If you use PayPal Website Payments Standard, when your customers check out, they will be directed to a page that allows them to log into their PayPal account or pay by credit card without having to sign up for a PayPal account. This is the best option if you anticipate that most of your customers will not want to sign up for a PayPal account.

To use PayPal Website Payments Standard, you will need to have upgraded your account to either a Premier or Business account. You will then provide the e-mail address associated with your PayPal business or personal account as well as an identity token. Here's how you get it.

You're going to need to enable Auto Return first, followed by enabling the Payment Data Center. Please note that there are two slightly different user control panels, so use whichever of the two following instructions best describes your control panel:

  1. Log into PayPal.
  2. In the top menu, click Profile.

  1. Under the Selling Preferences heading, select Website Payment Preferences.
  2. Turn on Auto Return.
  3. In the Return URL field, enter the URL of your online store (e.g. http://www.mywebsite.com/store/).
  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save.
  5. Turn on Payment Data Transfer.
  6. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save.
  7. Scroll back up to the Payment Data Transfer section and copy the identity token.

Or:

  1. Log in to your PayPal account.
  2. In the top menu, click Profile.

  1. Click My selling tools.
  2. Click Update beside Website preferences.
  3. Turn on Auto Return.
  4. In the Return URL field, enter the URL of your online store (e.g. http://www.mywebsite.com/store/).
  5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save.
  6. Turn on Payment Data Transfer.
  7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save.
  8. Scroll back up to the Payment Data Transfer section and copy the identity token.