Paypal recurring subscriptions cancel button

[Edman]

I have set up Paypal payments on the site with the new API, and I am getting a lot of questions from members asking to manually cancel their subscriptions.

I have asked for a screenshot, it appears they literally have no cancel button. Is that really the case, there is no cancel button for Paypal subscriptions?

Or have I missed something in settings?

 

[AndyB]

Is that really the case, there is no cancel button for Paypal subscriptions?

PayPal does not have a Change payment or Cancel button like Stripe.

See this link:

https://xenforo.com/community/threads/introducing-stripe-checkout-paypals-rest-api-and-more.220349/

 

[Edman]

Wow, that seems like a pretty big piece of functionality missing. You can make a subscription, but you cannot cancel it.

Also, for someone who makes a subscription, in their Paypal account, the page for the payment tells you to go back to the site you made the payment on in order to cancel the subscription. Which you can't do, so it is pretty confusing.

Anyway, thanks for letting me know.

 

[AndyB]

After a user makes an Account upgrade with PayPal, they receive this email:



This further adds to the confusion as there is no option to Change payment or Cancel.

 

[Edman]

Yeah, it looks like cancelling a subscription is pretty convoluted. You have to log in to Paypal, go to Settings (which is the small icon next to Log Out, not entirely obvious), then Payments, then Automatic payments, then find the subscription and then cancel.

I'll see if I can at least add these instructions to the account upgrade page.

 

[Mr Lucky]

I'll see if I can at least add these instructions to the account upgrade page.

This is what I have done, I’m considering dropping PayPal.

People are also put off because the process appears that they can only pay from their bank, as their is no option to pay from PP balance shown. However it does seem to be taken from the balance but with bank only as a fallback.

It’s bad because we get the blame for this along with lack of cancellation button.

 

[Edman]

Some 4 years ago I tested dropping Paypal and there was a noticable drop in revenue. Maybe things are different now, but it kind of makes sense - for a small website, trust is a big issue, and people know Paypal. Even if they find it old, clunky and dysfunctional, they at least know the payments are safe.

 

[philmckrackon]

PP is the go to. These are my subscription options. Not all are automatic but by offering options it entices subscriber sign up.

 

[Mr Lucky]

for a small website, trust is a big issue, and people know Paypal. Even if they find it old, clunky and dysfunctional, they at least know the payments are safe

Sad but true.

 

[Edman]

Is there some way to insert instructions under Paypal subscription info, that would explain how to cancel the subscription in their Paypal account? Any idea what would need to be edited for that?

 

[Mr Lucky]

What's actually the worst part of it is that the subscription manage (cancel) page does not show on Safari - so many users think you are having them on.

 

[Edman]

In the account_upgrades template, on line 73, just after this bit

                                    <xf:if is="$active.end_date">
                                        {{ phrase('expires:') }} <xf:date time="{$active.end_date}" />
                                    <xf:else />
                                        {{ phrase('expires_never') }}
                                    </xf:if>

I added the following

                                    <xf:if is="$upgrade.recurring && $active.PurchaseRequest.provider_id == 'paypalrest' && $active.is_cancelled == false">
                                        <div style="margin-top: 5px;">
                                            You can cancel your PayPal subscription in your PayPal account <a href="https://www.paypal.com/myaccount/autopay/">on this page</a>.
                                        </div>
                                    </xf:if>

This will for all Paypal recurring payments display a link to where the user can cancel their paypal subscription in their paypal account. I hope this decreases the level of confusion.

I hope that some day we will get an actual solution from Xenforo.