Payment Button for PayPal (also known as WP PayPal) plugin connects PayPal to your WordPress site and makes e-commerce available for you. With the WordPress PayPal plugin, you can create various types of buttons such as Add to Cart, Buy Now, Donation or Subscription with a simple shortcode to accept PayPal payments from your users. This plugin allows both one-time and recurring subscription payments so you can run your online store with great ease.
Payment Button for PayPal plugin uses the PayPal API to create a checkout process for your customer that is fast, easy, and intuitive. With one simple shortcode, you can add a secure payment button to your website that lets you accept credit card, debit card, and PayPal payments from any mobile device, tablet, or PC.
Note: This is NOT an official PayPal product.
Features
- Accept PayPal and PayPal Credit payments
- No monthly fee
- Accept credit cards and debit cards
- Optimized mobile checkout experience
- Accept one-time or recurring payments
- Simplified PCI compliance
- Accept donations
- OneTouchTM enables checkout with a click of a button
- Accept 25 currencies from over 200+ countries and markets
- Accept PayPal Pay Later (Pay in 4) payments
- Accept payments with PayPal smart payment buttons
- Accept PayPal Checkout payments (previously known as Express Checkout)
How to Install Payment Button for PayPal in WordPress
- Login to your WordPress admin dashboard
- Go to Plugins->Add New
- Enter Payment Button for PayPal in the search box
- Once you find the plugin hit the install button
Option 2
- Download the zip version of the plugin
- Go to Plugins->Add New and switch to the Upload tab
- Select the zip file on your computer
- Upload and install it
Option 3
- Download the zip file and extract it
- Connect to your website via FTP (you can use a software like Filezilla to transfer files to your server) and browse to the “/wp-content/plugins” folder
- Select the folder containing the plugin files on your computer and upload it
- Once all the files have been uploaded to your web server you can activate the plugin from the Plugins menu (WordPress admin dashboard)
How to Configure Payment Button for PayPal in WordPress
Once you have installed the plugin you will be able to access the settings by navigating to “WP PayPal -> Settings”.
General Settings
In the general settings area, you will need to configure some options related to your PayPal merchant account.
The settings area shows options for both PayPal Checkout and PayPal Payments Standard payment methods.
PayPal Checkout Settings
These settings apply to the “[wp_paypal_checkout]” shortcode. It uses PayPal Checkout payment method to add smart payment buttons to your website. To use PayPal Checkout, REST API credentials are required. To Generate REST API credentials for the sandbox and live environments:
- Log in to the Developer Dashboard with your PayPal account credentials.
- On My Apps & Credentials, use the toggle to switch between live and sandbox testing apps (If you are creating a Sandbox app, you will also need to select a test business account that will act as the API caller).
- Navigate to the REST API apps section and click Create App.
- Type a name for your app and click Create App. The app details page opens and displays your credentials.
- Copy and save the client ID and secret for your app.
- Review your app details and save your app.
Once you have the Client ID you can enter it in the plugin settings.
You can also configure the following options.
Currency Code: The default currency of the payment
Return URL: The URL to which customers will be redirected after payments.
Cancel URL: The URL to which customers will be redirected when payments are cancelled.
Enabled Funding Sources: Funding sources that you wish to display as buttons at checkout. This is not required as the eligibility is determined automatically. However, this field can be used to ensure a funding source is always rendered, if eligible.
You can enter one or more sources in comma-separated format. Here are the supported values:
| Funding Source | Description |
|---|---|
| card | Credit or debit cards |
| credit | PayPal Credit (US, UK) |
| paylater | Pay Later (US, UK), Pay in 4 (AU), 4X PayPal (France), Später Bezahlen (Germany) |
| bancontact | Bancontact |
| blik | BLIK |
| eps | eps |
| giropay | giropay |
| ideal | iDEAL |
| mercadopago | Mercado Pago |
| mybank | MyBank |
| p24 | Przelewy24 |
| sepa | SEPA-Lastschrift |
| sofort | Sofort |
| venmo | Venmo |
Disabled Funding Sources: Funding sources that you do not wish to display as buttons at checkout. You can enter one or more sources in comma-separated format. Here are the supported values:
| Funding Source | Description |
|---|---|
| card | Credit or debit cards |
| credit | PayPal Credit (US, UK) |
| paylater | Pay Later (US, UK), Pay in 4 (AU), 4X PayPal (France), Später Bezahlen (Germany) |
| bancontact | Bancontact |
| blik | BLIK |
| eps | eps |
| giropay | giropay |
| ideal | iDEAL |
| mercadopago | Mercado Pago |
| mybank | MyBank |
| p24 | Przelewy24 |
| sepa | SEPA-Lastschrift |
| sofort | Sofort |
| venmo | Venmo |
PayPal Payments Standard Settings
These settings apply to the “[wp_paypal]” shortcode. It uses PayPal Payments Standard payment method to create different types of buttons such as buy now, add to cart, donate, subscribe etc.
