Answers to common questions about accepting payments with PayPal.

PayPal is one of Squarespace Commerce’s supported payment processors. Here are some frequently asked questions about PayPal.

Getting started

How do I get started with PayPal?

Connect your Commerce store to a PayPal Business account in the Store payments panel. To learn more, visit Accepting PayPal.

Do customers need a PayPal account to check out?

Yes. To pay with PayPal, the customer must have a Personal PayPal account. When they select PayPal, they’ll be prompted to log into their account, or create a new one. If you prefer that customers already have a PayPal account, you can set this in your PayPal settings.

Do I have to accept PayPal to use Commerce?

No. You can connect Squarespace Payments and accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Link, Klarna and Afterpay/Clearpay without accepting PayPal.

We’ll be rolling out Squarespace Payments to more countries soon. Review this availability guide to check if Squarespace Payments is available in your area.

If Squarespace Payments is not yet available in your region, you can connect Stripe.

Is PayPal supported in my country?

Visit PayPal’s Global page to review a list of their supported countries. To learn more about the countries and currency Squarespace supports, visit Supported countries and currencies for Squarespace Commerce.

Is PayPal secure?

PayPal meets stringent industry standards for security. Learn more about PayPal's secure infrastructure.

Are there limits to what I can sell with PayPal?

Ensure that you're not selling any goods or services in violation of Section 1.2 of our Product Specific Terms. Also, you’ll be required to comply with PayPal’s Acceptable Use guidelines.

Will my Squarespace store inventory sync with the PayPal POS app?

No. While our PayPal integration lets you accept PayPal as a payment method in the Squarespace Commerce checkout, it doesn't include an integration with the PayPal POS app.

Can I connect PayPal Payments Pro?

No. Only PayPal Business accounts are supported.

Can I pay for Squarespace with PayPal?

Only non-US residents can use PayPal to pay for their Squarespace subscription. To learn more about paying for your Squarespace subscription, visit accepted payment methods.

Accepting and refunding payments

Can I accept credit or debit cards through PayPal?

Customers checking out with PayPal can use credit or debit cards saved to their PayPal account.

To let customers enter credit or debit card information directly at checkout, and not through PayPal, connect Squarespace Payments or Stripe.

Can I accept credit cards, debit cards and PayPal?

Yes. Connect a Stripe account and a PayPal account to accept credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, and PayPal payments.

Can I set up subscription, installment, or other recurring payments through PayPal?

It isn't possible to set up recurring or installment payments through Squarespace's integration with PayPal, but you can sell subscription products or accept Afterpay or Clearpay if you use Squarespace Payments or Stripe. Customers can use PayPal for one-time payments on physical products, services, and digital goods.

Is there an order maximum?

Yes. A single PayPal transaction can’t exceed $10,000 USD.

How long after an order can I issue a refund?

You can issue a full or partial refund up to 180 days after you receive a payment through PayPal. It isn't possible to refund PayPal payments through Squarespace after that time.

If I refund an order, will PayPal refund their processing fee?

If you refund an order, PayPal will refund the full variable transaction fee, but not the fixed portion of the fee.

For example, if your fee is 3.49% + a fixed fee of $0.49 per transaction, PayPal withholds $0.49.

Can I accept donations through PayPal?

Yes. If you accept PayPal, it will display as a payment option at checkout for donations.

Do purchases using PayPal include discount codes?

Yes. Discounts, taxes, shipping, and all other costs associated with an order can be processed using PayPal.

Managing payments and transaction fees

Where can I view my PayPal transactions?

Log into your PayPal account to view previous transactions and payment activity.

How do I transfer funds out of my PayPal account?

Payments you collect through PayPal remain in your PayPal account until you transfer them to a bank account. For detailed steps on transferring funds out of PayPal, visit their documentation.

What are PayPal's processing fees?

PayPal’s processing fees may vary by location. Visit PayPal’s documentation for details.

What are the Squarespace Commerce transaction fees?

Squarespace charges different Commerce transaction fees depending on your billing plan. For more information, visit Transaction fees and payment processing fees.

Refunding an order refunds all Squarespace Commerce transaction fees.

Disputes and fraudulent orders

How does PayPal handle disputes?

To learn how PayPal handles disputes, visit their documentation.

Will fraudulent orders or cards be rejected?

PayPal offers Seller Protection for qualifying order, which helps identify suspicious activity, such as repeated orders, and may reject those transactions. Additionally, PayPal works with its financial partners and credit card networks to monitor fraud globally.

Troubleshooting

Why can't I withdraw funds from PayPal?

If you can’t withdraw funds, it might be because you’re not Verified with PayPal yet. After you verify your account, you can withdraw funds.

To verify your account:

1. When you set up your account, you should have received an email from PayPal with “Confirm your email address” in the subject line. Follow the instructions in that email.
2. After verifying your account from that email, you can withdraw funds from PayPal.

If you can’t find the email, check your Spam or Junk folder.

If you already followed these steps, there might be a different issue with your PayPal account. For help, visit PayPal’s guide on getting money out of your account or contact their support team.

My PayPal connection isn't working correctly.

If you cancel the billing agreement or change Squarespace's permissions for your PayPal account, your PayPal connection may be disrupted.

You can resolve these issues by disconnecting and reconnecting your PayPal Business account.

I received an email about an issue with PayPal's Instant Payment Notification (IPN).

Squarespace's integration with PayPal doesn't support Instant Payment Notifications. If you received an email, this is unrelated to your Squarespace site.

I see a spinning wheel after completing the connection.

If you see a spinning wheel after clicking Go back to Squarespace, ensure your preferred bank account in PayPal is an active checking account.

I received an email that says I connected a new PayPal account, but I didn’t make that change.

If you received this email and didn’t actually connect a new PayPal account, please contact us so we can look into it for you. In the meantime, for your security, we recommend these steps:

1. In Payment Settings, disconnect and reconnect your PayPal account. You’ll receive another confirmation email.
2. Change your Squarespace account password.

Error message: We're sorry, we weren't able to set up preapproved payments at this time. Please try again later.

This message appears when your PayPal Business account email address is linked to a PayPal Personal account. The Personal account may have a billing agreement saved that shares credit card information with the Billing account. This can cause the connection to fail.

To resolve this:

1. Log into your PayPal Business account.
2. Click Profile, then click Profile and settings.
3. Click Update Email on the bottom-left corner of the page.
4. Locate your personal email and click Remove.

Error message: You do not have permission to add social accounts to this site.

This means there may be an issue with your browser. To resolve this:

1. Follow these troubleshooting steps to ensure your browser isn't the cause of the issue.
2. If you still have trouble, contact PayPal.

Error message: Sorry that didn’t work. Please contact Squarespace.

This means there may be an issue with some of your PayPal account settings. To resolve this:

1. Disconnect and reconnect your PayPal account.
2. If you still have trouble, try these browser troubleshooting steps.

Error message: Refund Failed - Unable to refund payment.

This means the order is too old to be refunded. It's not possible to process PayPal refunds after 180 days. To refund an order after 180 days, Send Money in PayPal instead.

Error message: Sorry, we can’t complete your purchase at this time. Please return to the merchant and choose another way to pay.

This message appears when an error occurs with the card on file for transaction fees in your PayPal account. To resolve the issue, log into your PayPal Business account and update the credit card, then follow these steps to connect PayPal again.

If your credit card is up-to-date and you're still seeing this message, contact PayPal for more help.