This article...
- Explains that Super Admins can set up a default "global" Payment Provider and a distinct Payment Provider, per community, to supersede the global default.
- Lists PayPal Express Checkout, CyberSource Secure Acceptance, and Stripe Checkout as the supported payment providers.
- Describes the set-up processes for the default "global" Payment Provider and for the community-specific override providers.
- Highlights the "offline payment" options for each provider.
- Mentions the Sandbox option that is unique to configuring the PayPal Express Checkout experience and only when being configured for a community.
IMPORTANT: This article provides the set-up and configuration steps that are required in a Higher Logic site only. Additional steps might be necessary in your associated account with the third-party provider. Consult your selected provider's product documentation for guidance.
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Event payments in your account
You can manage how registrants for your community's events pay for their attendance. Payment Provider is an optional feature in your account that makes it possible for your site's communities to:
- accept online payments in advance of (Full Registration and Simple Registration) events and
- accommodate offline payments by providing a mailing address for invoice remittances.
The feature supports three Payment Providers:
- CyberSource Secure Acceptance
- PayPal Express Checkout
- Stripe Checkout
TIP: Each provider has its own set-up requirements (e.g., keys; account numbers). Higher Logic recommends that you review this article to understand the unique requirements of your preferred payment provider and to have the necessary information available before you start the set-up process.
IMPORTANT: Community Admins can manage events but they cannot set up the payment provider, only Super Admins can.
Payment Providers: default and overrides
You can, effectively, set up multiple Payment Providers.
You can set up a "default and global" Payment Provider for your Higher Logic site. The default provider will be available for all event-related payment transactions in all of the communities across your site. This provider:
- is set up in the Admin interface and is described in the sections below.
- could be superseded for a community's events if an "override" Payment Provider has been set up for the community.
You can set up an "override" Payment Provider, per community, which will be used by that community for its events. This provider:
- is set up via a community's Settings page.
- will supersede the default provider (if one has been configured).
- is completely independent of any default provider and has no functional dependence on whether a default provider has been set up. (I.e., there doesn't have to be a "global" provider set up in order to set up a override provider, despite the name.)
Refer to Override providers notes, below, for more information.
Payment Providers: tips
Below are some things to keep in mind if you use a payment provider. Review these to ensure the most reliable experience (for you and your users) with a payment provider.
Do not change the payment provider if there are active events
You might experience inconsistent behaviors for event payments if you change the payment provider while an event is accepting registrations. It's possible for an event to retain the payment provider configuration that existed when it was created.
- Avoid changing your configured payment provider until registration for the event is closed or the event is finished.
Test your selected provider's payment process
Some of the most common reasons that payments fail are:
- incorrect API keys,
- incorrect credentials, and
- incorrect provider settings.
Higher Logic recommends that you test your payment-provider process before making it available for events.
- If you change your payment provider, be sure to test the replacement provider's payment process before making it available for events.
Access the Payment Providers page
NOTE: Only Super Admins can set up a default Payment Provider.
- In the Admin Toolbar, click Admin.
- Navigate to Events > Payment Providers.
- Use the Jump to... links on the right side of this page to access the configuration section for your preferred provider.
Set up a Payment Provider for a Community
NOTE: Only Super Admins can set up Payment Providers. If you are a Community Admin and want to set a Payment Provider for your community, contact a Super Admin.
On a community Home page:
- Click Settings.
- Click Event Payment Providers.
The Manage Payment Provider page opens and is set up to configure PayPal Express Checkout.
- Set up PayPal Express Checkout or click the Payment Provider dropdown to set up a different provider.
- Use the Jump to... links on the right side of this page to access the configuration section for your preferred provider.
Override providers notes
Below are a few notes about override providers.
- A community can have only one payment provider.
- Having community-specific providers allows different communities (e.g., chapters, regions) in the same site/account to process payments through different merchant accounts.
- When a provider has been set up for a community, events that are created in that community will automatically use that payment provider (instead of the default provider).
- The configuration fields on the community > Settings page for an override provider are identical to that same provider's configuration fields in the Admin interface, which are documented in the sections below.
- PayPal Express Checkout has a Sandbox (test environment) option that:
- displays only when configuring this provider for a community.
- is detailed in Sandbox test environment, in the PayPal Express Checkout section below.
CyberSource Secure Acceptance
NOTE: The information in this section covers only the set-up steps that are required in Higher Logic. Additional steps might be necessary in your associated account with the third-party provider.
- Verify that CyberSource Secure Acceptance is selected in the Payment Provider dropdown.
To set up this provider on the Payment Providers page:
- Specify the Profile ID, Access Key, and Secret Key for your CyberSource account.
- If you are accepting offline payments for events, you can:
- provide the address to which payment must be mailed and
- accept or customize the button text that displays to users who want to pay offline.
TIP: The mailing address that you specify displays on the invoice that users can print to remit with their payment. The offline-payment text (e.g., Generate an Invoice) displays on a button in the Payment Options section for Full Registration events only.
- Click Save to preserve your settings.
TIP: Higher Logic recommends that you test the payment process and correct any issues before making it available to your community users.
PayPal Express Checkout
NOTE: The information in this section covers only the set-up steps that are required in Higher Logic. Additional steps might be necessary in your associated account with the third-party provider.
- Verify that PayPal Express Checkout is selected in the Payment Provider dropdown.
To set up this provider on the Payment Providers page:
- Specify the email address for your PayPal account.
- If you are accepting offline payments for events, you can:
- provide the address to which payment must be mailed and
- accept or customize the text that displays to users who choose to pay "offline."
TIP: The mailing address that you specify displays on the invoice that users can print to remit with their payment. The offline-payment text (e.g., Generate an Invoice) displays on a button in the Payment Options section for Full Registration events only.
- Click Save to preserve your settings.
TIP: Higher Logic recommends that you test the payment process and correct any issues before making it available to your community users.
Sandbox test environment
If you are setting up PayPal as the payment provider for a community, you can easily test your payment process via PayPal's Sandbox environment.
Higher Logic will send a "test" payment to PayPal's sandbox servers (sandbox.paypal.com) instead of the live PayPal system, so you can simulate a transaction, rather than execute a legitimate one, in order to verify configuration, redirects, and confirmation emails without having to process a real payment.
To test in the Sandbox:
- Make sure that you have valid credentials for the Sandbox environment.
- Toggle Use Sandbox to On.
- Specify your credentials and other values in the Account, Username, Password, and Signature fields.
- Click Save.
- Create a test event with PayPal as the payment provider and test the payment process (yourself and with the help of colleagues).
IMPORTANT: Be sure to return here and toggle Use Sandbox to Off when you're ready to create and schedule an event.
Stripe Checkout
NOTE: The information in this section covers only the set-up steps that are required in Higher Logic. Additional steps might be necessary in your associated account with the third-party provider.
- Verify that Stripe Checkout is selected in the Payment Provider dropdown.
To set up this provider on the Payment Providers page:
- Specify the Secret Key and Publishable Key for your Stripe account.
- Specify the web address/URL for your store logo.
- If you are accepting offline payments for events, you can:
- provide the address to which payment must be mailed and
- accept or customize the text that displays to users who choose to pay "offline."
TIP: The mailing address that you specify displays on the invoice that users can print to remit with their payment. The offline-payment text (e.g., Generate an Invoice) displays on a button in the Payment Options section for Full Registration events only.
- Click Save to preserve your settings.
TIP: Higher Logic recommends that you test the payment process and correct any issues before making it available to your community users.