Is PayPal REST API still lacking an equivalent of GetExpressCheckoutDetails? - paypal

We are doing a new PayPal Express integration for an ecommerce store that needs to retrieve the Billing and Shipping Address information after the user logs into PayPal to authorize the payment, but BEFORE we capture the payment.
We need that information so we can create a user account in our store for them, if one does not already exist for them, and so we can properly calculate the shipping charges for the customer.
The following post over a year ago implied that had not been implemented into the REST API yet. Is that still the case?
PayPal REST API equivalent of GetExpressCheckoutDetails
If it has been implemented, would somebody please point out to me how to access that information? If so, I would greatly appreciate it.
If it has not been implemented, does anyone know when it will be implemented?

Related

CyberSource: Retrieve Capture Token from PayPal Transaction Details

I'm trying to retrieve the capture request token from past PayPal transactions as I need that for refunding customers. We don't have that info anywhere on our systems anymore because, just don't even ask. It looks kind of like this:
AxjrrwSTQDiO3h+N6P5RABJPE8jCJjo7f4OxZX/x/FO5LcGBSKHWXfwtSx+j1ncoSt3SABJtkGk=
Is it possible to get that?
I looked at PayPal's Transaction Search API here and nothing in the response says that field exists:
https://developer.paypal.com/docs/api/transaction-search/v1/
I have also checked the built-in reports on PayPal but they don't give us that either.
Furthermore, I have tried the REST API with CyberSource and that doesn't provide the Token either:
https://developer.cybersource.com/api-reference-assets/index.html#transaction-details
I have the PayPal Generated Transaction ID, the dates, our reference numbers, etc. All I need is that Capture Request Token. I will then be able to refund customers using CyberSource.
Any help or ideas would be most appreciated.
That's a CyberSource token, so you won't find it anywhere within PayPal.
The PayPal REST API itself (no CyberSource) doesn't require it for refunds, only the transaction ID: https://developer.paypal.com/docs/api/payments/v2/#captures_refund

Paypal Rest API vs Classic Sdk

I am working with paypal first time.
I have a product and I want to integrate paypal with it.
I want to achieve the following tasks :
Client comes to my website and select a plan,which is a monthly recurring plan.
Then client is redirected to Paypal for payment.
Client makes payment.
Return backs to home page.
I have gone through the documentation of paypal and I have the following questions.
What should I use REST API or Classic Sdk, as I want to create Recurring Profile,Work with EXPRESS-CHECKOUT and REFERENCE TRANSACTIONS.
I have customers all over globe and it is stated in the documentation that, for the customers in Germany and China , I have to use REFERENCE TRANSACTION.
Some where in the documentation of Merchant SDK it is stated that the classic API's will be deprecated, so is it a good approach to use Classic SDK
I also wanted to track the transactions(payment) made by user, so that I can show him the amount that is deducted in each month in his profile details.
Please suggest a feasible solution to my problem.
Thanks in advance.
Here's what I use. I went to Web Payments Standard and created a Subscription button. (I like the unencrypted variety, but you can encrypt if you want.) In there, you set the terms of the subscription, as well as where to post the IPN message. When the IPN message comes back, you deal with it. You'll get a subscr_signup at the start along with a subscr_payment. Then, on renewals, you'll get a subscr_payment again. What I like to do is store every verified IPN message in the database for my customer.
For handling the management of those subscriptions for things like tracking info, refunds, subscription cancellations, and voids, you'll need to use NVP API, which is a very simple API. If you stored in a database every IPN message with all those fields, then you should be able to pass certain fields of those to the NVP API in order to get what you need done.
If you're worried about longevity of the APIs, then don't. All they do when they deprecate APIs is stop giving you good docs on them. They still let those older versions run. If they didn't, there would be major upheaval on the web with web commerce products breaking all over the place. However, that said, if you want to prepare for the future, then get on the Braintree Payments API because PayPal bought Braintree and that's the future of their API.

