when you're trying to use something other than the default USD. It seems like, for some reason, when you try to set up GBP (British Pound) as a supported currency, it's not always pulling through correctly from your config. This means your shiny new e-commerce store might be stuck showing prices only in USD, even though you've meticulously set up GBP in your payload.configuration.mjs file. This is a pretty big deal, right? If you're targeting a UK audience or want to offer multiple currencies, this is a roadblock you definitely want to clear.

So, what's happening here? Well, the core issue seems to be that the useCurrency hook from the @payloadcms/plugin-ecommerce/client/react is only returning USD as a supportedCurrency, even when GBP is explicitly defined. This is frustrating because you've followed the documentation, you've added the ecommercePlugin to your config, and you've even specified the details for GBP, including its code, decimals, label, and symbol. You'd expect it to just work, but nope, it's stubbornly sticking to USD. This isn't ideal for any e-commerce setup aiming for global reach or specific regional targeting. We'll dig into why this might be happening and how to get your GBP currency showing up loud and proud.

This is a known issue that popped up, and it's something that needs a bit of a fix in the e-commerce plugin itself. It's not necessarily something you're doing wrong in your setup, which is good news, but it does mean you'll need to apply a specific patch to get it sorted. The good news is that the community and the Payload team are usually on top of these things, and there are ways to work around it while a more permanent fix is rolled out. Let's get into the nitty-gritty of what's going on and what steps you can take to resolve this pesky currency problem. We'll make sure you can get your GBP prices displaying correctly.

Understanding the E-Commerce Currency Challenge

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of why this e-commerce currency bug might be happening with Payload CMS. When you're building an online store, the ability to handle different currencies is absolutely critical. It's not just about displaying prices; it's about making your customers feel comfortable and confident when they're about to hit that buy button. If you're a UK-based business or aiming for the UK market, seeing prices in GBP is non-negotiable. Seeing them stuck in USD when you've tried to set up GBP can be a real turn-off for potential customers and a major headache for you as the store owner. It directly impacts the user experience and, ultimately, your conversion rates.

Payload CMS, with its fantastic e-commerce plugin, offers a robust way to manage products, orders, and payments. Part of that robustness is the flexibility to define your supportedCurrencies. You'd think this would be as simple as adding an object to your currencies configuration, like the example shows with GBP: { code: 'GBP', decimals: 2, label: 'British Pound', symbol: '£' }. And for the most part, it should be. However, this specific bug seems to be preventing the client-side hook, useCurrency, from picking up these custom configurations. It's like the plugin is looking for currencies in one place but not finding them in the configuration you've provided. This could stem from a few places: maybe there's an issue with how the plugin serializes or de-serializes the currency data, or perhaps there's a default fallback mechanism that's too aggressive and always reverts to USD when it encounters an unexpected configuration.

Think about it from a development perspective. The server-side configuration is usually where you define these global settings. Then, when the front-end (your React components, in this case) fetches this data, it uses hooks like useCurrency to access it. If the data isn't being correctly passed or interpreted between the server and the client, or if there's a bug in the client-side logic itself, you end up with this mismatch. The supportedCurrencies array should reflect exactly what you've told Payload to support. When it doesn't, it means there's a disconnect somewhere in that data pipeline. This bug affects the plugin: ecommerce area, which is the heart of your store's transactional capabilities. It’s not just a visual glitch; it’s a functional one that impacts how your store operates and interacts with its users. We need to get this resolved so your e-commerce currency settings work as intended.

The Specific Bug: USD Dominance

Okay, let's zero in on the exact problem we're seeing here, guys. The core of the issue is that no matter what you configure in your payload.configuration.mjs file regarding currencies, the useCurrency hook in the @payloadcms/plugin-ecommerce/client/react package is stubbornly returning only USD in the supportedCurrencies array. This is happening even when you've clearly defined GBP with all its necessary details – code, decimals, label, and symbol. It’s like the system has a favorite currency and it’s not letting go! This behavior is clearly not what anyone expects when setting up a multi-currency e-commerce platform. You've put in the effort to configure GBP, assuming it will be available for your users, only to find out it's being ignored on the front end.

Imagine this: You're setting up a product in your Payload admin panel. You've configured GBP as your default and only supported currency (or one of several). You save the product, perhaps add a price in GBP. Then you head over to your live site to test it out. You use the useCurrency hook to grab the list of supported currencies, expecting to see ['GBP'] (or maybe ['USD', 'GBP'] if you hadn't removed USD). Instead, what you get is ['USD']. Your GBP price might still display (though it might be formatted incorrectly or not at all), but the fundamental information about supported currencies is wrong. This mismatch can lead to confusion for developers integrating the currency formatting or for any front-end logic that relies on the supportedCurrencies array to dynamically adjust UI elements or display options.

