Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store

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If you are enrolled in Etsy Payments and PayPal operates in your country, shoppers who buy from your shop have the option to pay with PayPal. If a buyer pays with PayPal, the funds are sent to your Payment account and the payment will be deposited into your bank account. If you have an issue with PayPal, check out the PayPal Help Center.

Manage inventory and checkout page. If you logged in with your PayPal account during the button-creation process, you can add quantities of each option for tracking later. Steps for Creating a Custom Checkout Page Style for PayPal. Note: The steps may vary slightly from your PayPal dashboard (based on your country and language). Login to your PayPal account. Under My Account, click Profile. In the My Selling Tools section (left side), click on Update next to Custom payment pages. Click the Add button.

Important: This integration method is deprecated as of January 1, 2017. PayPal continues to support existing merchants using this method, but please be advised new features and enhancements will not be applied to these integrations. For new integrations, see the PayPal Checkout Integration Guide.

You can make these customizations to the buyer's checkout experience:

Include your company logo

You can include your company logo at the top of PayPal checkout pages.

  1. Create a logo image up to 90 pixels wide by 60 pixels high and save it in a valid graphics format, such as .gif, .jpg, or .png.
  2. Store the URL to the image on a secure (HTTPS) server.
  3. Assign the URL to the LOGOIMG parameter for NVP, or the cpp-logo-image parameter for SOAP, in the SetExpressCheckout. For example:

Note: You can also specify your company logo in your PayPal account Profile. If you specify LOGOIMG in your Express Checkout API call, it overrides the image stored in your account Profile.

Provide line item details

After a buyer logs in to PayPal, you can show line item details:

Note: If you provide PayPal a user's itemized shopping cart list and a mismatch occurs between the sum of those items and the transaction total, PayPal processes the transaction using the sum of the cart items only when the difference is within $0.50.

Set
Item name Identifies the item and distinguishes it from other line items in the order.
Item description Identifies which of several items the buyer is purchasing. For example, you may be offering an item in different sizes. Knowing the size helps the buyer decide whether the one they selected was appropriate. If the item is an eBay auction item, it is recommended that you provide the phrase 'eBay item' in this field.
Item number Identifies an item by a number. If the item is an eBay auction item, it is recommended that you provide the eBay item number in this field.
Item unit price Specifies exactly how much one unit of the item costs. It can be a positive or negative value but not zero.
Item unit quantity Identifies the number of units the buyer is ordering. PayPal calculates the total as the product of line-item unit price and line-item unit quantity. You can also show other detailed information about the order:
  • Item total and tax. Reflects total of all items in the order and the tax, respectively.
  • Shipping and handling. Reflects the sum of the shipping and handling amounts. You must determine actual shipping and handling amounts.
  • Shipping discount. Appears as a credit in this field if the buyer is receiving a discount on shipping.
  • Insurance. Shows the insurance fee when there is insurance on shipping.
  • Total. Reflects the total of the order, including shipping, handling, tax, and other price adjustment-related items.

Note: The buyer can click the Enter gift certificate, reward, or discount link to redeem certificates, rewards, or discounts that PayPal issues, but not merchant-issued incentives.

Order detail parameters

To include order details as part of the buyer's checkout experience, call the SetExpressCheckout or DoExpressCheckoutPayment operations with these parameters:

NVP fieldSOAP fieldDescription and comments
L_PAYMENTREQUEST_n_NAMEmName Item name.
L_PAYMENTREQUEST_n_NUMBERmNumberItem number.
L_PAYMENTREQUEST_n_DESCmDescription Item description. The DESC (NVP) and OrderDescription (SOAP) fields still exist for backwards compatibility. However, L_DESCn and Description enable you to provide a more precise description for each different item purchased, such as hiking boots or cooking utensils rather than one general purpose description such as camping supplies.
L_PAYMENTREQUEST_n_AMTmAmount Item unit price. PayPal calculates the product of the item unit price and item unit quantity (below) in the Amount column of the cart review area. The item unit price can be a positive or a negative value, but not 0. You may provide a negative value to reflect a discount on an order, for example.
L_PAYMENTREQUEST_n_QTYmQuantityItem unit quantity.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_ITEMAMTItemTotalSum of costs of all items in this order.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_TAXAMTTaxTotalSum of tax for all items in this order.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_SHIPPINGAMTShippingTotalTotal shipping cost for this order (8). PayPal calculates the sum of the shipping cost and the handling cost. Although you may change the value later, try to pass in a shipping amount that is reasonably accurate.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_HANDLINGAMTHandlingTotalTotal handling cost for this order.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_SHIPDISCAMTShippingDiscountShipping discount for this order. You specify this value as a negative number.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_INSURANCEAMTInsuranceTotalTotal shipping insurance cost for this order.
PAYMENTREQUEST_n_AMTOrderTotalTotal of order, including shipping, handling, tax, and any other billing adjustments such as a credit due.

