PayPal

RefRef offers a seamless integration with PayPal to track purchases, process referral rewards, and manage payouts for your referral and affiliate programs.

Overview

The PayPal integration enables you to:

• Track PayPal purchases as qualifying events for referrals
• Process commission payments to referrers and affiliates
• Offer PayPal as a payout method for program participants
• Sync transaction data between platforms
• Leverage PayPal's global payment infrastructure with RefRef's referral tools

Prerequisites

Before setting up the PayPal integration, you'll need:

• An active PayPal Business account
• API credentials from your PayPal developer dashboard
• Administrator access to your RefRef account
• PayPal Webhook capabilities enabled

Setting Up the Integration

Step 1: Connect Your PayPal Account

1. Navigate to Integrations in your RefRef dashboard
2. Select PayPal from the available integrations
3. Click Connect with PayPal
4. Enter your PayPal API credentials
5. Authorize the connection between platforms

Step 2: Configure Webhook Events

RefRef needs to listen for specific events from PayPal:

1. In the PayPal integration settings, review the webhook configuration
2. Ensure the following events are enabled:
   • PAYMENT.SALE.COMPLETED
   • PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED
   • BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.CREATED
   • BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.ACTIVATED
   • BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.PAYMENT.SUCCEEDED
3. Save your webhook configuration

Step 3: Configure Tracking Parameters

Set up how RefRef will track referrals through PayPal:

1. Go to Tracking Configuration in your integration settings
2. Configure custom field mapping for referral identifiers
3. Set up attribution rules for PayPal transactions
4. Define conversion criteria for different payment types

Tracking Referrals with PayPal

One-time Purchases

For tracking standard PayPal purchases:

1. Add the referral identifier to the PayPal checkout flow
2. RefRef will automatically attribute the purchase to the referrer
3. Configure reward rules based on purchase amount or product

Example of adding referral data to PayPal checkout:

// Adding referral data to PayPal checkout
paypal.Buttons({
  createOrder: function(data, actions) {
    return actions.order.create({
      purchase_units: [{
        amount: {
          value: '19.99'
        },
        custom_id: 'refref_id=REF123&refref_campaign=summer_promo'
      }]
    });
  },
  onApprove: function(data, actions) {
    // Handle successful payment
  }
}).render('#paypal-button-container');

Subscription Tracking

For PayPal subscription products:

1. Configure which subscription events trigger conversions
2. Set rules for initial subscription vs. recurring payments
3. Define reward structures for different subscription values
4. Establish rules for subscription changes

Processing Rewards Through PayPal

RefRef can automatically process rewards and commissions through PayPal:

Affiliate Payouts

For paying referrers and affiliates:

1. Configure PayPal as a payout method in RefRef
2. Set up automatic or manual approval workflows
3. Define payout schedules and thresholds
4. Configure notification templates for payout processing

Mass Payouts

For efficiently managing multiple payouts:

1. Navigate to Mass Payouts in your integration settings
2. Configure batch payout settings
3. Set up approval workflows for batch processing
4. Define notification and reporting preferences

Advanced Configuration

Multi-currency Support

For businesses operating internationally:

1. Navigate to Currency Settings in your integration settings
2. Configure currency conversion rules for tracking and payouts
3. Set up default currencies for different regions
4. Define currency-specific payout thresholds

Custom Checkout Experience

For businesses with custom checkout flows:

1. Use the RefRef JavaScript SDK with PayPal integration
2. Implement custom tracking parameters
3. Configure server-side verification
4. Set up webhook handling for custom implementations

Webhooks and API

RefRef to PayPal

RefRef can send data to PayPal for:

• Creating payout transactions
• Processing mass payouts
• Generating invoices
• Verifying account information

PayPal to RefRef

PayPal sends webhook events to RefRef for:

• Payment completion
• Subscription status changes
• Payout processing status
• Refund notifications

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:

• Missing Webhooks: Verify webhook configuration in PayPal
• Attribution Errors: Check custom field formatting in checkout
• Payout Failures: Verify recipient PayPal account information
• Currency Mismatches: Check currency configuration in both platforms

Best Practices

• Test the integration thoroughly in PayPal's sandbox environment before going live
• Use consistent parameter naming in custom fields
• Implement proper error handling for webhook processing
• Regularly audit referral attributions and payouts
• Monitor webhook delivery and processing in both systems
• Consider international payment regulations when designing payout structures

Use Case: Global Affiliate Program

Learn how WorldMarket expanded their affiliate program to 25 countries by implementing the RefRef-PayPal integration, enabling automated commission payments to international affiliates while maintaining compliance with local regulations.