I used the Paypal NVP API (Express checkout) for a long time and it worked fine. I'm now developing a new project and wanted to use the 'new' Rest API that Paypal recommends for new projects. I, however, find the documentation rather imprecise at some points and often contradictory.
I'm using their sandbox to test the payments and I noticed that the payments work fine, except that once I log in to the Paypal Buyer account, I can only select the PayPal balance to pay.
Is this a limitation of the Rest API? I want to clarify that I am based outside the US and I do not want to accept credit card payments on my own website (well, if there is no other solution, I would accept it). I'd rather have the user get redirected to the PayPal page and provide his credit card information over there. I do, however, want to give the option to the user to at least select from PayPal balance or credit card. (As I'm used to from the NVP API)
UPDATE
In the meantime, I've done a lot of additional research. On the PHP SDK page, they've added the following notice:
Important: The PayPal REST API no longer supports new direct credit card integrations. Please instead consider Braintree Direct; which is, PayPal's preferred integration solution for accepting direct credit card payments in your mobile app or website. Braintree, a PayPal service, is the easiest way to accept credit cards, PayPal, and many other payment methods.
How should I understand the direct credit card integration? Is that the credit card payment on the PayPal website after being redirected onto that page or do they mean credit card payments where the card number is provided on ones own website?
I've got the impression, PayPal is entirely shifting to Braintree Payments. Even on the official PayPal Developer website, they propose Express Checkout for quick (client side only) integrations and Braintree Direct for other payments.
This is what I need:
PHP integration of the API calls
Payment methods: PayPal balance, Different Credit Cards
eventually recurring payments
I do not need:
Third party invoicing
client management
shipping address management
So my concrete questions would be:
What's the difference between Braintree and PayPal payment methods (since they belong to the same organisation)?
Should I use PayPal Rest API or Braintree solutions in my case?
What are those PayPal limitations that they list on their website?
Has nobody got any experience in this domain? Even partial answers are welcome!
I have partial answer, as I am also in the process of choosing between BrainTree, PayPal Rest API, and Express checkout.
I'm here to answer "How should I understand the direct credit card integration?"
I'm no expert on the subject, but during my recent work at the area of integration with checkout systems, I've learned this:
One of the types of credit-cards is called "direct credit card". It means that it is directly connected with a bank account - when it is billed, the money is instantly transfered from the connected bank-account to the merchant. This is different than how most credit-cards work - most will only charge the bank-acoount at the beginninng of the next month.
I've come accross situations where direct cards behave differently than regular credit-cards.
For instance - the checkout-system I integrate with doesn't allow to monthly-bill a direct card. direct card on a monthly payment plan have to be billed manually.
So for me, the PayPal announcement you qouted means a lot - I need to support direct credit cards, hence I'm choosing BrainTree. Thanks!
Note to moderators:
I originally wanted to post this as a comment to the question, becuase I thought it would help the OP. I don't have enough reputation to comment, so I posted an Answer.
Related
I am creating a booking site, where the public can make bookings and then pay using their card. I want to take the card details and send them to PayPal via their REST api, and then send the amount to a merchant who will be one of our customer's selling the booked product.
Is this possible to do? PayPal documentation is confusing at best. I currently have the card payments being taken successfully and paid into our own 'developer' account, but what I can't seem to find is how to credit the money to a PayPal account that isn't our own instead.
I have looked into the PayPal Permissions API but again the documentation is unclear, and I don't see where I specify the merchants id or email address when calling RequestPermissions.
What you're looking to do can be accomplished by using PayPal's Adaptive Payments product (https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/products/adaptive-payments/). Unfortunately, Adaptive Payments are not currently available with REST APIs. So if you have the option of going with classic APIs, this is currently available to you.
I have a working paypal IPN, but ive been wondering: can I somehow set the "I have no paypal account" as the default choice when a customer is directed to paypal?
Short anwer: No, don't do that.
Long answer:
PayPal sets this dynamically based on customer information, primarily the cookie. In other words, people who have logged into PayPal on that device/browser before generally see that option presented first; people who have not are presented content that features the non-PayPal-login more prominently. This is done (primarily) to increase conversion for you (ie get the highest percentage of people to complete the payment & buy from you). Trying to defeat PayPal's code here would usually be counterproductive.
That said, there are also differences in how PayPal's screens are presented between various PayPal products (e.g. Payflow looks different from Express Checkout which looks different from Website Payments Standard) due in part to the mix of payment methods supported by each of these products, and also in part to expected customer mix with each of these. Some of these products also vary their behavior somewhat based on account settings or button/api parameters, again with the goal of being as effective for you as possible. But those parameters are product-specific and the question did not specify which PayPal product you are using.
