Documentation

WooCommerce Gateway PayPal Here

Overview

PayPal Here allows merchants to take payments in-person using the PayPal Here card reader and mobile app. You can initiate a PayPal Here payment for an order from your store easily from a mobile device and the PayPal Here app. Have a desktop in-store instead? Every order has a QR code that allows you to quickly open the order in PayPal Here on a mobile device hooked up to your PayPal Here reader. You can see PayPal Here in action here.

You’ll need PayPal Here enabled for your PayPal Business account. Click here to learn more about PayPal Here.

Installation

↑ Back to top

Download the free extension from WooCommerce.com
Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload and select the ZIP file you just downloaded
Click Install Now, and then Activate
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > PayPal Here and read the next section to learn how to setup and configure the plugin.

Requirements

↑ Back to top

WordPress 4.4+ and WooCommerce 3.0+
PHP version 5.3 or newer (You can see this under WooCommerce > Status)
An SSL certificate for your site
PayPal Here enabled for your PayPal Business account (read more)
PayPal Here app installed on a compatible iOS or Android Device
PayPal Here-compatible card reader (read more)

Setup and Configuration

↑ Back to top

You can configure PayPal Here under Settings > Payments. Note that PayPal Here is an admin-only payment method. Because it’s designed for in-person payments, you won’t see common settings like “title” or accepted card types — customers will not see this payment option in your regular on-site checkout.

WooCommerce PayPal Here extension settings

Enable / Disable – This will enable the gateway to be used in your WooCommerce admin.
PayPal Email – Enter the PayPal email for your PayPal business account.
Invoice Prefix – Enter a prefix for orders created in PayPal via this store. If you use your PayPal account for multiple stores, ensure this prefix is unique — PayPal will not allow orders with the same invoice number.
Default Order Status – Select the default order status to use when a PayPal Here order is paid for. Default is “completed”, as these orders are in person and typically do not require further action.
Debug Mode – Enable this is you are having issues correctly processing transactions. This will save API request and response data to the WooCommerce Error Log (found under WooCommerce > System Status > Logs) or both. All debugging messages are cleaned of sensitive information before display, but as a best practice, please do not enable this unless you are having issues with the plugin.

Merchant Usage

↑ Back to top

You can initiate payments within the PayPal Here app for your WooCommerce orders. You can use an existing order that requires payment, and open it in PayPal Here to swipe a card, or you can create a new order from a mobile device and initiate payment in PayPal Here. There are a few common workflows to do so described below.

Creating new orders on a mobile device

↑ Back to top

If you’re using a tablet or smart phone to take orders, you can create a new order from your mobile device while logged into your WooCommerce store. We recommend using the “PayPal Here” action in the orders list instead of the “Add order” action. While both of these options will let you create an order, they “PayPal Here” action changes the order screen so it’s simplified and tailored to smaller devices.

WooCommerce PayPal Here add new order mobile

When you begin a PayPal Here order, you’ll see a simplified version of the “Add order” screen. You can optionally ask the customer for some personal details if desired, or you can simply add the items to the order and calculate the order total.

Clicking “Create” once you’re ready to accept payment.

Now you’re ready to use PayPal Here. Click “open in PayPal Here” to open the PayPal Here app on your mobile device, and this will ensure the transaction is created in PayPal Here, and all that’s left is to take the payment.

Here’s what this looks like in action:

Pay for an existing order on a mobile device

↑ Back to top

Any order that requires payment (such as pending or on-hold orders) can be paid for via PayPal Here. When you open an existing order that requires payment on your mobile device or table, you’ll see the option to open the order in PayPal Here.

Clicking this action will open the PayPal Here app with the transaction details already filled out from this order, so you can immediately take payment. Here’s what this looks like in action:

Pay for an existing order via desktop device

↑ Back to top

If your in-person location uses a desktop to create orders, you can also trigger PayPal Here on a separate mobile device. Every unpaid order has a QR code generated for PayPal Here, which you’ll see on the order screen.

