Re: s2Member Pro ( v1.0.8 now available, requires WP 3.0+ )

2010-06-28T23:26:04-05:00

I'm quite confused. I just bought the Developer License without fully understanding the credit card functionality. I assumed because I already create PayPal buttons that present a credit card purchase option or "have an existing paypal account" option, that I would be able to do the same with subscriptions.

With PayPal® Pro, you don't send Customers to PayPal® at all. You keep them on your site throughout the entire checkout process, and credit cards are processed "from your site" using s2Member Pro Forms that connect to the PayPal® Pro API. This is what makes the s2Member Pro Module so powerful.

The s2Member Pro Forms can be integrated exactly the same way as PayPal Buttons are, you just pop a Shortcode into any Post/Page, and voila! You have a powerful PayPal® Pro integration. Customers use the checkout Forms generated by your Shortcodes, and they never leave your site.

Unlike many online services, such as eJunkie, 2Checkout, PayDotCom... s2Member Pro gives you full control. The checkout forms are nested seamlessly into your existing WordPress theme, making it easier to smooth over your Customers, instead of sending them off to a pre-fab checkout system.

Is the requirement for PayPal Pro linked to the recurring payment? So if I change it to a fixed annual fee, without annual recurring payment, then I can continue to offer the credit card option?

s2Member Pro has been designed to work "with" or "without" the PayPal® Pro Recurring service. If you are only doing Buy Now transactions, there is no need to pay for PayPal's Recurring service. That being said, if you intend to charge a recurring fee, and/or offer a trial period, you WILL need the Recurring Service for your PayPal® Pro account. There are additional details on this subject in the FAQ:
http://www.s2member.com/support/#paypal ... count-type
( a full PayPal® Pro account with support for Recurring billing is $60/mo )
( this fee is charged by PayPal, and is much cheaper than other solutions of its kind )
What this DEMO Video: https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/m/d ... 0x355.html

If it works in the free version, it just works better in the Pro version. The s2Member Pro Module requires the s2Member Framework ( the free version ) to be installed first. So if you've already been using s2Member, you won't have anything new to learn. The s2Member Pro Module "adds to" what you already have. The s2Member Pro Module adds full support for PayPal® Pro integration. The PayPal® Pro integration has been specifically designed for compatiblity with all s2Member Framework features. In other words, everything that works in the free version, will ALSO work with PayPal® Pro integration.

Including, but not limited to: Standard PayPal Buttons, Membership Levels, Custom Capabilities, Access Restrictions, List Server integrations, API Notifications, Tracking Codes, Shortcode attributes, API Conditionals, API Constants, General Options, Content Dripping, etc.

Will s2Member Pro support such buttons or can I just build one on my PayPal Merchant account and do some customizing to ensure s2Member knows about it?

Yes. Go to: s2Member -> PayPal Buttons, and generate a "Buy Now" button with Lifetime access. This is already built into the free version of s2Member; and it does NOT require PayPal® Pro. I suggest using only the s2Member Button Generator, because s2Member customizes the Button Codes for a tight integration with your WordPress® installation. That being said, if you know what you're doing, yes.. s2Member will work with just about any Button Code that can be created for a PayPal® transaction.

Is the requirement for PayPal Pro linked to the recurring payment? So if I change it to a fixed annual fee, without annual recurring payment, then I can continue to offer the credit card option?

Just to elaborate on this topic a bit more. I highly recommend a PayPal® Pro account, "with" Recurring Billing enabled. It's only $60/mo and well worth every penny. When your PayPal® Pro account has Recurring service enabled, the total cost is $60/mo. This will give you the ability to utilize ALL of the features made available through Pro integration, instead of a limited subset with Buy Now functionatlity. https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/m/d ... 0x355.html

Why is it worth it? Read this: http://www.s2member.com/support/#greatest-benefits

Statistics: Posted by Jason Caldwell — June 28th, 2010, 11:26 pm

PayPal Pro information

2010-06-25T18:10:59-05:00

thomas e wrote:
1) Is the credit card info visitors give on my website with s2m pro save? with paypal it would be an https page, but I have no idea how to do this on my own site. How can I make sure nobody else gets my customers credit card details?