Paypal Merchant Account API Access

Everything I've seen in documentation and on the forums are all about processing payments. My client has a merchant account. The payments process is all working just fine. I need to access (via API) their account and retrieve a list of their payments (showing amount paid, fees, and remaining amount). I'm more than happy to read the manual...would somebody point me in the right direction as to which API I need to use?
Thanks!
A combination of TransactionSearch and GetTransactionDetails will get that done for you.
If you're working with PHP my class library for PayPal will make those calls very simple for you.

Get payment history on Paypal API

I need to find a way of getting a Paypal account holders payment history using the Paypal api. If we have a user's consent (i.e. we've already used the Permissions API to redirect them to Paypal, and they've consented to give us permissions to get details of payments to their account), what's the next step?
I've seen a similar question here which talked about using GetTransactionDetails call, but that seems only to get details for a single transaction. Another answer mentioned the Payment.List method, but didn't give an example of how it's used.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
I would recommend using the TransactionSearch API. This will let you get a list of transactions (up to 100 at a time). You can then use the GetTransactionDetails API to get more information on individual transactions.
https://developer.paypal.com/webapps/developer/docs/classic/api/merchant/TransactionSearch_API_Operation_NVP/

PayPal - Unattended charges

Well, I didn't really know how to call this...
I have been surfing PayPal's developer documentation for a while now, but there is nothing that speaks to me with direction as to achieving what I am looking for.
It's probably well documented, but I don't grasp it well enough yet to make sense while reading each part separately.
I have read about Preapproval, though it seem to require that I send the customer's browser to the designated PayPal address.
I have thought about creating a database with credit card information, but that is too scary -- so I am looking to see if there is a way for a customer to allow me to do unattended charges to their PayPal account, much like I would be able to do if I had a database with customer credit card information.
Any direction would be appreciated.
Yes, this is possible. There are two options:
PayPal Express Checkout with a Billing Agreement
This works similarly to Preapprovals (which is Adaptive Payments, a different set of API's). You would need to redirect the buyer to PayPal in order to accept the billing agreement, and from then on you can bill the user using to DoReferenceTransaction API.
PayPal DoDirectPayment (Website Payments Pro) with Reference Transactions
You would need to have an existing transaction, and instead of a billing agreement ID, you would submit a prior transaction ID to the DoReferenceTransaction API. You can then re-bill the user on the card details which are stored with PayPal (up to 1 year. assuming the card details are still valid).
Do note that both options require you having access to the DoReferenceTransaction API, which you will not have access to by default.
For further information on the API itself, see https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=developer/e_howto_api_nvp_r_DoReferenceTransaction
Important: You will need to call in to get Billing Agreements activated. Good luck finding someone that knows what you need (no really) :-)
You will eventually find someone who knows what DoReferenceTransaction is and then once you've finally found them they'll probably tell you they can only activate it in the sand box and transfer you to someone in the Business Office. They'll have to then submit it to approval with someone else. Est. Total call time 59 minutes 8 seconds.
The guy I just spoke with said he's probably handled only 2 call in a year about DoReferenceTransaction - so you may need to ask around. They have other subscription billing and that's not what you want.
Also realize that approval is not instant and you may need to have established history. The guy who helped me said this is the best number
888 215 5506. Be sure to explain why you need them carefully and try to reassure them you're legitimate. A reputable website behind the domain for your paypal email will probably help.
Good news: I applied for Reference Transactions Friday and was approved today (Sunday). This was for two accounts - one which had only been established the day before.
Thank you for contacting us about enabling reference transactions on
your PayPal account.
I am pleased to inform you that your request has been approved. You
can begin using this feature immediately.
If you have further questions regarding this email, please contact a
Merchant Services Specialist at 1-888-221-1161.
Sincerely,
AJ Merchant Risk Operations
I was trying to do this recently and I found this question with no luck because the Express Checkout with a Billing Agreement method is deprecated since January 1, 2017.
There is a new REST method called Vault payment methods that recently entered open beta and it's not in the official documentation (to this date), so I leave the link to Create transactions when your buyer isn't present, in case someone needs it.
The process it's explained in the documentation but basically, you need to create a payment token (the source can be a PayPal account or a credit card), and then use that token to capture the payment.