Create PayPal Transaction

The Create PayPal Transaction request performs a transaction (purchase) using the PayPal payment method.

👍

Getting started with PayPal in BlueSnap

Go to the PayPal Guide for a walkthrough of implementing the PayPal payment method via the API. To use PayPal, you will need to first connect your PayPal and BlueSnap account, as described in the guide.


Request Content

📘

Tip

You can test out a request that hits our sandbox in real-time. Follow the instructions here to use the "Try It!" feature on the right side.

alt-transaction container    required, contains the following properties (see alt-transaction):

PropertyTypeRequired
merchant-transaction-idstringoptional
soft-descriptorstringoptional
amountdecimalrequired
currencystringrequired
product-descriptionstringoptional
tax-referencestringoptional
payer-infocontaineroptional (see payer-info)
vaulted-shopper-idintegeroptional
paypal-transactioncontainerrequired (see paypal-transaction)
transaction-descriptionstringoptional
transaction-meta-datacontaineroptional (see transaction-meta-data)

Response Details

If successful, the response HTTP status code is 200 OK.
The response contains an alt-transaction resource (see alt-transaction) with the request properties plus these additions:

PropertyNotes
vaulted-shopper-id
paypal-transactionis returned with the paypal-url and order-id (see paypal-transaction)
processing-info
fraud-result-info

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Examples

Request Examples

curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <vaulted-shopper-id>20781033</vaulted-shopper-id>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <merchant-transaction-id>3</merchant-transaction-id>
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
   <transaction-meta-data>
      <meta-data>
         <meta-key>stateTaxAmount</meta-key>
         <meta-value>20.00</meta-value>
         <meta-description>State Tax Amount</meta-description>
      </meta-data>
      <meta-data>
         <meta-key>cityTaxAmount</meta-key>
         <meta-value>20.00</meta-value>
         <meta-description>City Tax Amount</meta-description>
      </meta-data>
      <meta-data>
         <meta-key>shippingAmount</meta-key>
         <meta-value>10.00</meta-value>
         <meta-description>Shipping Amount</meta-description>
      </meta-data>
   </transaction-meta-data>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
   <transaction-description>Product description</transaction-description>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
      <in-context>true</in-context>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <merchant-transaction-id>A3bn43</merchant-transaction-id>
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
      <recurring>1</recurring>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <paypal-subscription-id>1234567</paypal-subscription-id>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <merchant-transaction-id>testtransaction1</merchant-transaction-id>
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <transaction-type>AUTH_ONLY</transaction-type>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
      <max-amount>120.00</max-amount>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <merchant-transaction-id>testtransaction1</merchant-transaction-id>
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <transaction-type>SET_ORDER</transaction-type>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
      <max-amount>120.00</max-amount>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'
curl -v -X POST https://sandbox.bluesnap.com/services/2/alt-transactions/ \
-H 'Content-Type: application/xml' \
-H 'Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=' \
-d '
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>120.50</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
    <tax-reference>048deff0-a285-47e1-bc39-42f79bf0095b</tax-reference>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <return-url>http://www.returnURL.com</return-url>
      <cancel-url>http://www.cancelURL.com</cancel-url>
   </paypal-transaction>
</alt-transaction>'