If you pass the generic order description parameter (PAYMENTREQUEST_n_DESC) along with any two of the following line-item parameters, the order description value does not display.

  • LPAYMENTREQUESTn_NAMEm
  • LPAYMENTREQUESTn_NUMBERm
  • LPAYMENTREQUESTn_DESCm

This example shows how to set line-item parameters in the SetExpressCheckout call.

Change the locale

You can change the locale of PayPal pages to match the language on your website using either a 2-character country code or a 5-character locale code from the supported codes listed on the NVP/SOAP API locale codes page. To change the language displayed on the PayPal pages, set the LOCALECODE parameter to one of the allowable values in the SetExpressCheckout call.

This example sets LOCALCODE to ES for Spain.

Manage shipping addresses

You can use one of these options to handle a buyer's shipping address:

Suppress the shipping address

You can suppress the display of the buyer's shipping address. You might do this if you sell a product or service that does not require shipping or if you want to handle shipping addresses separately. To suppress the shipping address, set the NOSHIPPING parameter to 1 in the SetExpressCheckout call.

Override the shipping address

Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store

If your website registration requests the buyer's shipping address, you can override the buyer's shipping address stored on PayPal. This replaces it with one you specify in the SetExpressCheckout call. The buyer cannot edit the overridden address.

To override the shipping address set the ADDROVERRIDE parameter to 1 and the following shipping address parameters in the SetExpressCheckout call:

Automatically fill out shipping and contact information

When you pass the buyer's shipping address, telephone number and email address in the SetExpressCheckout call, PayPal automatically fills out this information in the debit or credit card form fields on the PayPal page.

After the SetExpressCheckout call, the buyer is redirected to the PayPal. Buyers with a PayPal account can log in with their email address and password. Buyers who do not have an account can use their debit or credit card to pay and will have their shipping and contact information filled out.

This example call automatically fills out the buyer's shipping and contact information:

This figure shows the Pay with debit or credit card section expanded with the buyer shipping and contact fields filled out.

Display a Pay Now button

You can expedite the checkout flow by letting a buyer skip your order confirmation page and complete their purchase on PayPal.

Generally, a buyer selects a payment method as the last step before they complete their purchase. If you collect no additional information after a buyer returns from PayPal, you can skip the confirm-order page on your website. If you collect additional information that does not affect the payment, PayPal recommends that you collect it after the buyer completes their purchases.

The useraction query parameter determines whether a buyer completes their purchase on PayPal or on your website. You can include or omit this parameter from the URL query string:

  • If you include useraction=commit in the query string, the flow redirects the buyer to the PayPal payment page and displays a Pay Now button. When the buyer clicks Pay Now, PayPal redirects the buyer back to your site, at which point you call DoExpressCheckoutPayment to complete the payment without additional interaction from the buyer. Choose this flow when you know the final payment amount when you initiate the checkout flow.
  • If you omit useraction from the query string, the default flow redirects the buyer to the PayPal payment page and displays the Continue button. When the buyer clicks Continue, they can edit the payment amount. Choose this flow when you do not know the final payment amount when you initiate the checkout flow.

The following sample code shows the redirect to let buyers pay on PayPal:

Additional information

  • GetExpressCheckoutDetails NVP/SOAP

WooCommerce Subscriptions comes with built-in support for two different PayPal payment methods:

  • PayPal Standard
  • PayPal Reference Transactions via Express Checkout

By default Subscriptions uses the first of these – PayPal Standard. This is the easiest to configure. You can sell subscription products with PayPal Standard straight away with a PayPal business account. You do not need any further setup to start receiving recurring payments from your customers with PayPal Standard.

If you need to be use any of Subscriptions advanced features with PayPal, including upgrades/downgrades or need to workaround some of PayPal Standard’s limitations, then you will need to apply with PayPal for Reference Transactions. These are required both when using PayPal built-in to Subscriptions, and the PayPal Checkout extension with Subscriptions.

Reference Transactions is not a standard product and approval is subject to a fully underwritten application. This can include reviewing your business model and finances to determine your suitability.

This FAQ answers common questions about getting your PayPal account approved for Reference Transactions, and how PayPal Reference Transactions work with WooCommerce Subscriptions.

How do I get Reference Transactions Enabled with PayPal? ↑ Back to top

To request that PayPal turn on Reference Transactions, call your local PayPal Support Help Center. Find the phone number at Contact.

