Payflow Recurring Billing Service User’s Guide

Contents

Contents of the PayPal Payflow Gateway Recurring Billing guide are described below.

This Guide

This guide describes how to use the Payflow SDK to perform recurring billing transactions. The Recurring Billing Service is a scheduled payment solution that enables you to automatically bill your customers at regular intervals – for example, a monthly fee of $42 for 36 months with an initial fee of $129.

Audience

This guide assumes that its readers:

• Are experienced web or application developers
• Have a background in payments services
• Are familiar with the contents of the Payflow Gateway Developer Guide and Reference. That document along with this guide are your primary sources of information on developing payments applications.

Purpose

This guide describes how to use the Payflow SDK to perform recurring billing transactions. For details on how to use PayPal Manager – the web-based administration tool for processing transactions manually, issuing credits, and generating reports, see PayPal Manager online help.

Organization of This Guide

• Managing Payflow Services — provides an overview of the Recurring Billing functionality available in PayPal Manager and in the Payflow SDK.
• Using the SDK to Perform Recurring Tasks — describes the use of the Payflow SDK to perform recurring transactions.
• Testing Recurring Billing — describes how to test recurring transactions.
• Appendix Obtaining Consent to Bill Customers Using Recurring Billing — outlines your responsibilities in obtaining prior authorization from the customer to bill on an automated schedule.

Where To Go For More Information

Payflow Gateway Developer Guide and Reference Describes the Payflow Gateway, a high performance TCP/IP-based Internet payment gateway solution. Payflow is pre-integrated with leading e-commerce solutions and is also available as a downloadable Payflow SDK.

This guide contains:

• Detailed descriptions of the Payflow transaction parameters
• Error code information
• Testing information

See the Payflow ACH Payment Service Guide for details on the ACH payment processing. All the Payflow documentation can be found on the PayPal developer website. See PayPal Manager online help for details on how to use PayPal Manager to perform recurring tasks.

How to Contact Customer Service

For answers to specific questions about PayPal products:

• Email Payflow support at payflow-support@paypal.com.
• Call Payflow support at 1-888-883-9770.

Revision History

Managing Payflow Services

This chapter provides a high-level overview of the tasks you can perform using PayPal Manager and the Payflow SDK.

You must have prior authorization from the customer to bill on an automated schedule. See the Appendix, Obtaining Consent to Bill Customers Using Recurring Billing, for additional details.

In This Section

• About Payflow Services
• Recurring Billing Terminology
• Overview of Recurring Billing Actions Using the Payflow SDK
• Overview of the Payflow Services Interface in PayPal Manager

About Payflow Services

The Appendix, Obtaining Consent to Bill Customers Using Recurring Billing presents the relevant sections from PayPal’s Merchant Services Agreement. To configure a customer to be automatically billed on a schedule, you define a recurring billing profile for that customer. The profile specifies the account to bill, the associated contact information, the amount to charge each time, the payment period (monthly, weekly, and so on), and the term (the number of payments) of the agreement.

When you submit the data, PayPal generates the new profile, activates it, and automatically performs the billing on the specified schedule. As time goes on, the profile stores both the configuration information that you supplied and the transaction and payment history for the account. When the term is complete, the profile is mature and no further automated transactions occur.

When defining the profile, you have the option to perform an initial transaction that differs from the recurring transaction, for example, to perform a no-charge transaction that validates the account information or to charge an initial fee. In addition, you can specify how to handle declined transactions. You can perform most recurring billing tasks using either PayPal Manager or the Payflow SDK.

Recurring Billing Terminology

The following describes terms you should be familiar with when using the Recurring Billing Service.

Overview of Recurring Billing Actions Using the Payflow SDK

The Payflow SDK supports several actions that enable you to manage recurring payment accounts. See Using the SDK to Perform Recurring Tasks for details on performing the following supported actions:

Add (ACTION=A)

Add a new recurring billing profile either by submitting the required data (credit card number or PayPal account, payment amount, payment period, and so on) or by converting an existing transaction into a profile. Upon successful creation, PayPal activates the profile, performs the optional initial transaction if specified, initiates the payment cycle, and returns a Profile ID.