Click on the “Save Changes” button when you are done.
Email Settings
In the email settings area, you can choose to configure some email related settings.
Email Sender Options
In this section, you can specify a From Name and From Email Address that will be used by the WP PayPal plugin when sending an email. You can leave them empty to use the default.
Purchase Receipt Email
WP PayPal plugin allows you to send a purchase receipt email to the customer after completion of a successful purchase. By default, this feature is disabled. In order to use this feature, you need to enable it in the settings.
You can customize the following options in the purchase receipt email,
- Purchase Receipt Email Subject: The subject line for the purchase receipt email. You can use various tags in the email subject to dynamically change its content when it is sent.
- Purchase Receipt Email Type: The content type of the purchase receipt email (Plain Text/HTML).
- Purchase Receipt Email Body: The main content of the purchase receipt email. You can use various tags in the email body to dynamically change its content when it is sent.
Sale Notification Email
WP PayPal plugin can send a sale notification email to your chosen recipient after completion of a successful purchase. By default, this feature is disabled. In order to use this feature, you need to enable it in the settings.
You can customize the following options in the sale notification email,
- Sale Notification Email Recipient: The email address that should receive a notification anytime a sale is made.
- Sale Notification Email Subject: The subject line for the sale notification email. You can use various tags in the email subject to dynamically change its content when it is sent.
- Sale Notification Email Type: The content type of the sale notification email (Plain Text/HTML).
- Sale Notification Email Body: The main content of the sale notification email. You can use various tags in the email body to dynamically change its content when it is sent.
Email Tags
The following email tags can be used in the email subject/body to dynamically change its content when an email is sent,
{first_name} – The customer’s first name.
{last_name} – The customer’s last name.
{txn_id} – The unique transaction ID for this purchase.
{item_names} – The name(s) of the product purchased.
{mc_currency} – The currency code used to make the payment.
{mc_gross} – The full amount of the customer’s payment.
{payer_email} – The customer’s email address.
{custom} – A pass-through custom variable for your own tracking purposes.
{shipping_address} – The customer’s shipping address.
{variation} – The variation of the product purchased.
{threedigitdiffrandnum} – A random 3 digit number. The generated numbers will be unique if the tag occurs multiple times in a single email message.
PayPal Checkout
With the PayPal Checkout payment method (previously known as PayPal Express Checkout), you can create smart payment buttons to accept one-time payments with our plugin.
To create a button, add a shortcode block from your WordPress post/page editor and insert the following shortcode into it.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99"]
Publish/update the page and you will see the button on the front end.
PayPal Checkout Shortcode Parameters
The “wp_paypal_checkout” shortcode currently supports the following parameters.
description
A description of the purchase.
amount
The price of the product.
return_url
The URL to which the customer is redirected after a successful payment.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" return_url="https://example.com/thank-you/"]
cancel_url
The URL to which the customer is redirected after a payment is canceled.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" cancel_url="https://example.com/payment-canceled/"]
layout
The layout of the buttons. Supported values: horizontal.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" layout="horizontal"]
By default, buttons are stacked vertically.
color
The color of the PayPal button. Supported values: blue, silver, white, black.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" color="blue"]
The default color is gold.
shape
The shape of the PayPal button. Supported values: pill.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" shape="pill"]
The default is rectangular.
label
Additional label for the PayPal button. Supported values: checkout, buynow, pay.
[wp_paypal_checkout description="test checkout product" amount="3.99" label="checkout"]
The default is paypal.
PayPal Checkout Add-ons
PayPal Checkout payment method comes with various add-ons that you can use to enhance its functionality on your website.
Variable Price
Variable Price add-on shows a price input field with your PayPal Checkout button. This lets buyers set the amount they wish to pay.
Mailchimp Integration
Mailchimp Integration add-on can automatically add the buyer’s email address to your chosen Mailchimp audience/list after a PayPal Checkout payment.
Custom Input
Custom Input add-on shows a text box with your PayPal Checkout buttons. The text box can be used to collect custom data from buyers at checkout. This is really useful if a buyer would like to include a custom note or special instructions.
Contact Form 7 Integration
Contact Form 7 Integration add-on can show a pre-configured PayPal Checkout button after a form submission. This allows buyers to make payments after a Contact Form 7 type form is submitted.
Product Variations
Product variations add-on can be used to set up variations for your PayPal Checkout buttons.
