to accept credit cards via paypal

[HeleneWallis]

You need to contact Paypal. They will set it up for you. I have used Paypal as a credit card processor now for over a year. They do an excellent job at rates comparable with other processors. They will install a bit of code that allows the customer to enter their credit card information right on the page where the Paypal checkout button is, removing the customer's confusion about "confirming a purchase" before being take to another card processor's site. I much prefer it to the way it was handled with authorize.net.

[HeleneWallis]

Hi Helene,
Please see also the Express Checkout support forum:
https://www.zen-cart.com/forumdispla...eckout-support
To summarize as well as I am able:
1. You need to enable the guest checkout in your Papal account (it is called something like optional paypal account creation).
2. Paypal has many restrictions (see the forums) on actually letting guest check out with a credit card without having a Paypal account. So you will have to contact Paypal to activate this for you (with restrictions most likely being that you and the buyer will be out of protection), and that it may stop working at any time and you will have to ask them to set it again.
3. If Paypal set this for you to work, it only works on the live account, so you cannot test guest checkout with credit card only, on the sandbox.

IMHO, I think you are mistaken in that Paypal is a credit card processor. As someone already pointed out in the support thread, Paypal is in the business of making money of Paypal transactions going through their system, and they will go everything possible to try to nudge people to use Paypal accounts.

Offering guest account checkout is dependent very much on geographical location (country regulations), and after that on Paypal's own policies.

My personal view, based on extremely limited experience so far, is that Paypal is an excellent (and historically, for me anyway, first choice) option to offer, but it should not be the only credit card payment option on your store.

Sorry, I didn't see this when you posted it. You're mistaken, Paypal (in the US, at least) is indeed a full credit card processor that offers all the services provided by any other card processor. Their services are dependent on country location, no doubt, but that's true for any card processor. I've used them since October 2018 and would have to see substantial changes in their policies and discounts for anyone to persuade me to switch to another company.

[TamyA]

One thing to add to this topic: I recently found out that PayPal no longer refund the fees when you fully refund your customer, after searching the net i found out that it is their new policy to keep the 2.9% + 0.30 even if you fully refund the buyer after the purchase made. Got charged $71 for a sale that i never made. Time to search for another processor and get a way from eBay and Paypal.

[RixStix]

Sorry, I didn't see this when you posted it. You're mistaken, Paypal (in the US, at least) is indeed a full credit card processor that offers all the services provided by any other card processor. Their services are dependent on country location, no doubt, but that's true for any card processor. I've used them since October 2018 and would have to see substantial changes in their policies and discounts for anyone to persuade me to switch to another company.

Helene,
I assume you mean PayPal can be a traditional CC processor when using PayPal WebPayment Pro which is transparent to the customer for CC entry, not just the plain, regular, no extra expenses PayPal account used to accept payments via a PP screen or window?