Modify (ACTION=M)

Modify any setting in the profile. You have the option to run an Optional Transaction.

Reactivate (ACTION=R)

Reactivate the specified inactive profile. You specify a new start date and have the option to alter any other profile parameter.

Cancel (ACTION=C)

Deactivate the recurring profile. PayPal records the cancellation date.

Inquiry (ACTION=I)

Inquire about the status of a profile and its payment and transaction history.

Payment (ACTION=P)

Perform a real-time retry on a previously failed transaction.

Overview of the Payflow Services Interface in PayPal Manager

PayPal Manager enables you to create and manage recurring billing tasks. See PayPal Manager online help for details on how to perform the following supported tasks:

• Adding a profile for a new recurring billing customer
• Managing profiles
• Configuring optional email messages
• Generating reports

Using the SDK to Perform Recurring Tasks

This chapter describes the use of the Payflow SDK to perform recurring transactions. You have the option of performing most recurring billing tasks either from PayPal Manager or from your code using the Payflow SDK. You must, however, configure email settings using PayPal Manager, as described in PayPal Manager online help.

You must have prior authorization from the customer to bill on a schedule. See the Appendix, Obtaining Consent to Bill Customers Using Recurring Billing, for additional details.

In This Section

• About Recurring Billing Profile Actions
• Using the Add Action
• Using the Modify and Reactivate Actions
• Using the Cancel Action
• Using the Inquiry Action to View Information for a Profile
• Using the Inquiry Action to View the Status of Payments
• Using the Payment Action

About Recurring Billing Profile Actions

ACTION operations in the Payflow SDK manipulate profiles (add, modify, reactivate, cancel, and inquire about status) and submit manual retry requests for failed transactions.

Action and Parameter Definitions

The following table shows how ACTION values are defined in this document.

Using the Add Action

You can Add (ACTION=A) a new recurring profile either by submitting the data that defines the profile or by converting an existing transaction into a profile.

Upon successful creation of a profile, PayPal activates the profile, performs the Optional Transaction, if specified, initiates the payment cycle, and returns a Profile ID. Upon failure, PayPal does not generate the profile and returns an error message.

Adding a New Profile

To create a new profile:

Provide all required data and specify whether to perform an Optional Transaction. The Optional Transaction is either of the following:

• A Sale transaction for an amount that you specify (typically an account start-up fee)
• An Authorization transaction to validate the customer’s account information before creating the profile. No amount is passed with this option. (This transaction option is also known as zero-dollar authorization or account verification.)

The recurring profile record keeps track of the total amount collected as a result of optional Sale transactions in addition to the normal recurring transactions.

To convert an existing transaction into a profile:

Specify the PNREF of the transaction to use it as a template, and optionally supply additional payment data.

You can use only a Sale or Delayed Capture transaction as a template for a profile. You can specify values for the following transaction parameters in an Add action:

BILLTOFIRSTNAME
BILLTOMIDDLENAME
BILLTOLASTNAME
BILLTOSTREET
BILLTOCITY
BILLTOSTATE
BILLTOZIP
BILLTOCOUNTRY
BILLTOPHONENUM
BILLTOEMAIL
SHIPTOFIRSTNAME
SHIPTOMIDDLENAME
SHIPTOLASTNAME
SHIPTOSTREET
SHIPTOCITY
SHIPTOSTATE
SHIPTOZIP
SHIPTOCOUNTRY
COMMENT1
COMPANYNAME

Example Add Actions

Adding a New Profile for a Credit Card Account

The following example Payflow parameter string creates a recurring billing profile that bills a credit card account. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Add Action and Optional Parameters for the Add Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=A
2&PROFILENAME=RegularSubscription&AMT=42.00&ACCT=4012888888881881&EXPDATE=0203
3&START=12012013&PAYPERIOD=WEEK&TERM=12&OPTIONALTRX=S&OPTIONALTRXAMT=2.00
4&COMMENT1=First-time customer