Tell PayPal that you are specifically calling so a PayPal Specialist can enable Reference Transactions on your account. They may try to help you set up recurring payments with a button — that is not want you want. They need to transfer you to a specialist who will ask you for your PayPal account information (email address), and then tell you that they filed a ticket, and you will hear back from PayPal via email on whether Reference Transactions have been enabled or not.

Email Application ↑ Back to top

You can also contact PayPal via email.

  1. Log into your PayPal account.
  2. Go to the Email Contact Form.
  3. Choose topic: Business solutions.
  4. Choose sub-topic: PayPal payment solutions.
  5. Choose sub-topic: PayPal Express Checkout.
  6. Copy and paste the message below, inserting your PayPal email address and name.
  7. Wait for a reply.

Example Message to send to PayPal ↑ Back to top

Gotcha: Respond to the Autoresponder ↑ Back to top

In an effort to reduce support, PayPal may send you a response from an auto-response message with some links to documentation.

Hidden in this auto-response is the following:

If we haven’t answered your question, please reply to this email and our team will answer you as soon as possible.

You also need to respond to the auto-response before your support ticket is submitted to PayPal.

Will My Account Qualify for Reference Transactions? ↑ Back to top

PayPal does have a set a requirements that need to be met before they enable support for Reference Transactions on your account.

Unfortunately, PayPal does not publish these requirements and based on anecdotes from customers, the requirements can be different for different businesses.

Some things that store owners have mentioned PayPal require are:

  • High personal credit (FICO) score for US based PayPal Business accounts
  • Business plan
  • Average transaction price
  • Number of repeat customers
  • Number of Reference Transactions per customer
  • Revenue forecast and/or projected total revenue volume from Reference Transactions
  • Demonstrate a clear business rationale behind the request
  • Show the signup flow for customers in regards to Reference Transactions.
  • Proof that you will show clear terms and conditions for customers in regards to Reference Transactions and how to cancel once they sign up.
  • Written statement as to why you need Reference Transactions and how you will use it for your business.
Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store

In terms of revenue forecasts, we have had reports that UK based PayPal accounts may require minimum forecast of £6,000 month or more revenue.

How do I Enable Reference Transactions in Subscriptions? ↑ Back to top

WooCommerce Subscriptions takes advantage of Reference Transactions when possible.

If your PayPal account does not have Reference Transactions enabled, Subscriptions automatically checks with PayPal once a week when loading the WooCommerce > Settings > Payments screen to see if support has since been enabled.

If you wish to run the check manually:

  1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > PayPal.
  2. Ensure PayPal is enabled and your credentials are set.
  3. Select Check PayPal Account when the Reference Transaction notice appears.

Will Existing Subscriptions use Reference Transactions? ↑ Back to top

No. Any existing subscriptions continue to be PayPal Standard subscriptions.

PayPal Reference Transactions are only used for future subscriptions. This means that advanced subscription management features, such as recurring amount changes, are only possible on newly purchased subscriptions, not existing ones.

However, enabling Reference Transactions makes it possible to upgrade or downgrade existing subscriptions.

The only way to have existing PayPal Standard subscriptions changed to use PayPal Reference Transactions is to have customers sign-up again with PayPal by changing the payment method on their subscription(s).

Why are billing agreements not cancelled at PayPal when a subscription is cancelled in WooCommerce? ↑ Back to top

When a PayPal Standard Subscription is canceled or suspended in your WooCommerce store, status of the corresponding subscription at PayPal is also changed.

However, when a subscription created using PayPal Reference Transactions is canceled or suspended in your WooCommerce store, the corresponding Billing Agreement at PayPal does not have its status changed. It remains active.

This is normal behavior because Billing Agreements are fundamentally different to PayPal Standard subscriptions.

A PayPal Standard Subscription needs to be suspended or canceled because future payments would be processed on that subscription if it were to remain active. For a Billing Agreement, this is not the case. Once a subscription purchased using Reference Transactions has been canceled in your WooCommerce store, no future payments are processed against that billing agreement because Subscriptions no longer requests any payments.

The Billing Agreement is left active at PayPal because:

  • Billing Agreements are per store not per subscription. Meaning if your customer has purchased multiple different subscriptions with your store, the same Billing Agreement ID is shared between all of those subscriptions. If it were to be canceled when one subscription is canceled, all other subscriptions would be unable to continue.
  • Billing Agreements can be manually added to a manually created subscription or even used to undo cancellation of a canceled subscription (impossible to do with PayPal Standard Subscriptions), but only if the billing agreement remains active in PayPal.

