PayPal Settings for Easy Guest Checkout

It can get tricky keeping track of all the settings in your PayPal account, so I wanted to let our sellers know about some options that help facilitate sales.

Guest Checkout

Not all buyers want a PayPal account, and that's why we offer guest checkout. However, the option that allows guest checkout may not be turned on in your PayPal account. Of course buyers can still check out no matter the setting, but without the guest checkout option enabled they are asked to create a PayPal account when entering their card number. If you'd like to check your settings, I've outlined the steps below as a general guide using a personal account, your PayPal dashboard may look different. 

Personal PayPal Account

Log into your PayPal account and click on Settings in the upper right of the page. Then click on Seller Tools and then Website Preferences. Scroll down to the section titled "PayPal account optional". Select "ON".

STEP ONE

STEP TWO

STEP THREE

STEP FOUR

Contact telephone number

Do you need a contact phone number from your buyers to be able to buy shipping for their order? If so, you may want to look at the options on the same PayPal page as above, just below the "PayPal account optional" section. This section has the header "Contact telephone number". There are three options.

The first is to turn it on as an optional field. This will show a field for the buyer to enter their phone number, but does not require it to complete the transaction.

The second option is to REQUIRE a phone number. PayPal does not recommend this because if the buyer does not want to share their phone number, they may not complete checkout. If you need the number to ship you can always ask for it after the buyer has completed the order. They will likely be more comfortable giving it to you at that time. Note that this is an extra step you would have to take, and you'll need to weigh your options carefully.

The last option is OFF, meaning the buyer will not be asked to give you their phone number at checkout. This is PayPal's recommendation because the buyer is more likely to complete checkout.

Business Accounts

To make the above changes to your business PayPal account, go to  Account Settings > Website Payments > Website Preferences. Depending on the type of business account you have, the choices will vary. Follow the steps shown to "Allow Checkout as a Guest".

Many accounts, both personal and business, have the optional PayPal account selected by default. But if you have a chance, it's worth a look to be sure!

If you'd like a video tutorial on setting this up, PayPal has created a YouTube for sellers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1cFAZhAQ54

Happy Selling!