PayPal Payments Standard
With the PayPal Payments Standard payment method, you can create wide range of buttons to accept both one-time and recurring subscription payments with our plugin.
In order to create a button, you need to insert a shortcode and specify the type in the button parameter.
Buy Now
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="1.00"]
Add to Cart
[wp_paypal button="cart" name="My product" amount="1.00"]
View Cart
[wp_paypal button="viewcart"]
Donation
[wp_paypal button="donate" name="My product"]
Subscription
[wp_paypal button="subscribe" name="My product" a3="1.00" p3="1" t3="M" src="1"]
For subscription setup see how to create a subscription button in WordPress.
PayPal Payments Standard Button Demo
PayPal Payments Standard Shortcode Parameters
Button Image
“button_image” parameter can be added to the shortcode to show your own button image instead of the default PayPal button. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" button_image="https://example.com/images/buy.png"]
Button Text
“button_text” parameter can be added to the shortcode to show a plain PayPal button. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" button_text="Pay Now"]
Shipping
“shipping” parameter can be added to the shortcode to charge shipping for an item. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" shipping="1.75"]
Shipping2
“shipping2” parameter can be added to the shortcode to charge shipping for each additional unit of an item. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" shipping="1.75" shipping2="0.75"]
This means, If a user orders:
My Product (Quantity 1), total shipping would be $1.75.
when the order becomes:
My Product (Quantity 2), total shipping would be $1.75 + $0.75.
When it contains:
My Product (Quantity 3), total shipping would be $1.75 + $0.75 + $0.75.
And so on.
This feature is also very useful if you want to offer shipping at a discounted rate for each additional item.
Tax
“tax” parameter can be added to the shortcode to specify a flat tax amount for an item. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" tax="2.15"]
Tax Rate
“tax_rate” parameter can be added to the shortcode to specify a tax rate for an item. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" tax_rate="2.9"]
Handling Fees
“handling” parameter can be added to the shortcode to charge handling fees for an item. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" handling="2.50"]
This parameter is not quantity-specific. That means the same handling cost applies, regardless of the number of items on the order.
Success Page
“return” parameter can be added to the shortcode to redirect the user to a specific page on your site after the payment. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" return="https://example.com/thank-you"]
Cancellation Page
“cancel_return” parameter can be added to the shortcode to redirect the user to a specific page on your site if they cancel checkout before completing the payment. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" cancel_return="https://example.com/payment-canceled"]
Currency
To use a different currency code than the one you specified in the settings, you can add the “currency” parameter to the shortcode. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" currency="SGD"]
Show/Hide Shipping Address
“no_shipping” parameter can be added to the shortcode to control whether or not to prompt buyers for a shipping address. Allowable values are,
- 0 – Prompt for a shipping address but do not require one (This option is set by default)
- 1 – Do not prompt for a shipping address
- 2 – Prompt for a shipping address and require one
For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" no_shipping="1"]
Shopping URL
“shopping_url” parameter can be added to the shortcode to redirect buyers to a page when they click the Continue Shopping button on the PayPal Shopping Cart page. This parameter can only be used with an Add to Cart/View Cart button. For example:
[wp_paypal button="cart" name="My product" amount="4.99" shopping_url="https://example.com/shop"]
Allow Buyers to Specify the Quantity
“undefined_quantity” parameter can be added to the shortcode to allow buyers to specify the quantity of the item on the Paypal payment page. This parameter is only used with a Buy Now button. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" undefined_quantity="1"]
Open PayPal Button in a New Window/Tab
“target” parameter can be added to the shortcode to open a PayPal button in a new window or tab. For example:
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount="4.99" target="_blank"]
Change a PayPal Button Dynamically
If you have a page containing a single “[wp_paypal]” shortcode button, you can dynamically change the product name and price of the button with query strings in the URL.
https://example.com/button/?wppp_name=product&wppp_amount=2.99To represent a space you can use “%20”.
https://example.com/button/?wppp_name=My%20Product&wppp_amount=2.99This can be useful when you have a separate checkout page with one button and users from other pages of your site are sent to this page to make payments for different products. If you have a form that sends users to different product pages based on the selection, you can just send them to one page by changing the parameters.
This feature is only available for Buy Now type buttons.
PayPal Payments Standard Add-ons
PayPal Payments Standard payment method comes with various add-ons that you can use to enhance its functionality on your website.
Buy Now Custom Amount
Buy Now Custom Amount add-on lets buyers set the amount they will pay for your PayPal Buy Now buttons. It can also be used to give buyers a choice of pre-defined prices.
