SureCart branding when accepting subscriptions payments with PayPal

TL;DR: SureCart branding is only visible when you do not have reference transactions enabled on your PayPal account. When you get reference transactions enabled on your PayPal account, there will be no SureCart branding.

If you are using SureCart to accept subscription payments with PayPal, you may have noticed that the checkout flow and subscription management pages display the SureCart branding. While this is not necessarily a problem, some merchants may prefer to remove this branding for branding consistency or other reasons.

Fortunately, it is possible to remove the SureCart branding from the PayPal checkout flow and subscription management pages easily. 

In this article, we will explain how to remove the SureCart branding from your PayPal checkout flow and subscription management pages.

Where SureCart branding might be visible when accepting subscriptions payments with PayPal?

When you use SureCart to accept subscription payments through PayPal, the PayPal checkout flow might display the SureCart branding to your customers. This branding shows up in two places: 

The PayPal checkout popup:

The customer’s PayPal account where they manage their subscription.

How to remove this branding?

If you wish to remove the SureCart branding, you’ll need to enable reference transactions on your PayPal account. 

What are Reference Transactions?

Reference Transactions is a feature of PayPal that allows merchants to process recurring payments, such as subscriptions or installments. With Reference Transactions, the merchant stores the customer’s payment information on PayPal’s secure servers, and PayPal processes the payment automatically according to the terms of the subscription or installment plan.

To use Reference Transactions, merchants must obtain approval from PayPal, which involves a review of the merchant’s business practices and a verification process. The approval process may vary depending on the merchant’s location, business model, and other factors.

Obtaining approval for Reference Transactions from PayPal can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for merchants who are new to PayPal or who are located in certain countries. PayPal typically requires a review of the merchant’s business practices and financial history, as well as verification of their identity and contact information. Additionally, PayPal may require merchants to demonstrate that they have a legitimate need for Reference Transactions, and that they are capable of managing recurring payments effectively.

Given the complexity and difficulty of obtaining approval for Reference Transactions, many merchants are not able to accept recurring payments with PayPal. 

We noticed this and built the CIB (Client-Initiated Billing) feature in SureCart.

With CIB, SureCart acts as the intermediary between the merchant and PayPal, allowing merchants to accept recurring payments without the need for Reference Transactions. This can be a simpler and more convenient solution for merchants who do not have the time or resources to go through the approval process for Reference Transactions.

How to enable the Reference Transactions on your PayPal account?

To enable Reference Transactions on your PayPal account, please follow these steps:

1. Log into your PayPal account and find your local PayPal Support Help Center phone number. You can find this information on the PayPal website or by doing a quick internet search.
2. Call your local PayPal Support Help Center and explain that you are specifically calling to enable Reference Transactions on your account.
3. The representative may try to help you set up recurring payments with a button, but you need to insist that you want Reference Transactions enabled specifically.
4. The PayPal Specialist will ask for your PayPal account information and other questions related to your business, and will file a ticket to enable Reference Transactions on your account.
5. You will receive an email from PayPal within a few days, letting you know whether or not your account has been approved for Reference Transactions. If your account has been approved, you can begin using this feature to process recurring payments for your customers.

It is important to note that the approval process for Reference Transactions can vary depending on the merchant’s location, business model, and other factors. Be prepared to provide any necessary documentation or additional information that PayPal may require to enable this feature on your account.

After you’ve been approved for reference transactions, SureCart will automatically use this feature to process subscription payments on your behalf. When reference transactions are enabled, the SureCart branding will not appear in the PayPal checkout flow.

Please note that the approval process for reference transactions can take several business days, and not all merchants may be eligible. If you’re unable to enable reference transactions, you can still use SureCart’s CIB (client-initiated billing) feature to accept subscription payments with the SureCart branding.

If you have any questions or need assistance with enabling reference transactions on your PayPal account, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team. We’re here to help!