Adding a New Profile for a PayPal Account

The following example Payflow parameter string creates a recurring billing profile that bills a PayPal account. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Add Action and Optional Parameters for the Add Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=P&PARTNER=PayPal&USER=Acme&PWD=test1234&ACTION=A
2&PROFILENAME=RegularSubscription&AMT=4.46&BAID=B-29X12812Y7908851G
3&START=09252013&PAYPERIOD=WEEK&TERM=12&OPTIONALTRX=A&MAXFAILPAYMENTS=1
4&RETRYNUMDAYS=1&CURRENCY=USD

Converting an Existing Transaction Into a Profile

The following example Payflow parameter string creates a profile for an original transaction that had a PNREF< value of xyz123 and specifies a payment amount of $42. You must set the ORIGID value to the original transaction’s PNREF value. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Add Action and Optional Parameters for the Add Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=A
2&PROFILENAME=RegularSubscription&ORIGID=XYZ123&START=12012013&PAYPERIOD=WEEK&TERM=12
3&OPTIONALTRX=S&OPTIONALTRXAMT=2.00&COMMENT1=First-time customer&AMT=42.00

Example Response for the Add Action

The following is an example response for the Add Action. Returned values are described in Response Values for the Add Action

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RWY504915344&PROFILEID=RP000000001234&RESPMSG=Approved&TRXRESULT=0
2&TRXPNREF=VWYA04915345&TRXRESPMSG=Approved&AUTHCODE=489PNI

Required Parameters for the Add Action

The following parameters are required for the Add action:

Optional Parameters for the Add Action

Response Values for the Add Action

The Payflow Gateway Developer Guide and Reference describes the response values in detail.

Returned Values if You Specify an Optional Transaction

The following table lists values that are included in the response if the transaction involved an optional transaction, such as an account verification or an initial charge. Other payment-related fields could also be returned, depending on your configuration (for example, verbosity level).

Using the Modify and Reactivate Actions

You can Modify (ACTION=M) any profile value by sending any subset of the profile parameters. If the profile is currently inactive (because you deactivated it), then the Modify action reactivates it.

The Modify action can also be used to update credit card account information using information from an existing transaction. This is done by passing the PNREF of the existing transaction in the ORIGID field.

Additionally, the Modify action is useful, for example, when an inactive customer wishes to restart payments using a new valid credit card. The Modify action changes a profile’s STATUS to active but does not change the START date. To change the START date, use the Reactivate command (ACTION=R). Profile STATUS is described in Response Values for the Profile Status Inquiry Action.

You can Reactivate (ACTION=R) a profile with inactive STATUS. (Profiles can be deactivated for the following reasons: the term has completed, the profile reached maximum allowable payment failures, or you canceled the profile.) You have the option to alter any profile parameter, including an Optional Transaction, and you must specify a new start date.

Example Modify Action

Modifying the Payment Amount

The following example Payflow parameter string uses the Modify (ACTION=M) action to change the amount of payment to $42.00 (AMT=42.00) for profile ID number RP0000001234.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4
2&ACTION=M&AMT=42.00&ORIGPROFILEID=RP0000001234

Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions.

Modifying the Account Expiration Date

The following example Payflow parameter string uses the Modify (ACTION=M) action to change the account expiration date (EXPDATE=0115) for profile ID number RP0000001234.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4
2&ACTION=M&EXPDATE=0115&ORIGPROFILEID=RP0000001234

Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions.

Modifying Account Information Using an Existing Transaction

The following example Payflow parameter string uses the Modify (ACTION=M) action to copy credit card account information from an existing transaction, using the transaction PNREF (ORIGID=ABBC7D16J6H3), to profile ID number RP0000001234.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=M
2&ORIGID=ABBC7D16J6H3&ORIGPROFILEID=RP0000001234

Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions.

Example Reactivate Action

Payments missed while a profile is inactive are not re-tried if you reactivate the profile after the missed payment periods have passed. To submit the missed payment transactions, you must reactivate the profile and increase the value of either TERM or MAXFAILPAYMENTS. Alternatively, perform a manual payment using PayPal Manager – the profile is activated as a side effect of the manual payment.

