Study Guide

PayPal Certified Developer Program Study Guide March 2008 87
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In this chapter, you will learn:
z How to use the Authorize & Capture APIs to authorize payments without actually
receiving them, and how to get authorized payments
z How to refund a customer’s payment
z How to search for transactions and find details of a specific transaction
z How to use PayPal’s automated payment-notification capabilities
Authorization & Capture APIs
PayPal uses Authorization & Capture in both Express Checkout and Direct Payment.
Authorization & Capture APIs provide merchants with increased flexibility in obtaining
payments from their customers. Authorization & Capture separates the authorization of
payment from the capture of the authorized payment.
Authorization & Capture is for merchants who have a delayed order-fulfillment process. It
enables merchants to modify the original authorization amount, due to order changes
occurring after the initial order is placed (such as taxes, shipping, or item availability).
Authorization & Capture allows merchants to authorize, capture, reauthorize, and void funds.
Authorization Process
1. Authorization & Capture starts when the customer authorizes a payment amount during
checkout (for example, by using the PayPal Express Checkout API with the
PAYMENTACTION element set to Authorization).
2. After the customer completes checkout, use the payment’s transaction ID with
Authorization & Capture APIs to:
– Capture a partial amount or the full authorization amount.
– Capture or reauthorize a higher amount, up to 115% of the originally authorized amount
(not to exceed an increase of $75 USD).
– Void a previous authorization.