PayPal Pro

[mrninja9]

Hello,

 

Wondering if someone who has experience with PayPal Pro can answer a few questions that I have. I searched but couldn't find a straightforward answer.

 

Does it support recurring payments through WHMCS and what are the chargeback fees like? Also, do the funds go into your existing PayPal account?

 

Thanks

[boostplatform]

Yes, PayPal Pro supports recurring payments with WHMCS (and you don't need to pay paypal the crazy fee to enable recurring payments since whmcs handles it). I'm not sure about the chargeback fees, but the funds do go directly into your paypal account's balance just like a normal payment would.

[Tripster]

I actually have a question on Paypal Pro as well, so I'll add it here if the OP don't mind.

 

On their page they state the transaction percentage fee is 2.9%, is this correct and are there additional fees for things like "non-qualified" cards? I do see they charge 3.9% if we receive payments from outside US/Canada.

 

The reason I ask is I'm currently with Optimal Payments and finding they are quite expensive. $35/month for a CAD account, 35/cents per transaction, 3.5% discount fee which can go to 4.5% for "non-qualified" cards which apparently are any with any rewards programs on them, they also hold 5% for 6 months for chargeback usage (been with them almost 10 years and not a single chargeback in that time).

 

So I see this Paypal Pro deal and it does seem like a much better option for us, it would allow multiple currencies as well, with Optimal they want separate accounts for that so add $35/month per extra account for that privilege.

 

Also, for those using Paypal Pro, how has it been for PCI compliance testing? We have our WHMCS on a separate server from our hosting clients which has no client access at all, etc. So I'm assuming we'd be ok.

 

And lastly, does Paypal ding you a 30cent fee for declined authorizations as well?

 

Thanks for any info

Edited November 20, 2009 by Tripster

[aliza147]

Information is really good about Paypal Pro, thanks for sharing

[boostplatform]

On their page they state the transaction percentage fee is 2.9%, is this correct and are there additional fees for things like "non-qualified" cards? I do see they charge 3.9% if we receive payments from outside US/Canada.

I'm not sure about the non-qualified cards, I haven't looked into it in detail but I don't think there is an extra fee.

 

Also, for those using Paypal Pro, how has it been for PCI compliance testing? We have our WHMCS on a separate server from our hosting clients which has no client access at all, etc. So I'm assuming we'd be ok.

They haven't asked us about PCI yet, but I assume they will do so soon. As long as you can provide a report by a reputable company saying that you comply (most likely from McAfee HackerSafe since WHMCS provides a discount on this service for $99/yr) you should be fine.

 

And lastly, does Paypal ding you a 30cent fee for declined authorizations as well?

Unfortunately they do, you won't see the 30cent fee after it is declined, but it will show up on the monthly invoice which will be $30 + auth fees. I believe that when the payment is captured the 30cents is taken out of the payment before it gets you your balance, but any authorizations that aren't captured show up at the end of the month.

[mysmallbizu]

Recurring Payments with PayPal Pro do NOT work correctly if you are in certain countries. When I last checked only UK and US merchants WITH appropriate credit checks were able to process 2nd... and following credit card payments without the client having to login and re-enter their CCV number.

 

For example in Canada Paypal does not allow canadian paypal pro merchants to store the CCV code. As a result when whmcs rebills ( whmcs works correctly) the ccv code is missing from the recurring transaction and results in an error and no rebill.

 

So check with Paypal and make sure that your countries paypal pro agreement allows whmcs to store the CCV code.

[Tripster]

Thanks for the responses, so it seems that being Canadian we'd have issues with the CVV thing anyway. Then adding on the $99/year fee for PCI checking just adds on top of the lower fees almost making things equal.

 

We haven't heard anything from Optimal about PCI compliance checks either so we'll just take a wait and see approach for now. At this point I'm leaning towards just scrapping storing the credit card numbers for clients and have them login to pay invoices monthly since the process is more straight forward with WHMCS anyway, we always had trouble with MB since clients couldn't figure out how to view their invoices, etc.

 

Also reading up on PCI compliance, us leasing servers at datacenters may have issues complying it seems since we don't have physical access to the hardware and others do. I guess another option is moving the billing system into the office here, doable. But again I'm leaning towards just not storing the numbers at all to save all the hassle and potential liabilities involved

[Daniel]

PayPal Pro doesn't require you to store the card information, it can be taken on your site, transmitted to PayPal and stored there. Your clients would not need to login each month and pay manually, WHMCS could request the payment.

[openmind]

Correct but you will need to PCI certified as you are taking card details on your site and PayPal will likely charge a higher fee as the payment would be non-qualified, i.e. the security code will not (read can not) be sent.