PayPal setup
This section only matters if you want upsells on PayPal-paid orders. The other payment methods (invoice, prepayment, cash on delivery, direct debit) need none of it.
Post-Purchase Upsell does not connect to PayPal itself. It rides on top of the official SwagPayPal extension and uses the PayPal account, credentials and saved-payment tokens that SwagPayPal manages. So “configuring PayPal” here means configuring SwagPayPal and your PayPal account; this plugin then uses what is already there. Tested with SwagPayPal 10.x on Shopware 6.7.
The vaulting, sandbox/live and Reference Transactions steps below are PayPal-account and SwagPayPal settings, not part of this plugin. Follow SwagPayPal's and PayPal's own documentation for the exact screens; the steps here are an orientation. This plugin's part is only: use the saved-payment token SwagPayPal provides to charge the add-on, and, when there is no saved token, offer a one-time second approval if you enabled that setting.
The two ways a PayPal add-on is collected
Silent vault re-charge (best): the add-on is charged in the background; the customer just sees the item added, with no second PayPal step. It needs PayPal vaulting enabled, a registered customer with a saved PayPal payment, and (live only) Reference Transactions enabled on your PayPal account.
Second approval (fallback): the customer is sent to PayPal once more to approve just the add-on amount, then returns and the item is added. It needs the plugin setting PayPal: collect upsell via a second approval turned on. Used for a PayPal customer who has no saved (vaulted) payment.
Keep the second approval setting on (it ships on) as your safety net: a customer without a saved token can then be offered the one-time approval, while the silent re-charge is used automatically whenever a saved token is available.
Step 1: Enable PayPal vaulting in SwagPayPal
Vaulting lets a registered customer save their PayPal account so the add-on can be charged again without sending them back to PayPal.
- Open PayPal under Settings (or Settings → Extensions → My extensions → PayPal → Configure).
- Find the Vaulting option (“Allow customers to save their PayPal account…”) and turn it on. Save.
- Good to know:
- Vaulting saves a token for a customer who agrees to save their PayPal during checkout. A customer without a saved token takes the second-approval path instead (this is handled by SwagPayPal; typically a guest or first-time PayPal buyer has no saved token).
- A customer's payment is saved when they pay; the silent re-charge is then available for the add-on on that order and their future orders.
Step 2: Test in sandbox first
Sandbox is PayPal's safe test environment, no real money moves. Reference Transactions are available automatically in sandbox, so the silent re-charge works there with no extra request.
- At developer.paypal.com→ Testing Tools → Sandbox Accounts, make sure you have a Business (merchant) and a Personal (buyer) test account.
- In SwagPayPal, turn Sandbox mode on and enter your sandbox REST API credentials (or use “Connect with PayPal” onboarding while in sandbox).
- Enable Vaulting (Step 1) while in sandbox.
- Run the full flow in your storefront: register and log in (not guest), buy a product, choose PayPal, approve as your sandbox buyer agreeing to save the payment. On the offer page, click add and confirm the item is added and the order shows a separate PayPal transaction for the add-on.
Step 3: Go live
- In SwagPayPal, turn Sandbox off and connect your live PayPal Business account. Sandbox and live settings are stored separately.
- Re-check Vaulting is enabled in the live configuration: turning it on in sandbox does not turn it on for live.
- Enable Reference Transactions on your live PayPal account. This is the step that is easy to miss. The silent re-charge is a merchant-initiated charge, which a live PayPal Business account may only make when Reference Transactions (also called merchant-initiated transactions or billing agreements) is enabled: this is a PayPal-account requirement, requested from PayPal. Until it is active, the silent re-charge for a vaulted customer will be declined and the add-on will not be added (there is no second-approval fallback for an already-vaulted customer). So enabling Reference Transactions is what makes the silent re-charge work live.
- Do one small real-money test: as a registered customer, place a low-value live PayPal order, accept the upsell, confirm the add-on is captured, then refund it from the order's PayPal tab.
Do not rely on sandbox success alone. Reference Transactions are automatic in sandbox but must be enabled separately for live, so a silent re-charge that worked in sandbox can be declined live. Before relying on silent PayPal upsells, run one small real live order, confirm the add-on was actually captured, and then refund it.
Quick checklist
- SwagPayPal installed and connected: sandbox (sandbox credentials), live (live credentials).
- Sandbox mode in SwagPayPal: sandbox on, live off.
- Vaulting enabled: sandbox yes, live yes (set separately).
- Reference Transactions on the account: sandbox automatic, live request it from PayPal.
- Plugin second approval setting: sandbox and live on (safety net).
- Verified with a real flow: sandbox with a test-buyer order, then accept; live with one small real-money order, then refund.
If the PayPal upsell does not behave
- Always asks for a second approval (never silent): the customer has no saved (vaulted) payment yet (for example a first-time PayPal buyer), or vaulting is off in SwagPayPal.
- Add-on not added for PayPal customers without a saved payment: the second approval setting is off, turn it on.
- Silent charge worked in sandbox but is declined live (and the add-on is not added): almost always Reference Transactions is not yet enabled on your live PayPal account (Step 3, point 3).