Payment via PayPal Сheckout

Configuring PayPal Checkout

When you register for your online shop account, your login email is automatically set as your PayPal Personal account email. During PayPal setup, you can utilize that Personal account, or link your own Personal or Business account. You'll be advised to upgrade your Personal account to Business as a Business account is necessary to activate debit card payments, alternative payment methods, and Pay Later.

Kindly note that you need to provide business details when linking your PayPal Business account. Prepare the following information to quickly complete the form: your business legal name, address, and phone number, contact details for customer support, an estimated monthly sales, website address if applicable, your tax ID number, and personal information of the business owner.

To configure PayPal Checkout:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to the Payment page.
2. Scroll down to the PayPal section and select Connect PayPal. You will be directed to the PayPal page. 
3. Input the email associated with your PayPal account.
   By default, you will see the email that you use to log in to your shop admin. You can utilize that email if you haven’t created a PayPal account yet and wish to establish a new one. If you already possess a PayPal account (either Personal or Business), input the email linked with your PayPal account.
4. (For new Business and Personal accounts) Complete the necessary fields to create a Business account or upgrade your Personal account to Business.
5. (For new Business accounts) Verify your email. Without verification, you won't be able to accept payments.
6. Once redirected to your shop admin, decide whether to activate PayPal Express Checkout, Pay Later option, and region-specific payment options:
   

   

7. (optional) In the Payment instructions for customers, select Set payment instructions at checkout.
8. (optional) In the Payment method availability based on shipping choice, choose Limit availability for shipping method to make PayPal Checkout accessible only for specific shipping methods. For example, exclude local delivery and in-store pickup. 

That’s it. PayPal is now set up as a payment option for your customers.

Providing PayPal Express checkout

In addition to the standard PayPal checkout, you have the option to offer PayPal Express checkout. PayPal Express adds a one-click accelerated checkout button at the beginning of the usual checkout process from the shopping cart. This speeds up the purchase for shoppers as they can immediately log in to their PayPal account and complete the payment without entering their address on your website.

To activate or deactivate the PayPal Checkout button on the cart page:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to the Payment section.
2. Choose PayPal Checkout.
3. Toggle the Show PayPal Express Checkout button for faster checkout option.

Here’s how the PayPal Checkout button appears on the checkout page:

Providing PayPal Pay Later (Pay in installments)

In addition to conventional card payments, you can offer PayPal Pay Later to your customers to incentivize them to make larger purchases or buy more expensive items. PayPal Pay Later allows customers to opt for either 4 equal installments (1 first payment upon purchase, then each month).

Regardless of the payment plan chosen, you receive the full payment upfront.

When you enable PayPal Pay Later, your customers will see the installment payment option directly on product pages in your shop and during checkout:

Note:

• Purchase amount in installments: from €30 to €2,000.
• To be eligible for monthly payments, the total of the basket must be at least $200:
  
  

To activate or deactivate PayPal Pay Later in your shop:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to the Payment section.
2. Choose PayPal Checkout.
3. Toggle the Show Pay Later button for payment on credit option.

That’s it. When customers select the Pay Later option, they will pay in installments, inclusive of all discounts, gift cards, shipping costs, and handling fees.


To be eligible for monthly payments, their cart total should be at least $200:

Providing region-specific payment options

For all PayPal Business accounts, PayPal offers additional payment methods tailored for Europe. Having these options at checkout enhances the shopping experience for European customers as they encounter familiar payment methods during checkout. Once you integrate PayPal, there's no need to separately sign up for additional payment methods.

Here’s the rundown of region-specific payment choices: 

• iDEAL (Netherlands)
• Bancontact (Belgium)
• MyBank (Italy)
• Giropay (Germany)
• EPS (Austria)
• Sofort (Austria, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain)
• BLIK (Poland)
• Przelewy24 (Poland)

To enable or disable region-specific payment options during checkout:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to the Payment section.
2. Choose PayPal, then click Settings.
3. Expand the Advanced settings.
4. Toggle the Hide alternative payment options switch.

PayPal displays relevant payment methods for each buyer based on their location and device settings like browser language, which should match the payment method country. Transactions made using region-specific payment methods will be appropriately labeled on your Orders page. For instance, iDEAL by PayPal.

Regardless of the payment method chosen by a customer at checkout, PayPal will transfer the funds to your PayPal account, allowing you to manage your transactions as usual.

Allowing customers to pay without a PayPal account

Your customers can make payments with a credit or debit card without needing to log in to a PayPal account. The Guest Checkout feature is accessible to merchants with a verified Business account with PayPal.

