Setting Up PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce

PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce is the advanced version of the Standard PayPal payment option that is included with WooCommerce. It facilitates express checkout, which considerably reduces the number of clicks to complete the checkout process.

When you integrate the PayPal Express Checkout Shortcut, your buyers can speed through checkout using the shipping information and funding source already stored in their PayPal accounts. They don’t have to re-type any information—saving them time and reducing shopping cart abandonment. And once the transaction is approved, the money usually shows up in your PayPal account in minutes.

After purchasing the PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce, the plugin ZIP file is available in MY ACCOUNT.

1. Navigate to My Account -> API Downloads tab and download the plugin.
   Note: If you have the basic/free version already installed, please Deactivate and Delete the Basic Version before installing Premium Version to avoid any conflict. Your plugin settings will be retained intact.
2. Install the downloaded plugin zip into your WordPress / WooCommerce Site.
3. You get Activation Key and Activation Email at My Account -> API Keys.
4. Go to your site Admin and the Settings page of the plugin and activate it using email and key.

For detailed information about installing plugins, refer to How to Install WordPress Plugin?.

After installing the plugin, you can navigate to Plugin in two ways as given below:

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > PayPal Express OR
• Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins > PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce
  > Settings.

Signup and create a PayPal business account.

Step 1: Enable the PayPal payment gateway for your site

The General Settings are as given below:

• PayPal Payment Gateway: Select the checkbox to enable the PayPal Payment Gateway.
• Title: It is visible on the Checkout page under the payment modes. Specify Title as required(defined by you).
• Regular Description: Specify the required description in this text box. The customer can view this description on the checkout page under the WooCommerce PayPal payment method.

Step 2: Link the PayPal API keys ( PayPal Credentials Settings)

To use the WooCommerce PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway, you must have a PayPal account. You can open Live or Sandbox accounts free of cost. 

• Environment: In this field, you can set a required API mode for the payment gateway. The available options are as given below:
• Sandbox Mode: It is used to do test purchasing by using the PayPal API. There is no real money transaction involved in this mode.
  Note: This mode is used only for development purposes and customers should not have access to this mode.
• Live: Live mode is used for the actual purchase.
  • Live API Username: Enter the Username provided by PayPal.
  • Live API Password: Enter the Password provided by PayPal.
  • Live API Signature: Enter the Signature provided by PayPal.

Step 3: Advanced Customization Settings

PayPal Express Checkout

The Settings are as shown below:

• PayPal Express: Select the checkbox to enable PayPal Express payment gateway option for the customer.
• Credit Card Checkout: Select the checkbox to enable Credit Card Checkout for the customer.
• Button Size: Select the Button size for PayPal Express/Credit Card  Button according to your choice. The available options are as given below:
  • Small
  • Medium
  • Large
• Express Description: Enter the text in the given text box and this text gets visible to the customer during placing the checkout.
• Cart Page Checkout: Select the checkbox to allow the customer to directly Checkout from the Cart page using PayPal Express/Credit Card.
• Product Page Checkout: Select the checkbox to allow the customer to directly Checkout from the individual Product page using PayPal Express/Credit Card.
• Type of Checkout: Select the type of PayPal checkout type. The available options are as given below:below:
  • Redirect to PayPal: The customer is taken to the PayPal site to pay the amount.
  • In-Context Flow PayPal:  Without leaving your store site, the customer can pay the amount through PayPal.
    Note: This option works only on Cart page checkout.
• Position of Checkout Button: Select the position of  PayPal Express/Credit Card checkout buttons from the given dropdown list. The available options are as given below:
  • Above: Displays PayPal Express/Credit Card checkout buttons above Add to Cart (Product page checkout) or Proceed to Checkout (Cart page checkout).
  • Below: Displays PayPal Express/Credit Card checkout buttons below Add to Cart (Product page checkout) or Proceed to Checkout (Cart page checkout).
• Style of Checkout Button: Select the style of PayPal Express/Credit ard checkout buttons from the dropdown list. The available options are as given below:
  • PayPal Style: Displays PayPal Express/Credit Card checkout buttons in PayPal style.
  • WooCommerce Style: Displays PayPal Express/Credit Card checkout buttons in WooCommerce style i.e. same style as Add to Cart / Proceed to Checkout.
• Express Checkout Cancel Page: In case, the customer cancels the process of payment on the PayPal page then the customer gets directed to the page which is selected in this dropdown list. The available options are as given below:
  • Back to Proceeding Page: Directs the customer to the page from where the customer navigated to PayPal.
  • Redirect to Custom Page: Directs the customer to customize the page from PayPal. Enter the URL of the customized page in the Cancel Redirect Page URL field. The settings are as given below:

PayPal Abilities Settings

The settings are as shown below:

