PayPal Website Payments Standard - 2008 Integration Guide

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Last updated: September 2008

PayPal Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Document Number: 100000.en_US-200809

© 2008 PayPal, Inc. All rights reserved. PayPal is a registered trademark of PayPal, Inc. The PayPal logo is a trademark of PayPal, Inc. Other trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. The information in this document belongs to PayPal, Inc. It may not be used, reproduced or disclosed without the written approval of PayPal, Inc. Copyright © PayPal. All rights reserved. PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie., S.C.A., Société en Commandite par Actions. Registered office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449, Luxembourg, R.C.S. Luxembourg B 118 349. Consumer advisory: The PayPal™ payment service is regarded as a stored value facility under Singapore law. As such, it does not require the approval of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. You are advised to read the terms and conditions carefully.

Notice of non-liability: PayPal, Inc. is providing the information in this document to you “AS-IS” with all faults. PayPal, Inc. makes no warranties of any kind (whether express, implied or statutory) with respect to the information contained herein. PayPal, Inc. assumes no liability for damages (whether direct or indirect), caused by errors or omissions, or resulting from the use of this document or the information contained in this document or resulting from the application or use of the product or service described herein. PayPal, Inc. reserves the right to make changes to any information herein without further notice.

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

About This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Where to Go for More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Documentation Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 1 Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . .17

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Buy Now Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Creating Basic Buy Now Buttons With JavaScript Disabled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Creating Buy Now Buttons Before You Create Your PayPal Account . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Begin – Buyers are Ready to Purchase Your Item on Your Website . . . . . . . . . . 26

1 – Buyers Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In to PayPal . . . . . . . . . . 27

2 – Buyers Confirm Their Transaction Details Before Paying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

3 – Buyers View and Print Their PayPal Payment Confirmations . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

End – Buyers Receive Payment Authorization Notices by Email . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Enhancing the Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Managing Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using Email Notices to Track Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using Recent Activity to Track Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Using Transaction History to Track Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Using Downloadable History Logs to Track Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Using Instant Payment Notification to Track Buy Now Transactions . . . . . . . . . . 36

Advanced Features of Buy Now Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Offering Product Options With Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Prompting for Item Quantities With Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Creating Advanced Buy Now Buttons on the PayPal Website. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Generating Code for Payment Buttons and Email Payment Links . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Protecting HTML Code for Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Using the Button Creation Tool for Advanced Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Creating Advanced Buy Now Buttons With JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 3

Contents

Avoiding Problems With Pasted HTML Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Sample HTML Code for Buy Now Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Sample HTML Code for a Basic Buy Now Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Sample HTML Code for Buy Now Buttons With Product Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Sample HTML Code for a Buy Now Button that Prompts for Quantities. . . . . . . . . 66

Sample URL Code for a Buy Now Email Payment Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chapter 2 Contribution Payments – Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . .69

Getting Started With Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Donate Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Creating Basic Donate Buttons With JavaScript Disabled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Creating Donate Buttons Before You Create Your PayPal Account . . . . . . . . . . . 74

The Checkout Experience With Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Begin – Donors are Ready to Contribute on Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

1 – Donors Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In to PayPal . . . . . . . . . . 78

2 – Donors Confirm Their Contribution Details Before Paying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

3 – Donors View and Print Their PayPal Contribution Confirmations . . . . . . . . . . 81

End – Donors Receive Contribution Authorization Notices by Email . . . . . . . . . . 82

Enhancing the Checkout Experience With Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Managing Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Using Email Notices to Track Donate Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Using Recent Activity to Track Donate Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Using Transaction History to Track Donate Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Using Downloadable History Logs to Track Donate Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Using Instant Payment Notification to Track Donate Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Creating Advanced Donate Buttons on the PayPal Website. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Generating Code for Payment Buttons and Email Payment Links . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Protecting HTML Code for Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Using the Button Creation Tool for Advanced Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Creating Advanced Donate Buttons With JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Avoiding Problems With Pasted HTML Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Sample HTML Code for Donate Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Sample HTML Code for a Basic Donate Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Sample HTML Code for a Donate Button With a Fixed Contribution Amount . . . . . .105

4 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Contents

Chapter 3 Recurring Payments – Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . 107

Getting Started With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Subscribe Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Creating Basic Subscribe Buttons With JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Creating Subscribe Buttons Before You Create Your PayPal Account . . . . . . . . . 112