Buy Now Discount
Buy Now Discount add-on lets you offer various automatic discount options with your PayPal Buy Now buttons.
Custom Input
Custom Input add-on shows a text box with your PayPal Payments Standard buttons. The text box can be used to collect custom data from buyers at checkout. This is really useful if a buyer would like to include a custom note or special instructions.
Product Variations
Product variations add-on can be used to set up variations for your PayPal Payments Standard buttons.
Variable Quantity
Variable Quantity add-on lets buyers enter a quantity for your PayPal Buy Now buttons.
Variable Subscription
Variable Subscription add-on lets buyers set the amount they will pay for your PayPal Subscribe buttons. It can also be used for accepting recurring donation payments.
Mailchimp Integration
Mailchimp Integration add-on can automatically add the buyer’s email address to your chosen Mailchimp audience/list after a PayPal payment.
Contact Form 7 Integration
Contact Form 7 Integration add-on can show a pre-configured PayPal Payments Standard button after a form submission. This allows buyers to make payments after a Contact Form 7 type form is submitted.
Custom Donations
Custom Donations add-on allows visitors to set a donation amount for your WP PayPal donate buttons.
Manage PayPal Orders
When you receive a new order it will appear in the Orders menu. You can then do the following to finalize it:
1) Send a purchase confirmation email to the customer (include download links if applicable)
2) Ship the goods
Technical Support
Note:
* We will try our best to resolve the issue. But there is no refund/cancellation whether or not the issue is resolved.
Additional Resources
Subscription Button
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PayPal payment pending?
If you have sent a PayPal payment that is pending, it’s possible the recipient hasn’t accepted it yet. This may happen if the recipient’s account is configured to review each payment that they receive. It can also happen if the payment is made in a currency that is different from the recipient’s primary currency. In that case the recipient will need to manually review the payment by either converting it to the primary currency or create a new balance in the payment currency. If recipient approves the payment once they will be able to receive payments in that currency in the future automatically.
I have it running now – still in sandbox mode. I am not clear about where the data is. I can click on “All Orders” and see whats been sold but where is that info? I don’t see any mysql db / tables related to this. Is it all in paypal’s realm?
If so how secure is that? Right now in sandbox mode I don’t see any authentication being used.
Can the data be exported?
@Steve, The data that you see in the Orders menu and by editing an order is what the plugin saves after a purchase.
This data is not stored locally however? PayPal holds it. Correct?
@Steve, Yes PayPal has the details of all the purchases.
Please forgive if already answered. Is there a way to submit a unique id # to PayPal during the transaction and get the ID returned via the IPN in order to match the customer up definitively?
Thanks
/sd
I am using test mode. No entries are appearing under “All Orders.” Is that because it is test mode or should the test orders show up?
@Milob, Transactions in test mode should also get recorded. It’s possible that your site is not receiving any notification from PayPal. Do you have the debug option enabled in the plugin?
Same problem – I don’t think that this a bug in your plugin but rather something has gone sideways with Paypal’s sandbox
Can you confirm? I have tried it with Debug activated and with it not. Nothing shows up in the Order’s page or Debug.
I can log into sandbox.paypal as the “business name” and see the transactions. But the plugin is getting zero feedback as near as I can tell
@Steve, Still there is no content in the log file after you enabled it and made a test purchase? Does it at least show a message if you reset the log?
Nothing – yet it is reported on PayPal site.
@Steve, You don’t see a reset message after resetting the debug log file?
I tagged onto a existing ticket in PayPal – they have confirmed its a failure on their end:
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Sandbox-Environment/IPN-not-working-Sandbox/m-p/2022983#M5671@Norman, You are using a different plugin.
I am getting an invalid PayPal account error, where does the client-id 64 byte string go?
Hello! I need the customer to be able to fill out some information needed to fill their order. How can I add a form?
Doesn’t work. Just get this: “PayPal – Things don’t appear to be working at the moment. Please try again later.”
@Deej, Are you testing it in sandbox mode?
I have the same problem.
Tried it normal and in sandbox mode. Hope someone can help.
@Erwin, What shortcode are you using? Please provide a link to the page in question so I can take a look.
Hello Noor,
this is the link to the page:
https://www.457thbombgroupassoc.org/membership/I am using this shortcode:
[wp_paypal button="subscribe" name="membership" amount="25.00" recurrence="1" period="Y" src="1"]Thank you,
Erwin
@Erwin, Thank you. Do you have the “Block non-encrypted website payment” option turned on in your PayPal account?
The option was ‘Block non-encrypted website payment’ was ‘off’. So it should have been working right?
@Erwin, Usually this error occurs when it’s turned on. The problem is PayPal doesn’t say exactly why it happened. Do you see this error in live mode?