For these reasons, it is recommended that you do not cancel Billing Agreements manually at PayPal. If your customer chooses to cancel their Billing Agreement at PayPal, Subscriptions handles that and cancels all subscriptions in your store using that Billing Agreement. But to give you maximum flexibility in working with customers, it is recommended you do not cancel the Billing Agreement.

Why has the initial payment changed in Subscriptions v2.0.10? ↑ Back to top

PayPal provide two options for charging an initial payment when creating a billing agreement with reference transactions:

  • Charge the initial payment alongside the request to create the billing agreement.
  • Charge the initial payment against the billing agreement after it has been created in a separate request.

Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store Bought

There is little difference in terms of when the customer pays or the store receives the payment between these options. Both result in a payment almost immediately. However, there are many differences in terms of how PayPal presents and stores details of the payment.

Prior to WooCommerce Subscriptions version 2.0.10, the second of these methods was used. This meant, regardless of whether the initial order was for $0 or more, no initial payment was charged alongside transaction details the customer agrees to at PayPal. This method has the following downsides:

  • No details about the initial payment are displayed to the customer when agreeing to the transaction at PayPal. Instead a billing agreement description would be displayed, and PayPal only allow one 127-character string to be used to describe the billing agreement (this description is also used on all future payments against that agreement, including for new subscription purchases and recurring payments, so it needs to be generic to avoid confusion).
  • No line item details — individual product, tax and shipping costs — about initial payment are included in emails sent from PayPal to the customer and store owner, only total of payment.
  • No line item details for recurring payments are included in the PayPal side of the transaction, so they are not displayed in the PayPal interface or emails sent to the customer or store owners.

A number of store owners complained about this behavior. As a result, Subscriptions version 2.0.10 switched to the alternative method of charging an initial payment in the same request that creates the billing agreement. This helps ensure that line items are displayed to the customer when agreeing to the transaction at PayPal and alongside the transaction at PayPal.

But this method also has a downside: PayPal appears to treat this initial payment as a separate transaction to the billing agreement, even though they are processed in the same transaction. So the amount charged for any initial payment is no longer included in the recurring total for a billing agreement in the PayPal dashboard.

PayPal does not provide a way to ensure that both the initial payment information is presented to the customer on checkout and that initial payment on subscriptions products is accounted for in the total amount charged for a billing agreement/recurring amount at PayPal. There is no way to get the best of both options.

Because better information is provided to the customer on PayPal Checkout with the new method, this was chosen as the best method to use in WooCommerce Subscriptions.

Screenshots of Differences ↑ Back to top

Screenshots help demonstrate the differences between the two methods.

Is Guest Checkout Possible with PayPal Reference Transactions? ↑ Back to top

No, PayPal provides no way for customers to check out without a PayPal account when using PayPal Reference Transactions.

If you wish to allow your customers to check out without a PayPal account, there are many other payment gateways that support automatic recurring payments. Stripe or Braintree are good options.

PayPal does provide a premium feature to U.S. based companies to offer Guest Checkout with PayPal Standard; but this is not available for transactions that use PayPal Reference Transactions.

Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store Card

PayPal Express Checkout, the PayPal product that Subscriptions uses to process Reference Transactions, also offers a guest checkout option that can be set in the API request or your PayPal account. However, this option is not supported for Reference Transactions. PayPal explained this via support request; it is not published publicly in the Express Checkout documentation.

Are Payment Authorizations Supported when using PayPal Reference Transactions with Subscriptions? ↑ Back to top

No. WooCommerce Subscriptions always captures payment immediately for subscription transactions. That includes both the initial and recurring payments. If you would like authorization then capture to be supported in a future version, please submit it as a feature request on the Ideas board.

Do Reference Transactions use PayPal Standard or Express Checkout? ↑ Back to top

Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store Manager

Reference Transactions use the PayPal Express Checkout product. The full name for the product is PayPal Reference Transactions via Express Checkout.

To simplify setup of Reference Transactions with WooCommerce Subscriptions, once Reference Transactions are enabled by PayPal on your PayPal account, Subscriptions will use the PayPal account details already entered on the WooCommerce > Settings > Checkout > PayPal administration screen. This avoids having to duplicate the same PayPal account settings, like API credentials, on an additional administration screen.

Set Paypal As A Secondary Checkout For Your Store Online

As the details on that PayPal settings screen are used for PayPal Standard purchases in WooCommerce core, and PayPal Standard Subscriptions prior to Reference Transactions being enabled, this can lead to confusion about which PayPal product Reference Transactions uses. Because of this, it will be changed in a future version of Subscriptions.





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