To offer guest checkout through PayPal:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to the Payment section.
2. Choose PayPal Checkout.
3. Toggle the Show Debit or Credit Card button switch.

That’s it. Here's how the guest checkout option appears for customers:

After clicking the Debit or Credit Card button, customers can opt to pay via debit or credit card, with PayPal handling their payments.

Depending on your customer's location and their browser cookies, the guest checkout may appear differently. For example, it may be presented as "Pay with Credit or Debit Card", "Check Out as a Guest", or "Don't have a PayPal account?" option, or it may not be offered at all.

If both you and your customer are located in the USA, the guest checkout option will be displayed below the PayPal Checkout button in the form of credit card icons. Customers can click on such an icon to pay for their order with their credit or debit card.

Creating a trial order with PayPal Checkout

By placing a test order, you can ensure that the PayPal payment method is correctly configured in your store and assess the customer experience.

To make trial purchases via PayPal in your store:

1. Create another PayPal account with an email address different from the one associated with your PayPal account. PayPal does not permit purchasing from oneself. Alternatively, you can request a friend or family member to place a trial order in your store and pay with their PayPal account.
2. Add a trial product in your store priced at $1 or less.
3. Complete a purchase from your store.
4. (optional) You may refund the order from your store admin.

Utilizing one PayPal account in multiple stores

You can utilize a single PayPal account for several stores. Your stores will automatically direct all sales to the designated PayPal account. Simply enable the Auto return option:

1. Log in to your merchant account on the PayPal backend.
2. Navigate to Profile → My selling tools → Website Payment Preferences.
3. Set the Auto return option to Enabled.
4. Enter https://app.shopsettings.com into the Return URL field.

Now your stores will provide a URL with each payment request that overrides the Return URL field, ensuring your customers return to the site where they initiated the checkout process.

Disconnecting PayPal Account from Your Store

When you disconnect your PayPal account from your online store, you won't be able to use PayPal to accept payments anymore. All PayPal features, including region-specific methods, become unavailable for customers after disconnecting. 

To disconnect PayPal from your online store:

1. From your shop admin, navigate to Payment.
2. Near the PayPal section, click Actions → Remove.

FAQ

Why Does a Paid Order Have "Awaiting Payment" Status in My Online Store?

A "Paid" status in your store admin indicates that the funds have been transferred to your account, while an "Awaiting Payment" status means the funds are in limbo.

Typically, PayPal orders may have an Awaiting Payment status in your online store for several reasons:

1. An eCheck that has not cleared is the most common cause of a pending payment. This usually resolves itself when the eCheck clears (usually 3-5 days).
2. The customer did not provide a confirmed shipping address, and your Payment Receiving Preferences require you to manually accept or deny these payments. To change this preference, go to the Preferences section of your Profile in PayPal.
3. The payment is pending because you hold a non-U.S. account and do not have a withdrawal mechanism. You must manually accept or deny this payment from Account Overview in your PayPal account.
4. You do not have a balance in the currency sent, and you do not have your Payment Receiving Preferences set to automatically convert and accept such payments. You must manually accept or deny this payment.
5. The payment is pending while PayPal reviews it for risk.
6. The payment is pending because you must upgrade your account with PayPal. The Business or Premier plans allow you to accept credit cards and increase the monthly limit for transactions on your account.
7. The payment is pending because you have not been verified yet. After verifying your account with PayPal, you will be able to accept this payment.

You can check the specific reason from PayPal in the order details in your store admin, My Sales → Orders.

One of the common reasons for pending payments that you can see in order details is as follows:

The payment is pending because it was made to an email address that is not yet registered or confirmed.

If you see this message in an order’s details in your store admin, first, make sure you have the right email address entered in your store admin → Payment, PayPal-Settings:

• If the email address is correct, your PayPal account probably needs to be confirmed or verified. If this is the case, the money is in limbo until your account gets verified.
• If the email doesn’t match, and you’re working with a test order, update your PayPal settings in your store admin and submit another test order to ensure the orders arrive as Paid.
  In case you’re dealing with a live order from your customer, the money will remain pending on the PayPal side for the next 45 days. If nobody (you) claims the funds, PayPal will return the funds to the buyer. Now you have two options:
  1. If PayPal returns the funds, we suggest contacting the buyer and explaining the situation. Creating an invoice in your PayPal account for the same amount and asking your customer to pay it may be the easiest option.
  2. Register a PayPal account for the wrong email, and verify it. After that, PayPal will transfer the money to the account with the "wrong email" and you can forward the funds to your main business account.
     When you receive the money, you can manually update the orders status to Paid in your store admin →  My Sales page → Orders.