Yes I see it in Live mode. Strange!
Hey Noor Alam,
is it possible to customize the return page? I would like to offer a page to print or save after payment, which is then the ticket for an event. It should contain the buyers name.
Thanks a lot for your great work!
Is there ANY way that the paypal checkout/purchase window can open in a POP-UP on the same page rather than take the buyer to a new page/window?
@Thomas, It’s not possible at the moment.
Is there a way to specify the available number of items of a product that can be purchased within the shortcode?
In other words, set the available quantity so the item is not oversold?
@Thomas, You should be able to do this with a plugin that supports stock management.
IS there an associated plugin that works with yours that supports stock management?
Or are you talking about finding a different WordPress Paypal Plugin?
@Thomas, You will need to use a different plugin unfortunately.
I have just set this up to accept payments on my website, but it’s showing my name and address instead of my business name at the checkout. Is there any way to change this?
@Murray, It comes from your PayPal account.
Yeah, but I don’t see an option on PayPal to change/remove this… Any advice?
Is there an option for a View cart button with this plugin?
If a customer adds something to their shopping cart and clicks continue shopping but then decides not to buy anything else, there doesn’t seem to be a way for them to return to their shopping cart.
Help! I have the shortcode to return the customer to a thank you page after checkout, but it is not working. The customer stays on the receipt page and doesn’t return to my website. Do I have something set incorrectly? The thank-you page is live. This is what I’m using:
[wp_paypal button="cart" name="Simplicity in Action: April 2020" amount="10.00" return="https://modernsimplicity.org/thank-you-sia"]Also, the orders are not appearing in the Orders tab. How do I get them to appear there?
THANKS!
@Sandy, Do you see a link on the payment page to return to your site? PayPal may not automatically redirect the customer unless you have auto return enabled in your PayPal account.
I can see the Return the Merchant button now.
My orders still aren’t showing under the Orders tab. Is there something I can do to fix that or should I just watch for Paypal transactions and leave the Orders box alone?
THANKS!!!
@Sandy, Do you have the debug option enabled in the plugin? With debug enabled you will be able to see if the plugin is receiving notification from PayPal.
I do, and it’s definitely receiving the information, just not showing it on the My Orders page. Could it be because my default email address in Paypal was different than my “seller” email address? I’ve updated my default Paypal address to my seller email address. THANK YOU!
@Sandy, The log would show why the plugin failed to update the order.
Or does it need to be a business Paypal account? I was using my regular Paypal account.
I implemented the WordPress PayPal Plugin on one of my client’s websites and it’s working correctly. Thank you for developing and supporting this this plugin.
My question is, does the resulting PayPal integration support Venmo as a payment option?
@Dave, There is no built-in support for Venmo. I don’t know if you can enable Venmo in your PayPal account so it appears as an option on the payment page.
Hello,
Thanks for this plugin!
How do I ensure the plugin returns to a particular page after check out has been completed? I searched for this on Paypal and could not find an answer.
Also, is there a way to test that the plugin works? I only have one Paypal email address (the one I used that is associated with the business). Is there a way I can see what the purchaser will see from start to finish?
Thanks!
@Alisha, You can create sandbox accounts to test how it works.
Thanks for your reply. How do I redirect to a particular page after checkout has been completed?
Thanks again
@Alisha, You can use the “return” parameter in the shortcode. In order to automatically redirect the customer upon checkout, you will also need to have the auto return option enabled in your PayPal account.
Thanks, Noor. Where would I find ‘auto return’ on Paypal’s website? When I search for the option, only help articles associated with the return of goods appear.
Thanks very much.
I am trying to get address details befor they pay, have tried
Someone already posted:
Hello! I need the customer to be able to fill out some information needed to fill their order. How can I add a form?
Have tried.
Show/Hide Shipping Address
“no_shipping” parameter can be added to the shortcode to control whether or not to prompt buyers for a shipping address. Allowable values are,
2 – Prompt for a shipping address and require one
but nothing happens.
Mick
@Mick, This is for customizing the PayPal payment page.
This is where being able to customize your website is critical. I did what you are asking about by using MySQL and PHP on the order form. (Collect and store the data on your site) – once you have confirmation of payment you ship the product.
This Short code isn’t working. The error message says that amount cannot be blank. I see you say this plugin has extensions but I am unable to find the extensions. Not sure what to do to make this short code work.
[wp_paypal button="buynow" name="My product" amount=""]Thanks in advance!
@Tamara, Amount can only be left empty for a donate button. If you want to apply it to a buy button you will need the “Custom Buy Now Amount” extension at the bottom of the page.