PayPal setup
PayPal Checkout redirects the buyer to PayPal to approve the payment, then returns them to Genius Checkout for capture and confirmation.
The merchant receives funds in the PayPal Business account that owns the REST application credentials entered in Genius Checkout.
Capabilities and limitations
| Capability | Genius Checkout support |
|---|---|
| Buyer flow | Redirect to PayPal for approval |
| Payment action | Authorize & Capture only in the current merchant integration |
| Full refunds | Supported |
| Partial refunds | Supported, up to the captured amount |
| Saved payment methods and merchant subscriptions | Not supported by this gateway configuration |
| Supported currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, BRL, MXN |
PayPal account eligibility, receiving capabilities, withdrawal methods, fees, and buyer funding sources vary by country and account. Confirm those details in your PayPal Business account before going live.
Create or select a PayPal REST application
You need a PayPal Business account and a REST application in the PayPal Developer Dashboard.
Sandbox credentials
- Sign in to the PayPal Developer Dashboard.
- Open Apps & Credentials.
- Select Sandbox.
- Create a REST application, or open the application you intend to use.
- Copy its Client ID.
- Reveal and copy its Client Secret.
- Confirm that the sandbox business account associated with the app is the account that should receive test payments.
Live credentials
- Return to Apps & Credentials.
- Select Live.
- Create or open the live REST application.
- Copy the separate Live Client ID and Client Secret.
Sandbox and Live credentials are different even when the applications have the same display name.
Protect the Client Secret
The Client Secret authorizes server-to-server API calls for your PayPal account. Store it only in the password field in Genius Checkout. Do not send it by email, place it in browser code, or expose it on your website.
Configure PayPal in Genius Checkout
Open Gateways, choose PayPal, and click Configure.
| Genius Checkout field | Enter this |
|---|---|
| Client ID | Client ID from the matching Sandbox or Live REST application |
| Client Secret | Client Secret paired with that Client ID |
| Accepted currencies | Only currencies your PayPal Business account is prepared to receive and that Genius Checkout lists as supported |
Recommended setup:
- Enter only the Sandbox credentials in the Test card.
- Enable Test mode.
- Select one or more supported Test currencies.
- Save.
- Add Live credentials only after the sandbox flow is complete.
There is no merchant-editable PayPal API URL, webhook ID, payment-action selector, or order prefix in this gateway configuration.
Test in the PayPal Sandbox
Create or use a sandbox Personal account in the PayPal Developer Dashboard as the buyer. Do not sign in with the sandbox business account that receives the payment.
- Create a Test payment link in a supported currency.
- Select PayPal at checkout.
- Sign in with the sandbox personal buyer.
- Approve the payment.
- Confirm that Genius Checkout records the transaction as captured.
- Confirm the payment in the sandbox business account.
- Issue a partial refund from the Genius Checkout transaction page.
- Confirm the refund in both systems.
- Repeat once and cancel on PayPal to confirm the buyer returns without a completed order.
Genius Checkout creates the PayPal order on its server, sends the buyer to PayPal, and captures the order only after approval.
Refunds
PayPal refunds operate against the captured-payment ID.
- A full refund returns the remaining captured amount.
- A partial refund specifies a smaller amount.
- Multiple partial refunds cannot exceed the captured total.
- Refund availability can be restricted by PayPal account state or transaction age.
Use the refund action on the Genius Checkout transaction page so the local transaction timeline and connected commerce platform are updated with the outcome.
Go live
- Verify that your PayPal Business account can receive payments.
- Add the Live Client ID and Client Secret to the Live card.
- Enable Live mode and select the supported currencies you intend to accept.
- Process a low-value payment using a buyer account you control.
- Confirm the capture in Genius Checkout and the live PayPal activity page.
- Issue and verify a refund.
- Confirm that cancellation returns the buyer to the store without marking the order paid.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Authentication failed | Client ID and Client Secret must be paired and must belong to the selected environment. |
| Buyer sees the wrong PayPal account | Confirm the REST application belongs to the intended PayPal Business account. |
| Payment works in Test but not Live | Live requires a separate app and separate Live credentials. |
| Currency rejected | Use one of the currencies supported by the Genius Checkout PayPal adapter and confirm the PayPal account can receive it. |
| Buyer approved but payment was not captured | Check the Genius Checkout transaction timeline and PayPal order status; do not ask the buyer to pay again until the original order is verified. |
| Refund fails | Confirm the transaction is captured, the stored reference is the PayPal capture ID, and the refundable balance remains available. |
| Subscription option is unavailable | Merchant subscriptions are not supported through the current PayPal gateway configuration. |