The Checkout Experience With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Begin – Subscribers Are Ready to Sign Up on Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

1 – Subscribers Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In to PayPal . . . . . . . . 116

2 – Subscribers Confirm Their Subscription Details Before Signing Up . . . . . . . . . 119

3 – Subscribers View and Print Their Subscription Confirmations. . . . . . . . . . . .120

End – Subscribers Receive Subscription Authorization Notices by Email . . . . . . . .121

Enhancing the Checkout Experience With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Managing Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Tracking Subscription Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

How Billing Cycles and Recurring Payments Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Downloading Subscriber Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Canceling Individual Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Canceling Multiple Subscriptions at One Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

End of Term Messages Sent Through Instant Payment Notification. . . . . . . . . . .131

Advanced Features of Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Offering Trial Periods and Introductory Rates With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . .132

Limiting the Number of Billing Cycles With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Offering Product Options With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Working With Modify Subscription Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Working With Unsubscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Generating Usernames and Passwords With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Reattempting Failed Recurring Payments With Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . .141

Creating Advanced Subscribe Buttons on the PayPal Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Generating Code for Payment Buttons and Email Payment Links . . . . . . . . . . .142

Protecting HTML Code for Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Using the Button Creation Tool for Advanced Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Creating Advanced Subscribe Buttons With JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Avoiding Problems With Pasted HTML Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Sample HTML Code for Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Sample HTML Code for a Basic Subscribe Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Sample HTML Code for a Subscribe Button With Trial Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Sample HTML Code for a Subscribe Button With Limits on Billing Cycles . . . . . . .167

Sample HTML Code for Subscribe Buttons With Product Options . . . . . . . . . . .168

Sample HTML Code for a Modify Subscription Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 5

Contents

Sample HTML Code for an Unsubscribe Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Sample HTML Code for a Subscribe Button With Password Management . . . . . . .172

Sample HTML Code for a Subscribe Button That Reattempts Payments . . . . . . . .172

Sample URL Code for Subscribe Email Payment Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Chapter 4 The PayPal Shopping Cart – Add to Cart and View Cart

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Getting Started With The PayPal Shopping Cart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Getting Started With Add To Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Getting Started With View Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

The Checkout Experience With the PayPal Shopping Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

Begin – Buyers Add Your Items to the PayPal Shopping Cart. . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

1 – Buyers Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In To PayPal . . . . . . . . . .194

2 – Buyers Confirm Their Transaction Details Before Paying . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

3 – Buyers View and Print Their PayPal Payment Confirmations . . . . . . . . . . . .197

End – Buyers Receive Payment Authorization Notices by Email . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Enhancing the Checkout Experience With Add to Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Managing PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Using Email Notices to Track PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . . . . . . . . . .201

Using Recent Activity to Track PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . . . . . . . . .202

Using Transaction History to Track PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . . . . . . .202

Using Downloadable History Logs to Track PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . . .203

Using Instant Payment Notification to Track PayPal Shopping Cart Transactions . . .203

Advanced Features of Add to Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Offering Product Options With Add to Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Creating Advanced PayPal Shopping Cart Buttons on the PayPal Website . . . . . . . . .204

Generating Code for Payment Buttons and Email Payment Links . . . . . . . . . . .204

Protecting HTML Code for Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Pricing Items in Multiple Currencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Working with View Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Using the Button Creation Tool for Advanced Add to Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . .205

Creating Advanced Add to Cart Buttons With JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . .220

Avoiding Problems With Pasted HTML Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Sample HTML Code for Add to Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Sample HTML Code for a Basic Add to Cart Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Sample HTML Code for Add to Cart Buttons With Product Options. . . . . . . . . . .229

Sample HTML Code for Add to Cart Buttons that Open the Shopping Cart in the Merchant

Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233

Sample HTML Code for Add to Cart Buttons that Continue Shopping on the Current

Merchant Webpage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236

6 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Contents

Sample HTML Code for View Cart Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

Sample HTML Code for a View Cart Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

Sample HTML Code for a View Cart Button That Opens the Shopping Cart in the Merchant

Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

Sample HTML Code for View Cart Buttons that Continue Shopping on the Current

Merchant Webpage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Chapter 5 Third-Party Shopping Carts – The Cart Upload Command 243