• Business Name: Enter the required Business Name which gets displayed on the PayPal Checkout page.
• Payment Action: Select the option to capture the payment and available options are as given below:
  • Sale: This option allows the shop owner to get the payment after the sale from WooCommerce.
  • Authorize: With this option, the shop owner needs to authorize charges and then capture the payment. To capture the payment, the shop owner needs to navigate to the individual order page. Under the PayPal Express Action box, Admin can capture the payment. Refer to capture payment from the order page to know more.
• Instant payment: Select the checkbox to get the payment instantly through PayPal / Credit Card / Debit Card instead of eCheck.
• Override Addresses:  Enabling this will affect express checkout and PayPal will strictly verify the address.
• PayPal Locale:
  • Use Store Locale: Select the checkbox so that the display language of PayPal will be the same as the default language of your store.
  • Use Specific Locale: Choose the desired locale code from the drop-down (Languages supported by PayPal are only listed)

Invoice Prefix: Enter the text which gets prefixed to the Invoice number. This helps to identify the Order from the Invoice number.
For Example: Suppose, you have added Extensionhawk_ in this field, then the Invoice Number will be Extensionhawk_12098.

Landing Page: Select the landing page for PayPal. The available options are as given below:

• Login Page: The customer will be directed to the Login page of PayPal.
• Billing Page: If the customer is logged into PayPal Account already then the customer is directed to the Billing page, otherwise the customer is directed to the Login page.

Customer Service Number: Enter the Merchant Customer Service number which gets displayed on the PayPal Review pages.

PayPal Checkout Logo: Enter the URL of the image to be displayed as the logo on PayPal Page.  Allowed Image size is up to 190 x 90 pixels.

PayPal Checkout Banner: Enter the URL of the image to be displayed as the Banner on PayPal Page.  Allowed Image size is up to 750 x 90 pixels.

Note: Banner, Logo, or Business Name gets displayed on the PayPal page depending on priority. Banner has the highest priority, then comes Logo and the last is Business Name.

Review Page

The Plugin provides you an option to review the order before completion of the order. On the review page, the customer gets the option to place or cancel the order. The setting is as shown below:

• Skip Review Page: Select the checkbox to skip the Review page and directly place the order.
• Seller Policy: This field appears if you do not skip the Review page.  Enter Seller Policy or any customized text which you want to display on the Review page for the customer.

Developer Settings

If you are not getting all the available payment options, or not getting any option at all, then you enable Debug option to find an error(s). By enabling logging, you can trace the issue using log. The settings are as shown below:

• Logging: Enable the checkbox to troubleshoot the issue with your site.
• Override IPN URL: Enter the IPN URL so that you get notification from PayPal.

Click Save changes to save/update the plugin settings.

Cart Page Checkout

1. Once the customer adds the required products to cart, it appears as given below:
2. Click Check out with PayPal button.
3. The PayPal Login page appears as shown below:
4. The customer needs to enter the PayPal login credentials and pay the order amount. If the customer checks out with PayPal Credit Card, the customer needs to enter the credit card and billing details. Once it is done, the customer is directed to Review Page of Order ( if not skipped in Admin settings). The Review page appears as shown below:
5. The Customer can Place / Cancel the order by clicking the respective buttons.

Product Page Checkout

The customer can checkout directly from the product page. The product page appears as given below:

The rest of the checkout steps are the same as cart page checkout, please follow step 2 to place the order.

Regular Checkout

Once the customer adds the required products to cart and comes to the checkout page, it appears as given below:

Click Proceed to PayPal and the preceding steps are the same as cart page checkout, please follow step 3 to place the order.

In-Context Flow Checkout

1. Once the customer adds the required products to cart, it appears as given below:
2. Click Check out with PayPal button.
3. The PayPal popup window appears as shown below:
4. The customer will have to enter the PayPal login credentials and pay the order amount.  Once it is done, the customer is directed to Review Page of Order ( if not skipped in Admin settings). The review page is as shown below:
5. The Customer can Place / Cancel the order by clicking the respective buttons.

How to capture authorized payment from the order page?

You can place a hold on a card to reserve funds now but only capture them after your business completes the service. For example, a hotel may want to authorize payment in full prior to a guest’s arrival, then move the money when the guest checks out.
When a payment is authorized, the funds are guaranteed by the card issuer and the amount is held on the customer’s card for up to seven days. If the payment is not captured within this time, the PaymentIntent and authorization are both canceled and funds are released.

The store admin can capture the payment from Dashboard > WooCommerce > Orders > Individual Order. The Order page appears as shown below:

Under PayPal Express Action box, Click Capture to get the order payment. On capture, the payment for the order will be received successfully.

This way the customer can place the order by paying through PayPal securely. For more details on the plugin, check out our PayPal Express Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce.