PayPal Pro for WooCommerce allows you to take credit card details directly on your checkout page.
The PayPal Pro extension gives you access to two gateways: PayPal Pro (website payments pro) and PayPal Pro PayFlow. Both allow you to authorize and capture.
Gateway | Supported Countries | Supported Cards |
---|---|---|
For more info, see: PayPal Product Availability by Country. | ||
PayPal Pro | US, UK, Canada |
|
PayPal Pro PayFlow | US, Australia | Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express |
Important ↑ Back to top
- PayPal Pro is only available to holders of a PayPal Pro Business account.
- An SSL certificate is required. Info on free SSL certificates at: SSL and HTTPS
- Authorizations are guaranteed for up to 3 days, though capture of authorizations can be attempted for up to 29 days.
- You cannot accept payments from customers in Russia if your Payflow Pro account is tied to a Website Payments Pro account.
If you’re in the United States and concerned about PCI compliance, read: PCI-DSS Compliance and WooCommerce.
Installation ↑ Back to top
- Download the .zip file from your WooThemes account.
- Go to: WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New to upload the file you downloaded with Choose File.
- Activate the extension.
Setting up PayPal Pro ↑ Back to top
Obtain Credentials from PayPal ↑ Back to top
PayPal Pro requires that you have a PayPal Pro business account. You can sign up for one at the PayPal website. Be aware that you incur a monthly fee.
Once you have the correct type of account, you will receive API credentials.
Setup and Configuration ↑ Back to top
- Go to: WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.
Note: ‘Payments’ formerly called ‘Checkout’ prior to WooCommerce 3.4. - Select PayPal Pro. This takes you to the Settings screen.
- Configure your settings:
- Enable/Disable – Enable to use. Disable to turn off.
- Title – Enter a title to be shown during checkout
- Description – Enter a description shown to users
- Test Mode – Enable PayPal Sandbox for testing. Remember to disable when ready to go live
- API Username – PayPal Pro API username obtained from PayPal
- API Password – PayPal Pro API password obtained from PayPal
- API Signature – PayPal Pro API signature obtained from PayPal
- Payment Action – Choose to capture funds immediately or only obtain authorization
- 3DSecure – Enable or disable 3D secure (UK only; see below)
- Send Item Details – Checkbox should be ticked. Disable if you experience rounding errors.
- Soft Descriptor – Optional description shown in user’s account statement, e.g., your site/store name. Limit of 23 characters
- Debug Log – Tick checkbox to enable/disable for troubleshooting purposes
- Save.
3-D Secure ↑ Back to top
In the UK, 3-D Secure is required to accept Maestro credit cards and can also help prevent chargebacks. To learn more, see: PayPal UK Security.

To test 3-D Secure with PayPal sandbox, use a credit card from one of your test sandbox buyer accounts and then, depending on the outcome you wish to simulate, choose the expiry date during checkout.
For example, if you use a PayPal sandbox card number 45678xxxxxxx0002 but the Expiry Date 01/2013, you will generate the Fully Authenticated Test case with 3D Secure, and still reach the PayPal gateway for the authorization.
To learn more about 3-D Secure and test cases, see: Implementing 3-D Secure Transactions (UK).
Setting up PayPal Pro PayFlow ↑ Back to top
Obtain Credentials for PayPal PayFlow
PayPal Pro PayFlow requires that have a PayPal Pro business account. You can sign up for one at the PayPal website. Be aware that you incur a monthly fee.
To generate an API user, start at: Profile > Request API credentials > Set up Payflow Pro API access > Create Access
Setup and Configuration ↑ Back to top
- Go to: WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.
Note: ‘Payments’ formerly called ‘Checkout’ prior to WooCommerce 3.4. - Select PayPal Pro PayFlow. This takes you to the Settings screen.
- Configure your settings.
- Enable/Disable – Enable to use. Disable to turn off.
- Title -Enter a title to be shown during checkout
- Description -Enter a description shown to users
- Soft Descriptor – Optional description shown in user’s account statement, e.g., your site/store name. Limit of 23 characters
- Test Mode – Enable PayPal Sandbox for testing. Remember to untick box to go live.
- Transparent Redirect – Shows the form on its own and sends direct to PayPal, which is more secure and PCI compliant friendly. ‘Enable Secure Token’ must be activated on your PayFlow account
- PayPal Vendor – Vendor created when you Set up Payflow Pro API access
- PayPal Password – Password created when you set up Payflow Pro API access
- PayPal User – User created when you set up Payflow Pro API access
- PayPal Partner – PayPal or the value created when you set up Payflow Pro API access
- Payment Action – Choose to capture payment immediately or only obtain authorization
- Debug Log – Tick checkbox to enable/disable for troubleshooting purposes. Otherwise leave disabled.
- Save.
Testing with the Sandbox (not live) ↑ Back to top
To test PayPal Pro:
- Use a Developer account to log into the PayPal Developer website.
- Select Dashboard > Sandbox > Accounts
- Select the -facilitator address, choose Profile > API Credentials, and copy the credentials
- Enable Sandbox mode and enter the API credentials at WooCommerce > Settings > Checkout > PayPal Pro
You can also use the buyer account in Sandbox, and use test credit cards during checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions ↑ Back to top
Can I use PayPal Pro in Australia? ↑ Back to top
PayPal Pro in Australia is not the same as PayPal Pro in the the US/Canada/UK, so this extension will not work with a PayPal Pro Australia account. HOWEVER, you can set up a PayFlow account in Australia, and PayPal will link that with your PayPal account and you can use that with this extension.
Can I change the credit card icons? ↑ Back to top
The icon used is filterable by adding code to your theme functions.php file. Replace the image URL as follows.
For PayPal Pro:
For PayPal Pro Payflow:
Ensure to link your icon via https to keep the connection secure.
How do I enable address verification? ↑ Back to top
Address verification is done on the PayPal side. If address verification fails, the order is put On Hold.
Is this compatible with WooCommerce Subscriptions? ↑ Back to top
No, PayPal Pro does not support recurring billing at this time.
What is the transaction ID? ↑ Back to top
PayPal Pro generates unique transaction IDs for the authorization and the capture. This means that while the authorization ID is made available as soon as you authorize, the capture ID is not available until the funds are captured.
Receiving “PayPal Express Checkout is not setup on this account”? ↑ Back to top
Consider changing the privilege role for your PayPal user from API_FULL_TRANSACTIONS to ADMIN_TRANSACTIONS.
- Log in to your PayPal Manager account.
- Enter your Partner, Merchant Login and Password information, then click Log In.
- Click Account Administration.
- Under Manage Users you can then edit privilege levels.
For more information on predefined roles, see About User Privilege Levels.
Questions and Feedback ↑ Back to top
Have a question before you buy? Please fill out this pre-sales form.
Already purchased and need some assistance? Get in touch with a Happiness Engineer via the Help Desk.