How A Third Party Shopping Cart Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

What The Buyer Sees With Third Party Shopping Carts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

What Merchants See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248

Integrating PayPal with Third Party Shopping Carts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Required Third Party Shopping Cart Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Passing Individual Item Details to PayPal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Setting the Tax for the Entire Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Setting the Shipping Charge for the Entire Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Setting the Weight for the Entire Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Passing the Aggregate Shopping Cart Amount to PayPal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Securing Your Shopping Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Chapter 6 Securing Your Website Payments Standard Buttons . . . 253

Creating Protected Payment Buttons on the PayPal Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254

How Protected Payment Buttons Help Prevent Fraudulent Payments . . . . . . . . .254

Using the Button Creation Tool to Create a Protected Payment Button . . . . . . . . .254

Creating a Protected Payment Button with JavaScript Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . .255

Saving Payment Buttons in Your PayPal Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256

Reconciling Payments Manually Through Transaction History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257

Reconciling Payments Through Instant Payment Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

Protecting Payment Buttons by Using Encrypted Website Payments . . . . . . . . . . . .258

How Encrypted Website Payments Helps Prevent Fraudulent Payments . . . . . . . .258

Public Key Encryption Used by Encrypted Website Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

Setting Up Certificates Before Using Encrypted Website Payments . . . . . . . . . .260

Using Encrypted Website Payments to Protect Your Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . .262

Blocking Unprotected and Non-encrypted Website Payments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 7

Contents

Chapter 7 Using Your PayPal Account Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

The Account Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Account Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Financial Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Selling Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266

Correspondence Between Profile Settings and HTML Variables . . . . . . . . . . . .266

Co-Branding the PayPal Checkout Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267

Working With Custom Payment Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268

Adding or Editing a Page Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

Making a Page Style Primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Overriding Page Styles On Individual Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Overriding Co-Branding Options on Individual Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Tailoring the Checkout Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Auto Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Getting Contact Telephone Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

PayPal Account Optional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276

Automatic Calculation of Sales Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285

Displaying the Sales Tax that PayPal Calculates During Checkout . . . . . . . . . . .286

Accessing Your Sales Tax Rates in Your Account Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286

Setting Up Domestic Sales Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287

Setting Up International Sales Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Resolving Overlapping Sales Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Editing or Deleting Sales Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290

Overriding Sales Tax Calculations on Individual Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . .290

Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges (U.S. Merchants Only) . . . . . . . . . . . .290

Displaying the Shipping Charges that PayPal Calculates During Checkout. . . . . . .291

Shipping Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293

Shipping Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294

Shipping Rate Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294

Shipping Rate Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294

Shipping Rates and Currencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295

Adding Shipping Rates for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295

Adding Shipping Methods by Using a Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296

Viewing, Editing, and Adding Shipping Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298

Viewing the Configuration of an Existing Shipping Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300

Editing the Configuration Settings of an Existing Shipping Method . . . . . . . . . . .300

Deleting Shipping Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301

Examples of Rate Bases and Shipping Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302

Overriding Shipping Calculations on Individual Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303

8 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Contents

Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges (non-U.S. Merchants Only) . . . . . . . . . .304

Examples of Cost Methods and Shipping Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305

Overriding Shipping Calculation on Individual Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306

Blocking Certain Kinds of Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307

Accessing Your Payment Receiving Preferences to Block Payments . . . . . . . . . .307

Blocking Payments From U.S. Payers Without a Confirmed Address. . . . . . . . . .308

Blocking Payments in Currencies That You Do Not Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309

Blocking Payments from Payers With Non-U.S. PayPal Accounts . . . . . . . . . . .309

Blocking Payments Initiated Through the Pay Anyone Subtab . . . . . . . . . . . . .310

Blocking Payments by Credit Card Instead of Bank Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310

Blocking Payments Funded With eChecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310

Adding Your Credit Card Statement Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310

Allowing Multiple Users to Access Your PayPal Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312

Adding a User Login to Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312

Changing the Privileges for a User Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313

Resetting the Password for a User Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314

Removing a User Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315

Handling Multiple Currencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315

Managing Currency Balances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316

Accepting or Denying Cross-Currency Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317

Language Encoding Your Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317

About Language Encoding for Exchanging Data With PayPal . . . . . . . . . . . . .318

Changing Your Default Language Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318

Chapter 8 Using Authorization & Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Basic Authorization Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

