WooCommerce Eway plugin not creating customer token for new customer - wordpress

Question

I have setup a fresh docker container with Wordpress 5.0.3 and the latest WC and WC Eway plugin (WooCommerce eWAY Gateway).
Created a store with some products, hooked up my Eway sandbox environment, enabled Save Cards (which would enable the token) and created an order.
After checking the post_meta in my DB for the order, I didn't see a _eway_token_customer_id field. While being logged in as a customer, I tried again and with the new order I still do not get a token.
The reason for this tests is that I got this strange behaviour in my real, new website, where the first order with a NEW customer, doesn't result in a token.
However, when I create a second order whilst being logged in, I do get a _eway_token_customer_id value within the order_meta.
It is imperative for me to get that token with the first order, because after that I will auto renew the product using the tokenp ayment option.
Debugging this issue is hell, and I find it very disconcerting that on my fresh WP installation I get no token at all.
Is there anyone that has a bright idea?
**update
After some digging around in the Eway Plugin, I found out that the first time I do an order, the function request_access_code() from the class WC_Gateway_EWAY is checking if there is a token in the database for this user.
The function body:
protected function request_access_code( $order ) {
$token_payment = $this->get_token_customer_id( $order );
if ( $token_payment && 'new' === $token_payment ) {
$result = json_decode( $this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order, 'TokenPayment', 'Recurring' ) );
} elseif ( 0 === $order->get_total() && 'shop_subscription' === ( version_compare( WC_VERSION, '3.0', '<' ) ? $order->order_type : $order->get_type() ) ) {
$result = json_decode( $this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order, 'CreateTokenCustomer', 'Recurring' ) );
} else {
$result = json_decode( $this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order ) );
}
if ( isset( $result->Errors ) && ! is_null( $result->Errors ) ) {
throw new Exception( $this->response_message_lookup( $result->Errors ) );
}
return $result;
}
The function handles three possible outcomes:
1) new customer: results in calling `$this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order, 'TokenPayment', 'Recurring' )` <-- this is the one we are after!
2) shop_subscription: calls `$this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order, 'CreateTokenCustomer', 'Recurring' )`
3) else..: calls `$this->get_api()->request_access_code( $order )`
What is happening during debugging, is that the $token_payment variable has the value of an empty string for a new customer, instead of new.
So I will attempt to fix this, either via a filter/action hook, or figure out why this is happening.
When I forced the function the always use the first if block, I got my token. :)
**Update 2:
I tested with an existing user account, created a new order.
When I look in the post_meta table:
Voila, the new value is present.
However, when I am not logged in and I create an account, the new value is not added and that is where it goes wrong.
A temp fix would be to use a hook and add the new value to the order so that when get_token_customer_id is called it retrieves a new value and not an empty string.
I think this is a bug, since this value should be added. It explains why the second transactions get the token but not the first.
If only Woocommerce Eway plugin had a git repo.... I could flag an issue or fork it.
***Solution without hack
Added this to my plugin (or functions.php if you like):
add_action( 'woocommerce_checkout_order_processed', function( $order_id, $posted_data, $order ) {
update_post_meta( $order_id, '_eway_token_customer_id', 'new' );
}, 10, 3);
This will add the new value when you checkout with a non-existent user.
The token was added nicely after adding my creditcard details.
The matter of the fact stays that the plugin still has a bug, which you can work around.