PayPal Express Checkout: Landing Page = Billing
I'm trying to get PayPal Express Checkout to consistently use the "Billing" landing page where card numbers can be entered directly.
I've tried everything I can google and got some very strange results. When I redirect to PayPal, I get the Billing page 50% of the time, and the PayPal Login / Check Out as Guest page the other 50% (literally just clicking the Back button and then Checkout again gives different results). I really need to constantly go to the Payment page.
SetExpressCheckoutRequestType pp_Request = new SetExpressCheckoutRequestType();
pp_Request.Version = "117.0";
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails = new SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetailsType();
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.SolutionType = SolutionTypeType.SOLE;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.PaymentAction = PaymentActionCodeType.SALE;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.LandingPage = LandingPageType.BILLING;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.FundingSourceDetails = new FundingSourceDetailsType();
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.FundingSourceDetails.UserSelectedFundingSource = UserSelectedFundingSourceType.CREDITCARD;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.ReturnURL = serverName + returnUrl;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.CancelURL = serverName + cancelUrl;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.OrderTotal = new BasicAmountType();
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.OrderTotal.currencyID = CurrencyCodeType.GBP;
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.OrderTotal.value = String.Format("{0:F2}", amount);
pp_Request.SetExpressCheckoutRequestDetails.NoShipping = "1";
As you can see, I am setting the solution version and type, as well as the payment action and the landing page and funding source, and it still doesn't work reliably.
The randomness of this feels like they are doing some A / B tests. Sometimes, on the wrong page, the button says "Check out as a guest" and sometimes it says "Try PayPal as a guest." While I don't mind A / B testing for text, completely changing the landing page when I asked for it isn't too much.
What else could it be?
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Got a response from PayPal support: This is a bug. What they seem to be in no hurry to fix.
UPDATE - PayPal only notified me that this has been fixed.
I asked:
"I have a customer who is using Express Checkout and wants the landing page to be an 'Insert Card' page.
This is a B2B transaction, and the presence of a PayPal cookie on the buyer's computer does not indicate that PayPal verification is appropriate. They will almost always want to use a company credit card that is not associated with any PayPal account.
I am setting all the required properties in a request that I can find in your documentation or on Google, but they are ignored.
Can I force an express order to be accelerated so that it uses billing systematically for the landing page? "
and they answered:
"The LandingPage variable is being ignored that this point in time using a new validation flow - this has already been brought to the attention of the developers to fix it.
Unfortunately we do not have an ETA for this fix at the moment.
You will be notified after the hotfix is deployed.
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First: yes, PayPal is constantly testing to improve their flows, so they will be testing A | B. These two text buttons, in particular, sound like a classic test A | B and probably any tests with the highest conversion rates (which means the majority of sales for merchants) will be accepted as a 100% decision in the future. PayPal also checks cookies to try to offer the optimal page with the most likely conversion to each customer (for example, if an active PayPal cookie makes the PayPal login view visible, no PayPal cookie makes the direct card entry more visible). Again, this is done to increase overall conversions. You can work to defeat / override these options, but I would not recommend it; imposing your expectations on your customers, you probablylosing sales.
As an aside, some of what you see may not be A | B-testing or PayPal conversion optimization, but rather a mismatch between product and use. ExpressCheckout is essentially a patent-based PayPal / PayPal payment product. It was built without any guest verification intended to be used alongside direct credit card billing (PayPal DirectCreditCard API or other payment gateway / processor). Later, a "guest checkout" was added to Express Checkout so it can be used as the only solution, but the Express Checkout request as a gateway is to ask the F150 to be a sports car (or a sports car, which will be F150). Different product. Yes, sometimes you can put your suitcase in the passenger seat,but if your main goal is shipping, you are probably wrong :).
If your expected usage is hosted, but a direct card focused on PayPal customers is considered “added,” then consider the PayPal Hosted Sole Solution. This is a PayPal product that is designed to provide a centralized presentation of card payments, but has an "outlet" to PayPal accountholder payments, and not vice versa. Or consider integration via Braintree (which is now PayPal), which has a nice SDK that combines Braintree credit card payments and PayPal subscription payments.
I would also pick out there that you might find that the PayPal brand isn't all that bad for your business. For most small and medium-sized sellers, it builds trust and can significantly boost sales.
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