Honor Period and Authorization Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

Basic Authorization & Capture Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322

Capturing A Single Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323

Batch Capturing Multiple Authorizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323

Voiding an Authorization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324

Capture Within 3 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325

Capture From 4 - 29 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325

One Authorization, Multiple Captures, and a Refund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326

Lower Capture Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327

Capture Up to 115% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328

Authorization Expires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329

Void . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330

Reattempted Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 9

Contents

Recommendations for Best Use of Authorization & Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332

Capturing Funds on Basic Authorizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332

Buyer Approval for Basic Authorizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332

Voiding Basic Authorizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332

Chapter 9 Issuing Refunds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Refunding Within 60 Days of Payment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333

Refunding After 60 Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333

Chapter 10 Testing Payment Buttons in the PayPal Sandbox . . . . . 335

Chapter 11 HTML Form Basics for Website Payments Standard . . . 337

Form Attributes – ACTION and METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337

Hidden Input Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337

Specifying the Kind of Payment Button – cmd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338

Variations on Basic Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338

Record Keeping with Passthrough Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338

Setting the Character Set – charset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339

Setting The Return URL on Individual Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339

Desired Currency on Individual Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340

Using HTML Variables With Saved Payment Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340

Prepopulating FORMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341

Sample HTML for FORM Prepopulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341

Overriding Addresses Stored With PayPal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342

Sample HTML for Overriding Addresses Stored With PayPal . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342

Instant Payment Notification – notify_url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343

Appendix A HTML Variables for Website Payments Standard . . . . . 345

Technical HTML Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345

HTML Variables for Individual Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347

HTML Variables for Payment Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351

HTML Variables for Shopping Carts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353

HTML Variables for Subscribe Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356

HTML Variables for Displaying PayPal Checkout Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358

HTML Variables for Prepopulating PayPal Checkout Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361

10 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Contents

Appendix B Address Handling (U.S. Merchants Only) . . . . . . . . . 363

Address Handling With PayPal Account Optional Turned On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364

Endpoint A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364

Endpoints B, C, and D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Endpoint E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Endpoints F and H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Endpoint G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Endpoint I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Endpoints J and L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Endpoint K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Address Handling With PayPal Account Optional Turned Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Endpoint A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Endpoints B, C, and D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Endpoint E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366

Endpoints F and H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

Endpoints G and K. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

Endpoint I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

Endpoints J and L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

Appendix C Country Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 11

Contents

12 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Preface

About This Guide

The Website Payments Standard Integration Guide describes how to integrate your website with PayPal by using HTML buttons and forms. Website Payments Standard lets you accept payments for:

z Single-item purchases with Buy Now buttons – Sell from websites that offer single or

mutually exclusive products.

z Contribution payments with Donate buttons – Raise financial support for any cause. z Recurring bills with Subscribe buttons – Collect membership dues, set up installment

plans, and offer other subscription services.

z Multiple-item purchases with Add to Cart and View Cart buttons – Sell from online

stores with catalogs and shopping carts.

The following table summarizes the contents of this guide.

TABLE P.1 Summary of the Contents of This Guide

Feature Description See

Buy Now Buttons Accept payments for single items at one time.

Donate Buttons Accept payments for donation and contributions.

Subscribe Buttons Accept recurring payments for membership dues,

installment plans, and other subscription services.

The PayPal Shopping Cart

Third-Party Shopping Carts

Button Protection and Encrypted Website Payments

Accept payments for multiple items at one time.

Develop a third-party shopping cart that is compatible with PayPal and Website Payments Standard.

Protect against fraudulent payments by protecting the code in your payment buttons with the encryption setting when you create buttons on the PayPal website or with Encrypted Website Payments when you write or generate payment buttons yourself.

Chapter 1, “Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Chapter 2, “Contribution Payments – Donate Buttons

Chapter 3, “Recurring Payments – Subscribe Buttons

Chapter 4, “The PayPal Shopping Cart – Add to Cart and View Cart Buttons

Chapter 5, “Third-Party Shopping Carts – The Cart Upload Command

Chapter 6, “Securing Your Website Payments Standard Buttons

”

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 13

Preface

About This Guide

ABLE P.1 Summary of the Contents of This Guide

Feature Description See

Automatic Calculation of Sales Tax

Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges

Custom Payment Pages Brand the PayPal checkout pages with your own

PayPal Account Optional

Auto Return Redirect people to your website automatically after

Payer Contact Telephone

Multi-User Access Create separate user names for your account with

Specify tax rates that PayPal uses to calculate taxes automatically.

