Authorize.net and Recurring Payments

[websydaisy]

I am sure this is covered but I want to make really really sure before I purchase, as I have been burned this week by another paid membership plugin that does NOT do what it advertised. SO I am going to be the one that asks stupid redundant questions to make sure this really will do what I think it says it will do.

The site is for a monthly magazine - a real paper and ink one, not an electronic one - which can be paid for monthly or for a year subscription. There will not be any protected content on the web site.

I need to:

A) use Authorize.net - although my client may be willing to use Paypal Pro if A.net just won't work. It is just crucial to my client that his customers not need a Paypal account.

B) Have recurring billing - the customer is automatically charged every month.

C) Have some way for monthly subscribers to easily unsubscribe if they so desire.

D) Have automatic emails informing subscribers that their sub is about to expire so they can renew.

Will S2Member Pro hook me up?

[Cristián Lávaque]

Hi WebsyDaisy.

So you want s2Member to manage the printed subscription, not the online access, right? Nice!

Yes, s2Member Pro can do those things:

A) You can use Authorize.Net or PayPal, your choice. PayPal Enhanced Recurring Payments or PayPal Pro will let you have subscriptions without a Paypal account, but you'll be able to give PayPal as an optional form of payment. viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2634

B) Sure thing. You can already see this in s2Member Free's PayPal Buttons, but s2Member Pro has the more powerful Pro-Forms for PayPal and Authorize.Net.

C) You can create a Cancellation Form that'll let the subscriber unsubscribe when they choose to. WP Admin -> s2Member -> PayPal/Auth.Net Pro-Forms -> Billing Cancellation Forms.

D) s2Member doesn't do this, but it can be integrated with List Servers like AWeber or MailChimp (and others through s2Member's Notifications API). You can have new subscribers added to a list in one of the above services and set that list to send the emails you need at the moment you choose. This is available in s2Member Free, you can find it under WP Admin -> s2Member -> API / List Servers.

Do you have any other question you'd like to clear up before you can make a well informed decision?

[websydaisy]

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. SO if we go Paypal Pro, which sounds like it will do everything we need, it would be $60 per month, correct?

I need to give my client a comparison of what it will cost if instead he keeps and uses his Authorize.net account. I know the fees he pays for Authorize.net - is there anything else he will need besides that? I have been doing shopping carts for years, and I STILL get confused by all of the terminology surrounding merchant accounts and gateways. The article you linked to says they need a "merchant bank account, and another gateway provider." Authorize.net is the gateway provider, right? or would they need to sign up with something else to make it all work?

For his demographic, offering Paypal as an option is not really going to be a big selling point - hence why we were trying to avoid anyone ever having to go to Paypal or seeing Paypal anywhere. So I need to figure out if there is any reason (beyond not offering Paypal) to not use Authorize.net and if one option is going to end up being significantly more expensive than the other.

Are there any PCI compliance issues with using Authorize.net in conjunction with this plugin?

After having paid $40 for another plugin, plus $20 for their support to talk to me, I need to go into this with much more open eyes.

[Cristián Lávaque]

lol I can understand your precaution.

Some paid plugins offer a 30-day refund, and I believe it'd be fair to ask for it if it was advertising a feature you bought it for and it didn't have.

Well, if your client is happy with Authorize.Net and doesn't need to offer PayPal as an option, then he can continue with Authorize.Net and would be dealing with something he already knows and is happy with.

If you want to find out more about PayPal Pro, you'd need to search their support knowledge base, I guess. I know they charge $60/mo but I don't know if there are fees per transaction too.

I'll ask Jason about the PCI compliance.

[websydaisy]

After talking to my client, he has decided to go with Paypal Pro. Turns out he doesn't like working with Authorize.net anyway. So we are good there. And I have requested a refund for the other plugin, keeping my fingers crossed.

It looks like your solution is going to be the right fit. Thanks!

[Cristián Lávaque]

Great!

[Jason Caldwell]

Thanks for the great question.
~ and thanks for bringing this to my attention Cristián.

Regarding PCI Compliance.
Yes, anytime you are accepting credit cards directly on your site, as is the case with s2Member Pro Forms integrated with either PayPal Pro or Authorize.Net, you MUST remain PCI Compliant. This is true regardless of which software you use, and regardless of which Payment Gateway you choose.

PCI Compliance ( Payment Card Industry Compliance ) is a set of rules established collectively by the major credit card companies, and has been deemed mandatory by them, and not by any particular software and/or Payment Gateway.

In the case of PayPal Pro, I recommend this white paper on PCI Compliance:
https://cms.paypal.com/cms_content/US/e ... ePaper.pdf

Most people use ScanAlert ( now called McAfee Secure ) to help them remain PCI Compliant. This also allows you to show your Customers how seriously you take security by placing a "Hacker Safe" logo on your site. If you choose PayPal Pro, they offer free PCI Compliance scanning through McAfee Secure. You'll find the link on this page: https://www.paypal.com/pcicompliance
Or, see: http://www.mcafeesecure.com/us/products/pci.jsp?tab=1

If you're using Authorize.Net, I would go with Trustwave.
See: http://www.authorize.net/resources/pcicompliance/
https://www.trustkeeper.net/esp/Login.p ... keeper.net

Regarding s2Member and s2Member Pro.
We have specifically designed s2Member and s2Member Pro with security in mind. One of the questions you'll be asked whenever you become PCI Compliant is, "does your software store any credit card details". The answer to that question is "NO". With s2Member, all financial details, such as pricing, trial periods, subscription lengths, refunds, and other Customer service issues; should be handled by YOU, through your Payment Gateway ( i.e. PayPal , Authorize.Net, or the like ), and NOT through WordPress®.