Yes. In order to comply with PayPal® and PCI Compliance policies, as set forth by major credit card companies; you will need to host all of your PayPal® Pro Forms on an SSL enabled site. Please check with your hosting provider to ask about obtaining an SSL certificate for your domain. Please note... when you create PayPal® Pro Forms using the Form Generator provided by s2Member; you'll be supplied with WordPress® Shortcodes, which you'll insert into Posts/Pages of your choosing. These special Posts/Pages will need to be displayed in SSL mode, using links that start with ( https:// ). In other words, when you link to these Posts/Pages, you'll need to make sure your links start with https://.

You can skip the SSL certificate during Sandbox testing. SSL is not required until you officially go live. Once you're live, you can add the Custom Field s2member_force_ssl = 1 to any Post/Page. s2Member will buffer output on those special Posts/Pages, converting everything over to https:// for you automatically, and forcing those specific Posts/Pages to be viewed over a secure SSL connection; so long as your server supports the https protocol. This will help you eliminate the dreaded Secure/Insecure errors in Internet Explorer®.

Tip: All themes available at PriMoThemes.com include full support for SSL enabled Posts/Pages. Also, with s2Member installed, you can add the Custom Field s2member_force_ssl = 1 to any Post/Page ( using any theme ). s2Member will buffer output on those special Posts/Pages, converting everything over to https:// for you automatically, and forcing those specific Posts/Pages to be viewed over a secure SSL connection; so long as your server supports the https protocol.

WordPress® is perfectly compatible with SSL enabled ( https:// ). However, not all themes/plugins are designed to behave properly with SSL enabled. For instance, some WordPress® themes/plugins embed links to images, scripts, and/or style sheets; all starting with http://, instead of https://, ( or just //: - which is cross-protocol compatible ). For this reason, you should be very careful when choosing a WordPress® theme/plugin to use with s2Member Pro. Otherwise, your visitors could see the famous "Secure/Insecure" warnings in Internet Explorer® browsers. A good web developer can fix this minor issue with ease, but novice site owners are advised to get help from a professional.

thomas e wrote:
2) I have an international website, but am also making a Dutch website. For that site I am planning on using paypro (http://www.paypro.nl) as the payment processor. Is there any chance that I would be able to use s2member with this payment option in the future?

No, it is NOT likely that s2Member Pro will ever support that particular gateway. We do have plans for integrations with several other gateways, but we'll be sticking with the big boys. PayPal®, Authorize.net, ccBill, Google Checkout, PayDotCom, eJunkie, etc.

PayPal® Pro is already available with s2Member Pro, and it's the MOST powerful in our opinion. We also have plans to integrate with the PayPal Adaptive API in the near future. ccBill is also coming soon, because it opens the door for s2Member to work in the adult industry as well.

thomas e wrote:
1) Is the credit card info visitors give on my website with s2m pro save? with paypal it would be an https page, but I have no idea how to do this on my own site. How can I make sure nobody else gets my customers credit card details?

No, even though s2Member facilitates on-site credit card processing through the PayPal® Pro API, s2Member does NOT store any financial details in your WordPress® database or anywhere else on your site. This is a feature; because it makes your site more secure overall, and maximizes the benefit of having a PayPal® Pro account. All financial details can be managed through powerful interfaces inside your PayPal® Pro account.

On this same note. One of the greatest things about PayPal® Pro, is that it consolidates ALL of your financial information into one easy-to-use interface at PayPal. Most site owners have something like an Authorize.net account, or a Bank gateway that requires separate logins ( and separate reports ); and then they also offer PayPal as another payment option. This creates a very unorganized approach to e-commerce.

With PayPal® Pro, everything is consolidated into ONE financial tool that is used by millions. You can accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex, Maestro, Solo, and PayPal - and all of your merchant tools/reports are inside a single PayPal® account. In other words, you don't need a separate merchant account.

Statistics: Posted by Jason Caldwell — June 25th, 2010, 6:10 pm

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Re: s2Member Pro ( v1.0.8 now available, requires WP 3.0+ )

PayPal Pro information