Specify shipping rates that PayPal uses to calculate shipping charges automatically.

logo and colors.

Let people pay by credit card without having to sign up for a PayPal account.

they pay you on PayPal.

Prompt people for their contact telephone numbers when they pay you on Paypal.

different permission levels.

“Automatic Calculation of Sales Tax” on page 285

“Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges (U.S. Merchants Only)” on page 290

– or –

“Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges (non-U.S. Merchants Only)” on page 304

“Co-Branding the PayPal Checkout Pages” on page 267

“PayPal Account Optional” on page 276

“Auto Return” on page 271

“Getting Contact Telephone Numbers” on page 274

“Allowing Multiple Users to Access Your PayPal Account” on page 312

Authorization & Capture

Refunds Refund entire payments or portions of them.

14 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Authorize payments during checkout, and capture payment amounts or portions of them later.

Chapter 8, “Using Authorization & Capture

”

Chapter 9, “Issuing Refunds”

Intended Audience

This guide is for:

z Merchants and developers who want to understand:

– The checkout experiences that people go through when they make payments with

Website Payments Standard payment buttons

– How account profile settings affect the way that Website Payments Standard works

z Developers who want to learn how to implement Website Payments Standard

Revision History

The following table lists the revisions made to the Website Payments Standard Integration Guide.

TABLE P.2 Revision History for This Guide

Preface

Intended Audience

Date Published Description

September 2008 Revised information on creating payment buttons on the PayPal website,

including saving buttons in your PayPal account and tracking inventory; see button -specific chapters for details.

Added sample code for Add to Cart buttons that open the PayPal Shopping Cart in the same window as the merchant website and how to use the shopping_url variable to control which merchant page buyers return to when they click the Continue Shopping button; see

Buttons” on page 228

June 2008 Added chapter on Subscribe buttons; see

Subscribe Buttons

.” Added chapter on Third-Party Shopping Carts; see

“Sample HTML Code for Add to Cart

Chapter 3, “Recurring Payments –

Chapter 5, “Third-Party Shopping Carts – The Cart Upload Command.”

March 2008 Changes to definition of authorization honor periods; see

Authorization Period” on page 321

January 2008 Separate checkout experience and command for Donate buttons; see

“Contribution Payments – Donate Buttons

August 2007 Shipping calculations with tiered rates in different destination regions; see

.”

“Honor Period and

Chapter 2,

“Automatic Calculation of Shipping Charges (U.S. Merchants Only)” on page 290

May 2007 Added information on securing buttons; see

Website Payments Standard Buttons

Chapter 6, “Securing Your

.”

April 2007 Added

October 2006 Minor clarifications.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 15

Appendix B, “Address Handling (U.S. Merchants Only).”

Preface

Where to Go for More Information

ABLE P.2 Revision History for This Guide

Date Published Description

August 2006 New PayPal Shopping Cart variable, shopping_url

The value _ext-enter of the cmd variable for FORM prepoulation is now no longer necessary.

Clarification of values for the rm variable "POST".

July 2006 Added information on how to use PayPal Authorization & Capture with Website

Payments Standard, including how to capture multiple authorizations in batches on the PayPal website; see

March 2006 Miscellaneous minor corrections.

Expanded description of creating Encrypted Website Payments buttons.

Where to Go for More Information

– 0, 1, or 2; not the strings "GET" or

Chapter 8, “Using Authorization & Capture.”

z Merchant Gift Certificates Guide

z Order Management Integration Guide

z Sandbox User Guide

z Password Management Installation Guide

Documentation Feedback

Help us improve this guide by sending feedback to:

documentationfeedback@paypal.com

16 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Use Buy Now buttons to accept single-item purchase payments. A Buy Now button can sell one or more units of a single item. Make additional Buy Now buttons for additional items that you want to sell.

You can create Buy Now buttons that you add to your website by using a tool on the PayPal website, or you can write the HTML code for Buy Now buttons manually. You can create buttons with limited functionality before you create your PayPal account or with JavaScript disabled in your browser.

