Unlock the latest features from PayPal and get ready for innovative features coming to PayPal Complete Payments*.

Upgrade steps:

1. Verify your current integration

• If you’re using JavaScript SDK buttons and REST API, you’re good to go. Just make sure that your checkout experience is based on version 2 of our Orders API.

  

• If you’re using an older PayPal solution, you’ll need to upgrade. The following legacy solutions require an update to PayPal Complete Payments*:

  • Website Payments Standard
  • NVP/SOAP Express Checkout
  • Orders/Payments v1 APIs

2. Choose between Standard and Advanced solutions of PayPal Complete Payments*

To learn more about Standard and Advanced Checkout, and view a feature comparison between the two options. Choose the solution according to your business requirement.

Standard Checkout solution

Includes PayPal, Pay Later, credit and debit card payment

Advanced Checkout solution

Includes PayPal, Pay Later, credit and debit card, Apple Pay**, Google Pay and alternative payment methods.

3. Set up your sandbox

• Get your API keys

• Log in to the Developer Dashboard to create a REST API app and obtain your client ID and access token.

• Set up your sandbox accounts

• Get your sandbox credentials, including business and personal accounts for testing on web and mobile apps.

4. Set up payment buttons

If you’ve been with PayPal a long time, you may still be using “static” graphical PayPal buttons, such as clickable GIFs. To get all the features of PayPal Complete Payments*, start by upgrading your static buttons to JavaScript SDK buttons. The JavaScript SDK keeps your integration current with the latest button styles and payment features.

• Upgrade static buttons

• upgrade your buttons to JavaScript SDK.

• Customize buttons

• See the JavaScript SDK reference to configure the look and feel of your buttons.

• Set data attributes

• See the JavaScript SDK reference to specify the required data attributes for your experience. Initiate payment must include intent, commit, amount, currency, description of purchase and unique order reference. These attributes must align to your server-side processing.

5. Set up server-side processing

Use the Orders v2 API to create, update, retrieve, authorize, and capture orders. Use the Payments v2 API for post-payment actions.

• Set up a payment

• Using the Orders v2 API to set up a basic transaction and finalize a payment.

• Map your parameters

• Check if your current parameters are supported on Orders v2, then convert your current API integration to Orders v2.

• Fine tune your experience

• See the Orders v2 API Reference to configure the details of your integration.

6. Customize your integration

With PayPal Complete Payments*, you can enjoy the full breadth of PayPal capabilities.

• Pay Later

• Add Pay Later buttons and messaging to your checkout integration.

• Alternative payment methods

• Allow customers to pay with their bank accounts, wallets, and other local payment methods.

• Subscriptions

• Create subscriptions to bill customers at regular intervals.

• Apple Pay**/Google Pay

• Accept mobile payments and digital wallets, such as Apple Pay** and Google Pay.

• Save payment methods

• Save payment methods so payers don't have to enter details for future transactions.

7. Test and go live

• When coding is complete, you’re ready to test and go live with your integration.

• Test

• Test your integration in the PayPal sandbox.

• Go Live

• Update your code with your live client ID and start processing live transactions. Remember to swap the credentials and API URL from sandbox to production when going live with your integration.

Reference and Links

API References

• REST APIs and HATEOAS

• Orders v2 API Reference

• Payments v2 API Reference

• REST API Responses

• REST API Country and Currency Support

Integration Resources

• Use our online document to integrate PayPal Complete Payments* directly or follow instructions on how to set it up with one of our eCommerce platforms.

• Use Postman to explore PayPal’s REST APIs without a developer account.

• Server SDK are available to help with the integration.

FAQs

Where do I start?

Start with setting up your sandbox environment by following the sandbox test guide.

What is a client ID?

If your previous integration was through NVP/SOAP, then you will likely have not encountered a client ID during development. A client ID is a unique credential that is required to execute the API calls using PayPal’s JavaScript SDK.

How can I get the client ID?

Log in to developer.paypal.com, create a REST app and click on it to see the Client ID and the Secret. 

How do I go live?

To move your integration to production, follow this reference.

What’s the difference between NVP/SOAP and REST API Integrations?

Here are some differences you’ll notice between NVP/SOAP and REST APIs:

• • API credentials - REST APIs use a different type of credentials than NVP or SOAP. You’ll use these credentials to obtain an OAuth 2.0 access token, which you’ll provide to the REST APIs.

  • Endpoints - In NVP and SOAP, all requests are done using the HTTP POST verb to the same URL. REST uses a wider range of HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE) along with a URI specific to the API and/or resource being accessed. HTTP headers are sometimes used to provide additional information. In addition, HTTP response codes are used to indicate whether the call succeeded or failed.

  • Parameters/field names - Orders v2 is structured differently, and the parameters may not be the same as your previous integration. PayPal is developing tools to help you map your NVP/SOAP parameters to Orders v2.