S2Member Pro & BuddyPress setup

[mikehenrysr]

I'm getting ready to launch a member site with recurring membership using S2Member (free) and BuddyPress. I'm concerned about the requirement that everyone will have to have a Paypal account.

I'm not as technical nor experienced as I'd like to be but If I understand your Pro upgrade correctly,
1. I need Zend Optimizer on the host server (It's not there currently)
2. I need a PayPal pro account and I'll need to enable recurring payments
3. The actual signup will take place in a form generated by S2Member and no link to PayPal will occur at signup,
4. I'll need SSL for my site (which will also require a dedicated IP address)

Is that it? Or am I forgetting something?

Does my server actually receive the card number or is it a PayPal shopping cart (frame or form) that's receiving the card number? (This is important. I help companies go through PCI audits. )

I am interested in upgrading to Pro and getting away from the PayPal account requirement, but I've also been screwing around with this for too long and I'm ready to get something launched. I'd be willing to talk with you about getting your help setting this up as well, but I didn't see any place to make that request privately on the site.

[Jason Caldwell]

Hi Mike. Thanks for your inquiry.

I'm not as technical nor experienced as I'd like to be but If I understand your Pro upgrade correctly,
1. I need Zend Optimizer on the host server (It's not there currently)
2. I need a PayPal pro account and I'll need to enable recurring payments
3. The actual signup will take place in a form generated by S2Member and no link to PayPal will occur at signup,
4. I'll need SSL for my site (which will also require a dedicated IP address)

Is that it? Or am I forgetting something?

Yep, that covers everything. There is a list of hosting providers here that all have Zend Optimizer pre-installed, ready to go: http://wordpress.org/hosting/

The rest of these requirements are all documented here, just in case you missed this:
http://www.s2member.com/features/requirements/

Does my server actually receive the card number or is it a PayPal shopping cart (frame or form) that's receiving the card number? (This is important. I help companies go through PCI audits. )

Correct. Your server receives the card number, and processes it through the PayPal® Pro API. Customers never leave your site. There is a PayPal® Pro - live demo here. PayPal® is also offered as an option, for Customers that would prefer to checkout through PayPal®. However, s2Member Pro uses a special PayPal® Pro integration, with Express Checkout. So even when PayPal® is selected as the Customer's preferred Billing Method, the checkout process is a little more reliable/seamless than it is with Standard Integration.

There is an additional list of FAQs on the topic of s2Member Pro here:
http://www.s2member.com/support/

Please let me know if anything is unclear. ~Thanks.

[Jason Caldwell]

I'd be willing to talk with you about getting your help setting this up as well, but I didn't see any place to make that request privately on the site.

If you'd like professional installation of s2Member Pro, you can use this form to contact me directly with a request for assistance: http://www.s2member.com/contact/ - ~Thanks.

[mikehenrysr]

Thanks, I'll check out the demo and get back with you.

Mike...

[Jason Caldwell]

Sounds good Mike. ~Thanks.