The following example Payflow parameter string performs a Reactivate action. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=R
2&ACCT=4012888888881881&START=11082013&VERBOSITY=HIGH

Example Response to a Modify or Reactivate Action

The following is an example of a successful response to a Modify or Reactivate action. Returned values are described in Returned Values for the Modify or Reactivate Actions.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RWY504915344&PROFILEID=RP000000001234&RESPMSG=Approved&TRXRESULT=0
2&TRXPNREF=VWYA04915345&TRXRESPMSG=Approved&AUTHCODE=489PNI

To verify any modifications made to a recurring billing profile, see Using the Inquiry Action to View Information for a Profile.

Required Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions

The following table shows required parameters for the Modify and Reactive actions.

Optional Parameters for the Modify and Reactivate Actions

The following parameters do not need to be changed or added for a Modify or Reactivate action.

Returned Values for the Modify or Reactivate Actions

Returned Values if You Specify an Optional Transaction

The following table lists values that are included in the response if the transaction involved an Optional transaction. Other payment-related fields could also be returned, depending on your configuration (for example, verbosity level).

Using the Cancel Action

You can Cancel (ACTION=C) the recurring profile to deactivate the profile from performing further transactions. The profile is marked as cancelled and the customer is no longer billed. PayPal records the cancellation date.

All parameters other than those listed in the example are ignored, and no profile settings are changed when you submit a Cancel action.

Example Cancel Action

The following example Payflow parameter string performs a Cancel action. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Cancel Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4
2&ACTION=C&ORIGPROFILEID=RP000000001234

Example Response to the Cancel Action

Returned values are described in Returned Values for the Cancel Action.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RWY504915344&PROFILEID=RP000000001234&RESPMSG=Approved
2&TRXRESULT=0&TRXPNREF=VWYA04915345&TRXRESPMSG=Approved&AUTHCODE=489PNI

Required Parameters for the Cancel Action

Returned Values for the Cancel Action

Using the Inquiry Action to View Information for a Profile

You can use the Inquiry action to request two different sets of information for a profile:

• To view the full set of payment information (that is, the recurring and optional transaction details), you submit two separate Inquiry actions (see Using the Inquiry Action to View the Status of Payments
• To view the recurring transaction details, pass the PAYMENTHISTORY=Y name-value pair with the Inquiry action.
• To view the optional transaction details, pass the PAYMENTHISTORY=O name-value pair with the Inquiry action.
• To view the status of a customer’s profile, submit an Inquiry action that does not include the PAYMENTHISTORY parameter (alternatively, submit PAYMENTHISTORY=N, the default value). This use is described in this section.

Using the Inquiry Action to View the Status of the Profile

See the following examples:

Example Profile Status Inquiry Action

The following example Payflow parameter string performs a profile status Inquiry action. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Profile Status Inquiry Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme
2&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=I&ORIGPROFILEID=RP000000001234&VERBOSITY=HIGH

Example Response to a Profile Status Inquiry Action

The following is an example response to a profile status Inquiry action. Returned values are described in Response Values for the Profile Status Inquiry Action.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=R2X52F7AA3E9&PROFILEID=RT0000000278&STATUS=ACTIVE&CREATIONDATE=0410201
25&PROFILENAME=123456789/*&START=04112015&TERM=0&NEXTPAYMENT=12112019&PAYPERIOD=DAYS
3&LASTCHANGED=12102019&RPSTATE=6&NEXTPAYMENTNUM=1706&COMMENT1=Pass Comment&
4FREQUENCY=1&TENDER=C&AMT=1.00&ACCT=4012XXXXXXXX1881&EXPDATE=1018&AGGREGATEAMT=1705.00
5&AGGREGATEOPTIONALAMT=5.00&MAXFAILPAYMENTS=0&NUMFAILPAYMENTS=0&RETRYNUMDAYS=0&
6BILLTOEMAIL=customer@email.com&BILLTOFIRSTNAME=Lord&MBILLTOMIDDLENAME=Middle&
7BILLTOLASTNAME=Nikkon&BILLTOSTREET=123 Main St&BILLTOCITY=Omaha&BILLTOSTATE=NE
8&BILLTOZIP=12345&BILLTOCOUNTRY=US&BILLTOPHONENUM=403-234-5678&SHIPTOFIRSTNAME=Lord
9&SHIPTOMIDDLENAME=Middle&SHIPTOLASTNAME=Nikkon&SHIPTOSTREET=123 Testing
10&SHIPTOCITY=San Jose&SHIPTOSTATE=CA&SHIPTOZIP=67890&SHIPTOCOUNTRY=US