Read the following topics to learn more about Buy Now buttons:

z “Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons” on page 18 z “The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons” on page 25 z “Managing Buy Now Transactions” on page 34 z “Advanced Features of Buy Now Buttons” on page 36 z “Creating Advanced Buy Now Buttons on the PayPal Website” on page 37 z “Sample HTML Code for Buy Now Buttons” on page 61 z “Sample URL Code for a Buy Now Email Payment Link” on page 67

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 17

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

The easiest way to add a Buy Now button to your website is by using the button creation tool on the PayPal website. As soon as you add the button, you can begin accepting payments on your website.

Follow one of these procedures to get started creating your own Buy Now buttons:

z “Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Buy Now Button” on page 18 z “Creating Basic Buy Now Buttons With JavaScript Disabled” on page 19 z “Creating Buy Now Buttons Before You Create Your PayPal Account” on page 22

N OTE: For more detailed instructions, see “Creating Advanced Buy Now Buttons on the

PayPal Website” on page 37.

Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Buy Now Button

To use the button creation tool for a basic Buy Now button:

1. Log in to your PayPal Premier or Business account at

The My Account Overview page opens.

2. Click the Profile subtab.

The Profile Summary page opens.

3. Under the Selling Preferences heading, click the Create new button link.

The Create PayPal payment button page opens.

4. In the Accept payments for dropdown menu, select “Products” or “Services”.

https://www.paypal.com.

5. Select the No; create a “Buy Now” button radio button.

6. Enter the payment details of your item.

– Item name – Enter the name of the item or service that you wish to sell. – Price – Enter the price of your item.

18 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

7. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the Create Button button.

The You are viewing your button code page opens.

8. Click the Select Code button on the Websites tab to select all of the generated HTML code.

9. Copy the text that you selected to the clipboard, by:

– pressing Ctrl+C.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Copy.

10.In your web editing tool, open the webpage where you want the button to be seen.

IMPORTANT: Be sure that your tool is ready for you to paste HTML code, such as by

switching to an HTML view from a design view of your webpage.

11. Paste the text that you copied from the clipboard onto your webpage where you want the button to appear, by:

– pressing Ctrl+V.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Paste.

Creating Basic Buy Now Buttons With JavaScript Disabled

The button creation tool for Buy Now buttons, described above, requires JavaScript. If JavaScript is disabled in your browser, PayPal automatically offers you an alternative button creation tool that does not require JavaScript.

Read these topics to learn more about creating Buy Now buttons with JavaScript disabled:

z “Limitations When Creating Payment Buttons With JavaScript Disabled” on page 19 z “Creating a Basic Buy Now Button With JavaScript Disabled” on page 20 z “Enabling JavaScript in Your Browser” on page 21

Limitations When Creating Payment Buttons With JavaScript Disabled

The alternative tool that works with JavaScript disabled lets you create Buy Now buttons on the PayPal website. However, the following features are not supported by the alternative tool:

z Saving your buttons in your PayPal account z Tracking inventory z Product options with separate pricing z Language choices for button images z Creating payment buttons before you create your PayPal account

To use any of the above features when creating payment buttons on the PayPal website, you must enable JavaScript in your browser.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 19

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

For more information, see “Enabling JavaScript in Your Browser” on page 21.

Creating a Basic Buy Now Button With JavaScript Disabled

To create a basic Buy Now button for your website with JavaScript disabled:

1. Log in to your PayPal Premier or Business account at

https://www.paypal.com.

The My Account Overview page opens.

2. Click the Edit Profile link.

The Profile Summary page opens.

3. Under the Selling Preferences heading, click the Create New Button link.

The Create PayPal payment button page opens.

4. Click the Buy Now link.

The Buy Now buttons page opens.

5. Enter the details of your item.

– Item name/service – Enter the name of the item or service that you wish to sell. – Price – (optional) Enter a fixed price for your item. If you leave the field blank, buyers

“name their own price” after they click the Buy Now button.

IMPORTANT: PayPal recommends that you enter a price so that you collect an

appropriate amount for the item.

6. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the Create Button Now button.

The Add a Buy Now button to your website page displays the generated code.