Response Examples

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-3SH38585JS3540821</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979635</order-id>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <payer-info>
        <first-name>John</first-name>
        <last-name>Doe</last-name>
    </payer-info>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-0SM33181BF217002W</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979589</order-id>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>20781033</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-9GY47037JY601890L</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979591</order-id>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <merchant-transaction-id>3</merchant-transaction-id>
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <payer-info>
        <first-name>John</first-name>
        <last-name>Doe</last-name>
    </payer-info>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-7GY45732D90677524</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979657</order-id>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <transaction-meta-data>
        <meta-data>
            <meta-key>stateTaxAmount</meta-key>
            <meta-value>20.00</meta-value>
            <meta-description>State Tax Amount</meta-description>
        </meta-data>
        <meta-data>
            <meta-key>cityTaxAmount</meta-key>
            <meta-value>20.00</meta-value>
            <meta-description>City Tax Amount</meta-description>
        </meta-data>
        <meta-data>
            <meta-key>shippingAmount</meta-key>
            <meta-value>10.00</meta-value>
            <meta-description>Shipping Amount</meta-description>
        </meta-data>
    </transaction-meta-data>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
   <payer-info>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Doe</last-name>
   </payer-info>
   <paypal-transaction>
      <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-0SM33181BF217002W</paypal-url>
      <order-id>3979589</order-id>
   </paypal-transaction>
   <processing-info>
      <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
   </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/checkoutnow?token=EC-4UU43831F40425709</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979635</order-id>
        <in-context>true</in-context>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
   <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
   <amount>100.00</amount>
   <currency>USD</currency>
   <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
   <paypal-transaction>
     <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout</paypal-url>
      <order-id>980111</order-id>
   </paypal-transaction>
   <processing-info>
      <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
  </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
  <transaction-id>38500786</transaction-id>
  <amount>100.00</amount>
  <currency>USD</currency>
  <transaction-approval-date>10/01/2020</transaction-approval-date>
  <transaction-approval-time>10:19:21</transaction-approval-time>
  <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
  <paypal-transaction>
    <paypal-subscription-id>1234567</paypal-subscription-id>
  </paypal-transaction>
  <processing-info>
    <processing-status>SUCCESS</processing-status>
  </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
  <merchant-transaction-id>A3bn43</merchant-transaction-id>
  <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
  <amount>100.00</amount>
  <currency>USD</currency>
  <payer-info>
    <first-name>John</first-name>
    <last-name>Doe</last-name>
  </payer-info>
  <vaulted-shopper-id>19587618</vaulted-shopper-id>
  <paypal-transaction>
    <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&amp;token=EC-2FK36938XP960042T</paypal-url>
    <order-id>4006145</order-id>
  </paypal-transaction>
  <processing-info>
    <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
  </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
  <merchant-transaction-id>A3bn43</merchant-transaction-id>
  <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
  <amount>100.00</amount>
  <currency>USD</currency>
  <payer-info>
    <first-name>John</first-name>
    <last-name>Doe</last-name>
  </payer-info>
  <vaulted-shopper-id>19587618</vaulted-shopper-id>
  <paypal-transaction>
    <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&amp;token=EC-2FK36938XP960042T</paypal-url>
    <order-id>4006145</order-id>
  </paypal-transaction>
  <processing-info>
    <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
  </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<alt-transaction xmlns="http://ws.plimus.com">
    <soft-descriptor>ABC COMPANY</soft-descriptor>
    <amount>100.00</amount>
    <currency>USD</currency>
   <tax-reference>048deff0-a285-47e1-bc39-42f79bf0095b</tax-reference>
    <vaulted-shopper-id>1234</vaulted-shopper-id>
    <payer-info>
        <first-name>John</first-name>
        <last-name>Doe</last-name>
    </payer-info>
    <paypal-transaction>
        <paypal-url>https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_express-checkout&token=EC-0SM33181BF217002W</paypal-url>
        <order-id>3979589</order-id>
    </paypal-transaction>
    <processing-info>
        <processing-status>PENDING</processing-status>
    </processing-info>
</alt-transaction>

📘

How to get the subscription ID

You can obtain the subscription ID in two ways:

  • In the subscriptionId field in the Charge IPN that is sent once the initial payment is processed.
    or
  • By sending a Retrieve PayPal Transaction request once the payment has been processed.

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API Explorer

To test out a basic API request, click the "Try It!" button in the right-hand column to test using the default, pre-populated sample values. To test with your own values, edit the parameter fields below. You'll see them populate in the right-hand column and you can click the "Try It!" button to submit your test request and see a response.

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Click Try It! to start a request and see the response here!