Required Parameters for the Profile Status Inquiry Action

Response Values for the Profile Status Inquiry Action

An Inquiry action for profile status can return any of the values listed in the following table. Inquiries echo only those name-value pairs sent to the recurring billing server. For example, if, while adding or modifying a profile, you do not assign a value to PHONENUM, inquiries about the profile do not return a value for PHONENUM.

Using the Inquiry Action to View the Status of Payments

To view the full set of payment information (that is, the recurring and optional transaction details), you submit two separate Inquiry actions:

• To view the recurring transaction details, pass the PAYMENTHISTORY=Y name-value pair with the Inquiry action.
• To view the optional transaction details, pass the PAYMENTHISTORY=O name-value pair with the Inquiry action.

Using the Inquiry Action to view Recurring Transaction Details

Example Status for a Recurring Transaction Details Inquiry Action

The following example Payflow parameter string performs a recurring transaction details Inquiry action. Inquiry action parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Status of Payments Inquiry Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4&ACTION=I
2&PAYMENTHISTORY=Y&ORIGPROFILEID=RT0000001234

Example Results for a Recurring Transaction Details Inquiry Action

The following is an example response to a recurring transaction details Inquiry action. The data includes only the final payment attempt for each payment period. The characters P_ are prepended to parameter names to indicate that they represent historical payment data. The number appended to parameter names is the payment number.

Returned values are described in Required Parameters for the Status of Payments Inquiry Action.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RKM500141021&PROFILEID=RT0000000100&P_PNREF1=VWYA06156256
2&P_TRANSTIME1=21-May-04 04:47 PM&P_RESULT1=0&P_TENDER1=C&P_AMT1=1.00
3&P_TRANSTATE1=8&P_PNREF2=VWYA06156269&P_TRANSTIME2=27-May-04 01:19 PM
4&P_RESULT2=0&P_TENDER2=C&P_AMT2=1.00&P_TRANSTATE2=8&P_PNREF3=VWYA06157650
5&P_TRANSTIME3=03-Jun-04 04:47 PM&P_RESULT3=0&P_TENDER3=C&P_AMT3=1.00
6&P_TRANSTATE3=8&P_PNREF4=VWYA06157668&P_TRANSTIME4=10-Jun-04 04:47 PM
7&P_RESULT4=0&P_TENDER4=C&P_AMT4=1.00&P_TRANSTATE4=8&P_PNREF5=VWYA06158795
8&P_TRANSTIME5=17-Jun-04 04:47 PM&P_RESULT5=0&P_TENDER5=C&P_AMT5=1.00
9&P_TRANSTATE5=8&P_PNREF6=VJLA00000060&P_TRANSTIME6=05-Aug-04 05:54 PM
10&P_RESULT6=0&P_TENDER6=C&P_AMT6=1.00&P_TRANSTATE6=1

Using the Inquiry Action to View Optional Transaction Details

Example Status for an Optional Transaction Details Inquiry Action

The following example Payflow parameter string performs an optional transaction details Inquiry action. Inquiry action parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Status of Payments Inquiry Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&PARTNER=PayPal&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d5&ACTION=I&PAYMENTHISTORY=O
2&ORIGPROFILEID=RP0000000176

Example Results for an Optional Transaction Details Inquiry Action

The following is an example response to an optional transaction details Inquiry action. The data includes only the final payment attempt for each payment period. The characters P_ are prepended to parameter names to indicate that they represent historical payment data. The number appended to parameter names is the payment number.

