Paypal: Express or Pro?

[sports guy]

I had both Paypal Pro and Express enabled in version 1.3.8a and now I am trying to updagrade to 1.3.9 it will only allow me to use one Paypal module at a time! (Crap!!) I liked giving the visitor an option of either checking out without registering (espress) or registering first. What the heck is going on?

Which one should I use? Does express have the same features are Pro? Any ideas?

[DrByte]

Um ... You're misunderstanding something.

Express Checkout lets customers provide payment with or without registering in your store first, and with or without creating a PayPal account.

Website Payments Pro *always* requires that your customer first create an account on your site, and then they make their credit card payment DIRECTLY from your site. They NEVER even know they're using PayPal, because the ONLY thing PayPal does in this case is process the credit card in the background.
And, to enable Website Payments Pro *requires* that you first enable Express Checkout.

So, yes, you can easily have both installed.

[sports guy]

On this same (working) site I have: Paypal Express Checkout and Paypal IPN - Website Payments Standard both operating with version 1.3.8a and the customer can select to either quickly checkout (Express), or to first fill our their information and then pay via Paypal (Standard).

In version 1.3.9b I first installed Paypal Express Checkout and then when I tried to install the Paypal IPN - Website Payment Standard it will not allow. A red error message comes accross the top of the control panel that says:

NOTE: PayPal Express Checkout module already installed. You don't need Standard if you have Express installed.

and will not install.

The same error message comes up when I try and install the Payapal IPN - Website Payment Standard and next try to install Paypal Express Checkout. It also will not install the second one.

These are not the same modules and they do different things! Why are one of them being blocked? I must be missing something. On the current website the Paypal IPN - Website Payment Standard makes them first create an account with us, while the Express goes directly to Paypal. Now giving the customer an option!

P.S. It will let me allow the Paypal Website Payments Pro with the Paypal Exress but I am not sure what the PRO offers. If I recall you have to have and pass a credit check to even offer the Pro. I think it requires extra settings. Am I right?

Since it will not allow me to go with Express and Standard but will allow me to go with Express and Pro, how does Pro differ from Standard? (As far as the Paypal modules are concerned)? I do not want credit cards stored in my database! That is why I have Paypal to begin with.

[DrByte]

You're missing what I'm saying.

You say you like Standard because it lets customers first create an account with you. Well, so does Express Checkout: all they do is ignore the orange Paypal button, and click the regular "checkout" button instead. Then the create their account or login, and when they get to the payment options page, they choose PayPal there. That's still the Express Checkout option, but selected during checkout instead of "before" checkout like the orange button allows. In the end it does the VERY same thing.

If you turn on BOTH Express and Standard at the same time, you will create confusion for your customers because there will be TWO "PayPal" choices on the payment options screen, and they won't know which to choose. And, since they BOTH accomplish the very same thing in the end, there's no need to have both enabled (nor should you, hence the prevention of it in v1.3.9). And, since the Standard module has complicated communications dependencies for it to work reliably, using Express is definitely your better option.

And, yes, Pro is very different, in that it causes customers to supply their credit card details directly while on your site, and never needing to go to PayPal. Yes, that requires an application/approval process.

[pjbonarrigo]

I want to dump Website Payments Pro and use the Express module to process Express Payments for PayPal members and have the Express module also process credit card Payments for non-PayPal members. Can I do this? I'll upgrade from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9 if necessary.

[DrByte]

Yes, you can do that.
Upgrading is advisable since many bugfixes for paypal issues are included in the new 1.3.9 code

[pjbonarrigo]

Thanks.
PayPal support is very ambiguous about this.
They keep trying to push me to Payments Standard or keep using Express for only PayPal members together with Website Payments Pro for credit card processing.
My store has mods for the visually impaired. None of these mods are related to payments, only to product selection.
Payments Standard is not a good interface for the visually impaired. Too many steps and vulnerabilities. I'm hoping that Express fixes one big problem I experienced with Payments Standard. It's been mentioned in other posts. The user picks Pay Now and subsequently closes the browser window. The order, although paid for, never gets communicated back to the store as completed.
Yes, closing the browser is a nasty thing to do but visually impaired users depend on screen readers, and sometimes after the payment appears processed they may close the application or press ALT + TAB and move on to another application.

[DrByte]

Yes, using Express Checkout will remove the problem of the customer closing the browser before the order is completed. That problem with the Standard method is limited to Standard.

You *will* find, however, that if your customers are paying by credit card, that the whole checkout process including paying with credit card is much simpler for the customer if you're using Website Payments Pro (or any other live credit card processing gateway) since the customer enters their card details directly on your website and then the transaction is completed. No need to visit the PayPal site for anything.

I'm not sure why you find that ambiguous.
Each product has its purpose:
- Standard is for eBay or very small shops without advanced ecommerce capabilities like Zen Cart
- Express Checkout is for live webstores like those run with Zen Cart
- Pro is for live webstores who want to accept credit card payments directly without the customer ever knowing that PayPal was involved at all.

It's all discussed at great length here: https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=28 and on PayPal's own website.

[pjbonarrigo]

I like Website Payments Pro. Nine out of ten purchases on our site use it. It is very cool.
Our IT manager would prefer to push all credit card processing out to the PayPal site.

[sports guy]

You're missing what I'm saying.

You say you like Standard because it lets customers first create an account with you. Well, so does Express Checkout: all they do is ignore the orange Paypal button, and click the regular "checkout" button instead. Then the create their account or login, and when they get to the payment options page, they choose PayPal there. That's still the Express Checkout option, but selected during checkout instead of "before" checkout like the orange button allows. In the end it does the VERY same thing.

If you turn on BOTH Express and Standard at the same time, you will create confusion for your customers because there will be TWO "PayPal" choices on the payment options screen, and they won't know which to choose. And, since they BOTH accomplish the very same thing in the end, there's no need to have both enabled (nor should you, hence the prevention of it in v1.3.9). And, since the Standard module has complicated communications dependencies for it to work reliably, using Express is definitely your better option.

And, yes, Pro is very different, in that it causes customers to supply their credit card details directly while on your site, and never needing to go to PayPal. Yes, that requires an application/approval process.

Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for. And the article you also provided showing the differences is very helpful. Looks like Express is all I need!