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Connecting Cobot to PayPal

Learn how to set up semi-automated & automated payments with PayPal

Amanda avatar
Written by Amanda
Updated over 3 weeks ago

Cobot effortlessly integrates with PayPal, streamlining member payments by allowing members to link their PayPal accounts to their Cobot profiles, ensuring secure processing of membership fees.

You can set up PayPal under Setup » Payment Methods and can choose either semi-automated or automated payments. If you are part of the EU, only the semi-automated options apply.


Setting Up Semi-Automated Payments

By default, your PayPal allows semi-automated payments. All you have to do is set up a merchant account and connect it to Cobot. Check out PayPal's website to get started.

IMPORTANT NOTES

You need to have PayPal Business or Website Payments Pro in order to connect Cobot to PayPal.

Once you have your PayPal account, head over to your admin portal in Cobot » Setup » Payment Methods » Add Payment Method » Add PayPal.

this image is of the instuction card for PayPal and states: PayPal lets your members pay using any payment method supported by PayPal, such as credit cards and bank accounts. It works right away with any PayPal account. You can add PayPal using the button shown.

Follow the prompts to add your PayPal API credentials. Check out this guide for more details on how to do this. If you have trouble getting the details you need, contact PayPal's support team.

Once you are connected, any new invoices generated and existing invoices in Cobot will show a "Pay Now" link, regardless of what payment method your member or non-member has chosen, ensuring all of your invoices have a payment option.

The image shows an unpaid invoice. There are two options: one to download the invoice as a document and another to pay it immediately using the red button labeled Pay Now.

Member Payments With PayPal

Once activated, your members will be able to choose PayPal as a payment method when they sign up, or from the drop-down in their member portal under Membership » Payment Method. Here's how it looks to them:

This screen lets the user choose PayPal as their payment method. No PayPal information is collected. A payment link will be sent with each invoice. The blue button updates the payment method.

How your members receive their invoices will depend on your invoice settings:

BY EMAIL: Members will receive their invoices via email as soon as it is generated only if you activate this feature.

Go to Setup » Invoice Settings » check 'Send invoices by email' » Save. Members will now receive an email with a payment link as soon as their next payment is due. They will be directed to the PayPal website to make the payment. Once completed, the corresponding invoice will show up as Paid via PayPal.

IN THEIR MEMBER PORTAL: Invoices are posted to the member portal by default. Members can log in to process payments against them by clicking on their Membership tab and then 'Pay Now' on their invoice. They will be directed to the PayPal website to pay; once completed, the corresponding invoice will show up as Paid via PayPal.

Non-Member/Visitor Payments With PayPal

PayPal is also available for on demand products, such as Drop-in Passes and External Bookings for non-members. This is not visible by default, so the first thing you want to do is head over to Setup » Payment Methods » Edit PayPal » and enable it for non-members.

This screen shows the PayPal setup for non-members. It is for one-time payments like external bookings and drop-in passes. When people choose PayPal at checkout, they are sent to log in and pick their payment method. The checkbox confirms it is enabled for non-members. The account is connected. The blue button updates the payment method.

Once enabled, PayPal will be an option during the Drop-in Pass or External Booking check out flow. Here is how it looks when using the External Booking portal:

This screen shows the checkout page where the person booking can choose how to pay. The options include bank transfer, cash, credit card, and PayPal. Each option includes a short message saying the space will explain how to pay. The credit card option is powered by Stripe. The order summary on the right shows the item, date, time, and cost before tax. The person can click the button to book and pay once a payment method is selected.

They will then be taken to a log in screen to complete the transaction.

This screen shows that PayPal has been selected as the payment method. It instructs the user to click the yellow PayPal button to pay and finish the process. The PayPal logo confirms the method, and the large yellow button will lead to the PayPal payment flow.

They will be emailed their invoice after the payment is complete. Click here to read more on emails.

💡 Pro Tip: You can set up two different PayPal accounts if you wish member payments to go to a different account than your visitor payments. Just add two accounts and enable each account accordingly.


Fully Automated Payments With PayPal Express

ONLY AVAILABLE TO SPACES OUTSIDE OF THE EU

Cobot offers an additional PayPal integration called PayPal Express. When activated, members only need to choose PayPal and log in to their account once. After that, all invoices automatically get charged to the default payment method on their PayPal account. This feature does not impact your non-member/visitor payment flow.

To set this up, you need to enable your PayPal account to accept reference transactions, which requires the two following conditions:

  1. A PayPal account that is active for at least 90 days.

  2. A PayPal account that processes 5000€ or $6000 in the last 90 days.

If you meet both those requirements, reach out to PayPal and ask them to turn on reference transactions. Once enabled, you will get an email like this:

This image is of an example email you will get from PayPal. It states: Your request to enable reference transactions on your PayPal account has been approved. You can now use this feature. For more details or help, visit the PayPal Business Resource Center at the link provided or call their Merchant Services Specialist at the number listed.

IMPORTANT NOTES

If you are asked to "Add New Third Party Credentials" in the signup process, this comes from PayPal, please reach out to their customer support directly.


Reconciling Payments

Once a transaction has been initiated, PayPal sends a message to Cobot, marking the invoice as paid, regardless of whether the money has arrived in your connected account.

If you edit or refund invoices or charges generated within PayPal, these changes will not be returned to Cobot. You'll still need to manually reconcile your invoices as we can't do anything about the message PayPal sends or control the timeliness of the funds transfer.

We recommend you do this monthly to ensure your accounting and analytics are correct.


Next Step

Learn more about the other automated payment options in Cobot here.



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