Returned values are described in Return Values for a Status of Payments Inquiry Action.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RFH50DCFC123&PROFILEID=RP0000000176&P_PNREF3=VFHA0DC47259
2&P_TRANSTIME3=11-May-09 12:16 PM&P_RESULT3=0&P_TENDER3=C&P_AMT3=1.97
3&P_TRANSTATE3=8&P_PNREF2=VFHA0DC47256&P_TRANSTIME2=11-May-09 12:14 PM
4&P_RESULT2=0&P_TENDER2=C&P_AMT2=1.97&P_TRANSTATE2=8&P_PNREF1=VFHA0DC4724E
5&P_TRANSTIME1=11-May-09 12:00 PM&P_RESULT1=0&P_TENDER1=C&P_AMT1=10.97&P_TRANSTATE1=8

Required Parameters for the Status of Payments Inquiry Action

Return Values for a Status of Payments Inquiry Action

The return parameter names have the format P_<parameter_name>n, where the index n reflects the payment number, starting at 1. The values listed in the following table are returned for each payment:

Using the Payment Action

The Payment action (ACTION=P) performs a real-time retry on a transaction that is in the retry state. The response string is similar to the string for Optional transactions, except that, upon approval, the profile is updated to reflect the successful retry.

If the transaction being retried is part of the current payment period, a successful Payment action causes the profile to flag the current payment as successful and to advance to the next payment at the scheduled time.

If the profile had been previously cancelled due to too many failed payments, then a successful Payment action decrements the failed payment count and re-activates the profile (thus re-starting the recurring payment cycle).

Example Payment Action

The following example Payflow parameter string performs a Payment action. Parameters are described in Required Parameters for the Payment Action.

1TRXTYPE=R&TENDER=C&PARTNER=PayPal&VENDOR=Acme&USER=Acme&PWD=a1b2c3d4
2&ACTION=P&ORIGPROFILEID=RP000000001234&AMT=85.00&PAYMENTNUM=13

Example Response to the Payment Action

The following is an example response to a Payment action. Returned values are described in Required Parameters for the Payment Action.

1RESULT=0&RPREF=RWY504915344&PROFILEID=RP000000001234&RESPMSG=Approved
2&TRXRESULT=0&TRXPNREF=VWYA04915345&TRXRESPMSG=Approved&AUTHCODE=489PNI

Required Parameters for the Payment Action

Returned Values for the Payment Action

The following table describes the return values for a profile with no Optional transaction.

Returned Values if You Specify an Optional Transaction

The following table lists values that are included in the response if the transaction involved is an Optional transaction. Other payment-related fields could also be returned, depending on your configuration (for example, verbosity level).

Testing Recurring Billing

This section provides the information you need to test recurring billing.

In this section:

• Testing Guidelines
• Credit Card Numbers Used for Testing
• Testing Result Value Responses

Testing Guidelines

PayPal provides test card numbers. Other numbers produce an error.

• Expiration Date must be a valid date in the future (use the mm/yy format).
• Use PayPal Manager to view the credit card processor that you have selected for testing.

Credit Card Numbers Used for Testing

Use the following card numbers for testing. Any other card number produces a general failure.

Test credit card numbers

Testing Result Value Responses

You can use the amount of the transaction to generate a particular result value. This table lists the general guidelines for specifying amounts.

Obtaining Consent to Bill Customers Using Recurring Billing

You must get each customer’s consent to bill them on an automated schedule. Here is the relevant section from PayPal’s Merchant Services Agreement:Merchant shall be solely responsible for:

• Obtaining all necessary approvals required from each customer authorizing Merchant to bill such customer’s credit card account. Merchant hereby represents and warrants that Merchant has the authorization to bill its customers’ credit card accounts in the manner, for the amounts and for the period of time indicated by Merchant at the time Merchant enrolls with PayPal.
• Complying with all applicable bank and credit card rules with respect to recurring billing of consumers’ credit cards. Merchant hereby represents and warrants that Merchant has complied with all applicable bank and credit card rules in billing its customers’ credit card and in its use of PayPal Merchant Services.
• Providing accurate information regarding the credit cards to be billed, the amounts, the billing cycles, billing period and any other information requested by PayPal that is necessary to properly process such Transactions.