As an example of variation between (and within) products:
Website Payments Standard (WPS) was designed to allow a merchant to accept payments from everyone, as the merchant's "sole solution." Express Checkout was originally designed to be used alongside a merchant's existing or separate credit card collection page, by merchant who would directly bill credit cards through a separate product (PayPal's DoDirectPayment or another processor). So PayPal's first WPS page was designed to present well to buyers with just credit cards or buyers with PayPal accounts. But a buyer would only be sent to the Express Checkout screen if they proactively chose to use PayPal rather than entering a credit card directly on the merchant's page, so PayPal's first Express Checkout screen could be aimed directly at PayPal account holders to generate the most intuitive buyer experience and highest conversion. Since that original version (ten years ago, in 2005!), however, Express Checkout has become more integrated into "PayPal Pro" and can also used as a sole solution, like WPS. For that usage it now supports an option that includes collecting card payments without a PayPal account.
PayPal also offers Payflow, Hosted Sole Solution, Adaptive Payments, and more payment flows.... each of which offers some slightly-different balances of buyer experience (and merchant experience/requirements -- e.g. some of these give the merchant access to credit card numbers and require PCI and merchant banking agreements, etc etc).
I am new to PayPal integrating and need to integrate PayPal recurring for subscriptions. I googled for that, but I am confused with below questions.
Which API should I use with PayPal recurring, WPS or Paypal express checkout? Which one will be good?
Is there any good example or help to integrate this?
Thanks a ton in advance.
Good overview of recurring payments: Handling recurring payments
I'm using the Lionite PHP Paypal class. It's not free, but even if you're not going to use it, read through that page because it contains some useful info that is omitted from the Paypal docs.
If I understand correctly, Express Checkout requires your customer to set up a Paypal account, so Website Payments Standard would be a better option.
Unfortunately the Paypal SDK only has code examples for direct payment. If you want to use Website Payments Pro with Direct Payment, be aware of PCI compliance (which can be expensive and time-consuming) and also be aware that services like BrainTree exist which have transparent redirect, thus helping you to avoid PCI compliance (I haven't used this service however).
Express checkout code example: https://github.com/hrendoh/PayPal-Recurring-Payment-example
Set up your sandbox account at http://developer.paypal.com
Update: IPN for recurring payments is a nightmare. Not only are the recurring payment IPN responses completely undocumented, but none of the support staff I talked to had a clue about them either (in some cases they gave me incorrect answers to questions). Here is a list that others have put together, but all of these resources are incomplete:
https://www.x.com/developers/community/blogs/ppmacole/recurring-payments-ipns?page=1
http://docs.ipn-easy.com/html/T_Rolosoft_IpnEasy_Net_PayPal_TxnType.htm
Unfortunately because of the limits placed on recurring payments with express checkout, direct payment was the only option for me. I strongly suggest that if you need to do direct payment with recurring payments that you find a different payment provider.
I need to allow users to pay via Credit Card on my site. I'm trying to find suitable API option but can't find it. I have implemented payment via PayPal so far, but now I need to allow users to pay via credit card without account on PayPal.
Anyone knows what specific payment type that is?
Here is one way:
First, you'll need a Website Payments Pro merchant account with PayPal. Then, become familiar with the DoDirectPayment API, which will allow you to
process transactions on your site with PayPal working in the background. Customers will be able to fill out their credit card information, etc., on your site without visiting PayPal directly.
This also means that customers will not be required to have a PayPal account in order to make a transaction on your site.
If you proceed this way, you will need SSL certificates, and are required to implement Express Checkout for customers who do not want to make their transaction on your site.
Sample Code to get your feet wet. Good luck!
I am looking to set up a recurring payment option for my website. I was thinking of going with PayFlow since it does not require expensive SSL. But I am not sure how to set up a recurrence payment where if the user decides to change the account type, we can automatically set up recurring payment for them to get charged next month. Not sure if this is possible?
A few problems, they charge almost $60/month and they require to have a Merchant Account (any suggestions)?
Can some one help with what type of service should I use? I am looking to not have credit card acceptance on my webpage because SSL is really expensive.
The webpage is in php.
PayPal Express Checkout does this, and more. While Payflow Link is generally a good and robust solution, Express Checkout has a bit more to offers in terms of features. It also redirects your buyers to a PayPal landing page for entering their card details.
I assume you can simply delete / disable a recurring payments profile and set up a new one whenever someone switches plans, right? In that case you'll want to look at the CreateRecurringPaymentsProfile API.
Have a look at https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=developer/e_howto_api_ECRecurringPayments and https://www.x.com/docs/DOC-1168
Do keep in mind however, that recurring payments on Express Checkout only works with existing PayPal accounts. Someone who doesn't have a PayPal account yet, will have to create one during checkout.
Paypal is usually a great solution. There is no problem with billing recurring payments (subscriptions).
You can read all about it here:
https://www.paypal.com/pdn-recurring