WooCommerce PayPal Here open existing order

If you open an order on your larger device, this will let you scan the QR code from your mobile device that has the PayPal Here app. Scanning the QR code will open PayPal Here on your device with the order details pre-populated, letting you take payment immediately. Here’s what this looks like in action:

Troubleshooting

↑ Back to top

Need some assistance with PayPal here? Please try our notes below on testing and enable debug mode within the plugin.

Issues testing PayPal Here

↑ Back to top

PayPal Here requires an iOS or Android app on your device to process payments when a credit or debit card is swiped with your PayPal Here reader. These apps do not have a sandbox or test mode available, so only live payments can be processed. You must use a live PayPal account to test transactions as a result. We recommend testing by using the “Cash” method in the PayPal Here app, or using a small transaction if you need to test credit card payments (PayPal’s minimum transaction is $1).

This doesn’t work with my extension.

↑ Back to top

Most extensions are supported out of the box, though some plugins make pretty advanced changes to the “Create order” screen in WooCommerce. We’ve tried to ensure compatibility with many official extensions, but if you see one that doesn’t function as expected, please let our team know! In the meantime, you can create orders for PayPal here using these steps:

Start the order by browsing your shop and adding items to the cart.
Create an order that needs payment by using a “pay later” gateway, such as the “Check” gateway.
Open that order in your store admin, and pay in PayPal Here using the PayPal Here action or QR code.

Other issues

↑ Back to top

Having a different trouble? Follow these steps to make sure everything is setup correctly before posting a support request:

Check that your PayPal email is correct.
Double-check that your PayPal email is entered correctly. 😉
Ensure that your PayPal account is (a) a business account, and (b) has PayPal Here enabled. You will have to contact PayPal to enable this for your account.
Ensure your site is served over https / has an SSL certificate.
Ensure that the transaction you’re attempting to process hasn’t already been processed in PayPal Here, as PayPal Here rejects duplicated payments.
If you see errors while processing transactions, enable debug to the logs and submit a support ticket, with the log found under WooCommerce > System Status > Logs as an attachment.

Frequently Asked Questions

↑ Back to top

Q: Can online customers pay using PayPal Here? A: No, PayPal Here is a point-of-sale (POS) solution. It’s designed to take payments in-person, while syncing them to your WooCommerce store.

Q: Does this support recurring payments, like for Subscriptions? A: No – this plugin helps you connect your store to PayPal for in-person (card present) transactions. As such, saving cards to a vault for later is not supported.

Q: What currencies can I use? A: This plugin supports all currencies allowed by PayPal Here. Supported currencies are: USD, GBP, and AUD.

Q: Why can’t I issue a refund in WooCommerce? A: Refunds for payments processed via PayPal Here must be refunded within the PayPal Here app. You can refund a transaction by following the steps here.

Q: Does this support both production mode and sandbox mode for testing? A: No. PayPal Here requires an iOS or Android app on your device to process payments when a credit or debit card is swiped. These apps do not have a sandbox or test mode available, so only live payments can be processed. You must use a live PayPal account to test transactions as a result. We recommend testing by using the “Cash” method in the PayPal Here app, or using a small transaction if you need to test credit card payments (PayPal’s minimum transaction is $1).

Q: Is PayPal Here compatible with all WooCommerce extensions? A: Most extensions are supported out of the box! Some plugins (Local Pickup Plus is an example) make pretty advanced changes to the “Create order” screen in WooCommerce, and therefore aren’t supported. If you need to create orders that support specific plugins to pay using PayPal Here, you can:

Start the order by browsing your shop and adding items to the cart.
Create an order that needs payment by using a “pay later” gateway, such as the “Check” gateway.
Open that order in your store admin, and pay in PayPal Here using the PayPal Here action or QR code.

Questions & Support

↑ Back to top

Have a question before about the plugin? Please fill out this contact form. Already installed the plugin and need some assistance? Please have a look at our troubleshooting steps to see if the issue can be resolved independently, or get in touch with support via the help desk for further assistance.