7. Click the HTML code for Websites text box to select all of the generated HTML code.

8. Copy the text that you selected to the clipboard, by:

– pressing Ctrl+C.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Copy.

9. In your web editing tool, open the webpage where you want the button to be seen.

20 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

IMPORTANT: Be sure that your tool is ready for you to paste HTML code, such as by

switching to an HTML view from a design view of your webpage.

10.Paste the text that you copied from the clipboard onto your webpage where you want the button to appear, by:

– pressing Ctrl+V.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Paste.

Enabling JavaScript in Your Browser

PayPal recommends that you keep JavaScript enabled at all times. Many features of the PayPal website require that JavaScript be enabled in your browser.

Read one of the following topics to learn how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

z “Enabling JavaScript in Internet Explorer” on page 21 z “Enabling JavaScript in FireFox” on page 22

After you enable JavaScript in your browser, you can create a basic Buy Now button by following the instructions for “Using the Button Creation Tool for a Basic Buy Now Button”

on page 18

Enabling JavaScript in Internet Explorer. To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer:

1. Select Tools > Internet Options… from the menu bar.

The Internet Options dialog box opens.

2. Click the Security tab.

3. Select the Trusted sites icon in the box of Web content zones.

4. Click the Custom level… button.

The Security Settings dialog box opens.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 21

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

5. Scroll down to the Scripting section, and then select the Enable radio button as the option for active scripting.

6. Click the OK button to dismiss the Security Settings dialog box.

A War ning message box asks if you are sure you want to change the security settings.

7. Click the Ye s button to dismiss the message box.

8. Click the OK button to dismiss the Internet Options dialog box.

Enabling JavaScript in FireFox. To enable JavaScript in Firefox.

1. Select Tools > Options… from the menu bar.

The Options dialog box opens.

2. Select the Content icon at the top of the dialog box.

3. Select the Enable JavaScript checkbox.

4. Click the OK button.

Creating Buy Now Buttons Before You Create Your PayPal Account

You can create basic Buy Now buttons, add them to your website, and begin accepting payments before you sign up for your PayPal account. Read the following topics to learn more about creating Buy Now buttons before you create your PayPal account.

22 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

z “Limitations of Buy Now Buttons Created Without a PayPal Account” on page 23 z “Unclaimed Payments From Buttons Created Without a PayPal Account” on page 23 z “Creating a Basic Buy Now Button Without a PayPal Account” on page 24

Limitations of Buy Now Buttons Created Without a PayPal Account

Consider the following limitations of payment buttons that you create and add to your website before you sign up for your PayPal account.

z You cannot claim the payments that people authorize during checkout. PayPal collects and

holds the payments as unclaimed until you sign up for your PayPal account.

z Buyers must have a PayPal account to pay you. Any ability to pay by credit card is

disabled.

z PayPal limits the features that you can specify with the button creation tool, such as:

– Saving your buttons in your PayPal account – Tracking inventory

N OTE: You cannot create payment buttons without a PayPal account if Javascript is disabled

in your browser.

Unclaimed Payments From Buttons Created Without a PayPal Account

For buttons that you create without a PayPal account, payments that buyers authorize are held as unclaimed by PayPal until you sign up. PayPal holds your unclaimed payments under the email address that you specify when you create the buttons. Make sure to use the same email address when you sign up for your account. Otherwise PayPal cannot transfer your unclaimed payments to your PayPal account balance.

In their PayPal accounts, buyers see unclaimed payments that they made to you from Buy Now buttons that you created without a PayPal account. Such unclaimed payments are displayed in their recent account activity and in their transaction history. Until you finish signing up for your PayPal account, buyers can cancel your unclaimed payments and recover their funds.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 23

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

Getting Started With Buy Now Buttons

FIGURE 1.1 Unclaimed Payments From Buttons Created Without a PayPal Account

Creating a Basic Buy Now Button Without a PayPal Account

To create a basic Buy Now button without a PayPal account:

1. Visit the PayPal website at

https://www.paypal.com.

2. Click the Business tab.

3. Under the Need to accept credit cards? heading, click the On your website link.

The Choose a payment solution page opens.

4. Under the Website Payments Standard heading, click the Learn more link.

The PayPal Website Payments Standard: Overview page opens.