This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a functional bug that directly impacts the usability and intended functionality of the e-commerce plugin. The supportedCurrencies array is meant to be a reflection of your store's configuration. When it's hardcoded or defaulting incorrectly, it breaks the dynamic nature of the setup. The provided reproduction steps are clear: install, run, create a product with a GBP price, and then inspect the supportedCurrencies in your live preview or product page. The expected outcome is seeing your configured currencies, but the actual outcome is seeing only USD. This points to an issue within the e-commerce plugin's client-side logic or how it fetches and processes the currency configuration from the server. It’s a critical bug for anyone looking to go beyond a single, default currency, and it definitely needs attention.

Reproduction Steps and Environment

So, you've heard about the bug, and you're probably thinking, "How can I see this for myself?" or "Is my setup affected?" Well, the Payload team and the community have laid out some pretty clear steps to reproduce this issue. It’s not a super complex setup, which actually makes the bug more noticeable because you're doing everything right, but it's still not working as expected. Let's break down exactly how you can try to replicate this e-commerce currency problem and what your environment details look like. This is super important for debugging and for the Payload maintainers to pinpoint the exact cause.

First off, the setup itself. You need to have Payload CMS installed and configured with the e-commerce plugin. The reproduction steps suggest using PNPM for dependency management, which is a great choice for speed and efficiency. So, you'd run pnpm install to get everything set up. After that, you fire up your Payload project, probably using a command like pnpm dev or similar. The next crucial step is to actually create something for your store. The bug specifically relates to currency configuration, so you'll need to create a Product within your Payload admin panel and assign it a price in GBP. This is the action that should trigger the currency handling logic.

Once your product is set up, you need to check the front end. The bug report mentions inspecting the live preview or the product page. This is where you'll likely be using the useCurrency hook, as demonstrated in the code snippet: const { formatCurrency, supportedCurrencies } = useCurrency(); console.log(supportedCurrencies);. When you run this code in a client-side component (like a React component within your Next.js or other front-end framework integration), the console.log(supportedCurrencies) is what reveals the problem. Instead of seeing an array that includes 'GBP', you're seeing ['USD']. This is the smoking gun. The expectation, based on your payload.configuration.mjs file where you've explicitly defined GBP, is that supportedCurrencies should reflect your configuration. The fact that it doesn't is the bug.

Regarding the environment, the provided details are extensive and very helpful. We're looking at Node.js version 24.7.0, and importantly, the specific versions of Payload packages like payload: 3.58.0, next: 15.5.6, and various plugin versions. The database mentioned is @payloadcms/db-postgres, and other integrations like Stripe are also present. The operating system is Windows 11 Home. These details are invaluable for the Payload maintainers to try and replicate the exact environment where the bug is occurring. It helps them rule out version conflicts or OS-specific issues. So, if you're experiencing this, make sure your environment details are similarly thorough when reporting it!

The Path Forward: Potential Fixes and Workarounds

So, what do we do now, guys? We've identified the bug where your e-commerce currency configurations, specifically GBP, aren't being picked up correctly by the client-side useCurrency hook in Payload CMS. The good news is that this isn't an insurmountable problem, and there are typically ways to navigate these situations. While a definitive fix might be in the works from the Payload core team, let's talk about potential solutions and workarounds you can implement right now to get your store functioning correctly.

Firstly, the most direct solution would be to apply a patch if one is available. Often, for bugs like this, a maintainer will release a hotfix or a patch version of the plugin. You’d want to keep an eye on the Payload CMS GitHub repository, particularly the issues and pull requests sections for the e-commerce plugin. If a fix is merged, you might be able to update your package to that specific patched version. This is always the preferred method because it addresses the root cause directly within the plugin's code. Sometimes, this might involve a minor change in how the currency data is serialized on the server and deserialized on the client, ensuring that custom currencies aren't accidentally dropped or overridden by a default.

If an immediate patch isn't available or if you need a solution today, you might have to consider a temporary workaround. This could involve a few strategies. One common approach in web development when a library or component doesn't behave as expected is to augment its functionality. You could potentially write some custom client-side JavaScript that intercepts the supportedCurrencies array returned by useCurrency. If it only contains USD but you know you've configured GBP, you could manually add GBP back into the array after it's fetched. This isn't ideal, as it's a bit of a hack, but it can unblock you. You’d need to be careful, though, ensuring your custom logic doesn’t conflict with other parts of the plugin or your own application.

Another possibility, depending on how deep the bug goes, might involve looking at the Payload configuration itself. While the provided config seems correct, sometimes subtle changes in how data is passed or accessed in payload.configuration.mjs can make a difference. It’s worth double-checking the Payload documentation for the e-commerce plugin’s currency settings to ensure no detail has been overlooked. Maybe there’s a specific order required, or a particular way the supportedCurrencies array needs to be structured that isn't immediately obvious. For developers using the linked GitHub repository, checking the commit history or recent pull requests related to the e-commerce plugin might reveal ongoing work or discussions about this exact currency issue. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the supportedCurrencies array accurately reflects your store's intended capabilities, allowing for correct price formatting and a better user experience. Keep an eye on the official channels for updates, and don't be afraid to experiment with the workarounds if you need a quick fix!