Paypal Express Checkout: Will it work without customer's account?

**henryvuong** · 2 Apr 2007, 08:39 PM

I am in the process of building my Zen Cart (v1.3.7). One of the disadvantage (or advantage?) of Zen Cart is the lack of "check out without account" feature. I have done some research on this topic and believe that Paypal Express Checkout is the workaround.

Am I correct in assuming that when using Paypal Express Checkout, customer can pay with credit card and need not to create an account neither with Paypal nor my Zen Cart?

Also, can someone show me a live/demo store that uses Paypal Express Checkout? Thanks.

**poil11** · 3 Apr 2007, 12:55 AM

People have the option of not creating a paypal account.

Zencart will automatically make them an account and email them a password and what not.

So yes, it is similar to a checkout without account feature.

http://www.obeygiant.com/store/

**henryvuong** · 6 Apr 2007, 01:05 AM

OK, so Paypal account is not required, but since Zen Cart automatically creates an account, do customers need to use that account and password the next time? Or they can just make another transaction with the same email address as if they have never been there before?

**DrByte** · 6 Apr 2007, 09:57 AM

If they use Express Checkout the next time, and the same email address while at PayPal, yes.

**henryvuong** · 9 Apr 2007, 10:57 PM

Please read my other post on this issue. I need some advise. Thanks.

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?p=356112

**Hound** · 19 Apr 2007, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by poil11

People have the option of not creating a paypal account.

Zencart will automatically make them an account and email them a password and what not.

So yes, it is similar to a checkout without account feature.

http://www.obeygiant.com/store/

Do they still need to go through the steps of creating a zencart account or can it take them straight to paypal and then import the info from Paypal to zencart? It seems cumbersome and confusing for a customer to have to go through 5 or 6 pages to checkout.

**DrByte** · 24 Apr 2007, 05:26 AM

I'll restate it again slightly differently:

If the customer logs into a PayPal account (new or old), then when they are returned to your site, they get an account created and are auto-logged in to your site so they can complete the purchase. That's "part" of the "Express" in "express checkout". It also typically bypasses the shipping and payment-method pages so that all they have to do is confirm the purchase amount (which now includes taxes and shipping etc).

It is not intended to "be" a "purchase without account" module. It is a payment module, with benefits.