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PayPal and Spektrix

Dave McNamara
Dave McNamara
  • Updated

Spektrix offers a wide range of payment methods to meet the needs of your Customers. As well as Payment Service Providers such as Opayo and WorldPay who process your card payments, Spektrix also integrates with PayPal.

Like card transactions, payments made through PayPal are processed automatically and authorised instantly (subject to available funds). This integration gives your Customers more choice of payment methods, making it even easier to purchase online.

 

Before you continue reading this article, make sure you’re familiar with:

 

What is PayPal?

PayPal is an online payment service that facilitates payments between Customers and your organisation. PayPal lets Customers pay for goods and services without having to enter card details each time they make a purchase online.

PayPal is only available for online purchases. It can't be used as a payment method in the Sales Interface, although you will need to use the Sales Interface to process refunds.

WARNING: PayPal is only available in the Classic Checkout. If you use Express Checkout, you won’t be able to take PayPal payments.

 

Setting Up a PayPal Business Account

Before you set up a PayPal account, check with your finance team, as your organisation may already have a PayPal Business account.

If you have a PayPal Business Account, proceed to Generating an API signature. If you don’t have a PayPal account, continue reading this article.

To create a PayPal Business account, click the link below for your region, and follow the on screen instructions:

As part of the account creation process, you’ll be asked by PayPal to provide details about your organisation, to do this, follow the onscreen instructions.

If you experience any difficulties, contact PayPal, using the links below for your region:

 

Generating an API Signature

To integrate Spektrix with PayPal, you’ll need an API signature. An API (Application Programming Interface) is software that lets two applications talk to each other; this means data can be extracted and shared between two organisations.

When using the API integration between PayPal and Spektrix, there are a number of security features to prevent anyone processing unauthorised transactions on your behalf. Provide Spektrix with the following information from your PayPal Business account:

  • API Username
  • API Password
  • Signature

WARNING: If you have a personal PayPal account, you won’t be able to use the API integration, you’ll need to upgrade to a PayPal Business account.

To generate your API Username, Password and Signature, follow these steps:

  1. Log into your PayPal Business account.
  2. Click on Activity from the top navigation menu:


    paypal_top_menu.PNG

  3. Under the Operations menu, click API access:


    paypal_api_access.PNG

  4. Scroll down until you see a heading NVP/SOAP API integration (Classic) and click Manage API credentials:


    manage_api_credentials.png

  5. You’ll see a screen with two options: Request API Signature or Request API certificate. Select Request API Signature.
  6. You’ll then see a View or Remove API Signature screen with the details for your API Signature.
  7. Click Show next to your API Username, API Password and Signature to reveal these details:


    view_api_signature.png

  8. Send these details to Spektrix Support, by following the steps in Sending files to Spektrix using SendSafely. Click Done when finished.

WARNING: Do not send your API credentials by email. Email isn’t a secure method for sending sensitive information.

If you’re unable to use SendSafely, then contact Support by phone to provide the API credentials.

One of our Support Team will add the API credentials to your system, which will activate PayPal as a payment method during Classic Checkout.

Using PayPal Online

Once PayPal is set up, your Customers will see PayPal as a payment method when they reach the Checkout on your website:


paypal_checkout.PNG

 

When PayPal is selected as the payment method, Customers will see a Pay with PayPal: Check out with PayPal button in the Payment section of the Checkout:


paypal_checkout_2.PNG

When a Customer clicks this button, a PayPal login screen will appear. Customers will need to enter their PayPal Email address or Mobile Number and Password to complete the transaction: 

paypal_login.PNG

 

Viewing an Order paid with PayPal

An Order where PayPal is used as the method of payment, displays like any other Order. The only difference is in the Payments section, where you’ll see a Timestamp for the date and time the payment was completed in PayPal:

viewing_paypal_order.PNG

 

PayPal Refunds

PayPal payments can only be taken online and not in the Sales Interface. Refunds, however, must be processed through the Sales Interface. To process a PayPal refund, follow these steps:

  1. Log into Spektrix.
  2. Go to the Sales Interface.
  3. Click Orders:


    order_menu.PNG

  4. Type the Order Number of the Order you want to refund. Click Search and then select the Order:


    order_search.PNG

  5. If you don't have the Order number, you’ll need to search via the Customers tab instead.
  6. Click the Customers tab, then search for the Customer by typing their last name, first name (or initial). Next, select the Customer and click on Orders.
  7. Click on the Order you want to refund :


    order_refund.PNG

  8. Select the item(s) you want to refund by ticking the checkbox to the left of the item(s):


    paypal_refund_1a.PNG

  9. Click the down arrow to the right of the Print button and click Return:


    paypal_refund_2.PNG

  10. In the New Transaction pop-up, choose Counter:


    paypal_refund_3.PNG

  11. Click on the Refunds tab and then click PayPal Express Refund:


    paypal_refund_4.PNG

  12. Confirm the amount you’re refunding and click Ok:


    confirm_paypal_refund.png

  13. Click Confirm to confirm the Refund and choose if the Customer would like to receive a Confirmation email:


    confirm_paypal_refund_2.png

If you have any problems refunding a payment made through PayPal, please speak to an administrator or your finance team.

 

Reconciling PayPal Transactions

When reconciling PayPal payments and refunds, you’ll use Accounting Reports. When output as a PDF, PayPal payments display in the Type column of the standard Payments Report as PayPal:

payments_report.PNG

Although PayPal isn't compatible with Express Checkout, some Accounting Reports will still show PayPal transactions as Express Checkout Payment or Express Checkout Refund. This is because PayPal is considered an express payment (method).

When a Payments Report is output as a CSV or an unformatted Excel file, PayPal payments therefore show as an Express Checkout Payment/Refund:

csv_output.PNG

Other Accounting Reports also display PayPal transactions as an Express Checkout Payment/Refund, whichever Report output is used.

PayPal does not automatically process funds through your business bank account. To withdraw funds from your PayPal Business account you’ll need to log into PayPal and request a withdrawal.

 

You now have the information needed to create a PayPal Business account and process PayPal payments and refunds through Spektrix.