5. Under the Sell single items heading, click the Create payment button link.

The Create PayPal payment button page opens.

6. In the Accept payments for dropdown menu, select “Products” or “Services”.

7. Select the No; create a “Buy Now” button radio button.

8. Enter the payment details of your item.

– Item name – Enter the name of the item or service that you wish to sell. – Price – Enter the price of your item. – Email address to receive payments– Enter the email address that you will use when you

9. Click the Create Button button.

The PayPal account required for this button type message box appears.

24 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

10.Click the close icon in the upper right corner of the message box to proceed.

The You’ve created your button page opens.

11. Click the Select Code button on the Websites tab to select all of the generated HTML code.

12.Copy the text that you selected to the clipboard, by:

– pressing Ctrl+C.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Copy.

13.In your web editing tool, open the webpage where you want the button to be seen.

IMPORTANT: Be sure that your tool is ready for you to paste HTML code, such as by

switching to an HTML view from a design view of your webpage.

14.Paste the text that you copied from the clipboard onto your webpage where you want the button to appear, by:

– pressing Ctrl+V.

– or –

– right-clicking your mouse, and selecting Paste.

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

This section demonstrates the PayPal checkout experience for people who click Buy Now buttons on your website. The following diagram illustrates the steps.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 25

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

FIGURE 1.2 The Checkout Experience with Buy Now Buttons

Read these topics to better understand the checkout experience with Buy Now buttons:

z “Begin – Buyers are Ready to Purchase Your Item on Your Website” on page 26 z “1 – Buyers Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In to PayPal” on page 27 z “2 – Buyers Confirm Their Transaction Details Before Paying” on page 29 z “3 – Buyers View and Print Their PayPal Payment Confirmations” on page 30 z “End – Buyers Receive Payment Authorization Notices by Email” on page 31 z “Enhancing the Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons” on page 32

Begin – Buyers are Ready to Purchase Your Item on Your Website

The basic checkout experience with Buy Now begins when someone on your website is ready to purchase your item.

26 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

FIGURE 1.3 Buyers Begin on Your Website When They Are Ready To Buy Your Item

In this example, Steve begins on Herschel’s Hot Sauce website and decides to try a bottle. He clicks the Buy Now button for a single 12 oz. bottle to check out.

1 – Buyers Enter Their Billing Information or They Log In to PayPal

PayPal displays a billing information/log-in page, which lets buyers enter their credit card information or log in to PayPal to pay.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 27

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

FIGURE 1.4 Buyers Enter Their Billinng information or Log In to PayPal

For Buy Now buttons, the PayPal billing information/log-in page shows transaction details near the top, such as item name and transaction subtotal.

If buyers are satisfied with the details, they do one of the following to select a payment method:

z To pay with a credit card – Buyers enter their billing information. They also enter their

contact information – email address and home phone number– so that PayPal can send them their PayPal transaction receipts and can contact them if necessary to complete the transaction. Then, they click the Review Order and Continue button.

z To pay with a PayPal account – Buyers enter their PayPal credentials and click the Log in

button.

28 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

In this case, Steve is satisfied with the total transaction amount of $5.95 USD. He doesn’t have a PayPal account. Instead, he enters his billing and contact information, and then he clicks the Review Order and Continue button.

2 – Buyers Confirm Their Transaction Details Before Paying

PayPal displays a transaction confirmation page to let buyers confirm the details before they complete their transactions and authorize their payments.

FIGURE 1.5 Buyers Confirm Their Payment Details Before Paying

In this case, Steve reviews the transaction details and clicks the Pay $5.95 Now button to complete the transaction and make his payment.

Website Payments Standard Integration Guide September 2008 29

Single-Item Payments – Buy Now Buttons

The Checkout Experience With Buy Now Buttons

3 – Buyers View and Print Their PayPal Payment Confirmations

PayPal displays a payment confirmation page after buyers pay to let them know that they have completed their transactions and authorized their payments successfully.

FIGURE 1.6 Buyers View Their Payment Confirmations

From the payment confirmation page, buyers can:

z View the PayPal Receipt ID – the transaction ID – to reconcile their payments. z Click the View Printable Receipt link to print receipts for their records.

30 September 2008 Website Payments Standard Integration Guide

+ 354 hidden pages