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Integrate PayPal into Your VRMS and Offer Secure, Fast Payments to Your Guests

Learn to integrate PayPal into your VRMS and offer your customers a fast, reliable, and professional payment experience on any device.

Written by Lisa

Boost trust and increase conversions with PayPal

Offering well-known and reliable payment methods can help reduce guest hesitation during the booking process.

With PayPal, your customers can quickly and securely make the first payment for their booking from a computer, mobile phone, or any compatible device. They can also use the payment options available in their own PayPal account, without having to enter their card details directly on your website.

In addition to expanding your business’s payment options, PayPal can help build guest trust and make it easier for them to complete their booking.

What will you learn in this article?

In this article, you’ll learn how to:

  • Understand the benefits of offering PayPal as a payment method.

  • Identify the available integration options in the VRMS.

  • Choose the best configuration for your operations.

  • Prepare your PayPal account before requesting the connection.

  • Understand which payments can be managed with each option.

  • Request PayPal activation on your account.

Benefits

Integrating PayPal into your VRMS allows you to:

  • Offer a globally recognized payment method.

  • Increase trust during the booking process.

  • Make payments easy from computers and mobile devices.

  • Reduce friction when entering payment details.

  • Expand the options available to your guests.

  • Provide a faster and more professional booking experience.

  • Process the first payment directly from your website.

  • Integrate PayPal into your payment operations, depending on the selected option.

When should you use PayPal?

You should consider this integration when:

  • Your guests request alternative payment methods to cards.

  • You receive bookings from customers who regularly use PayPal.

  • You want to increase trust during the purchase process.

  • You need to offer a payment experience tailored to mobile devices.

  • You want to make it easier for guests to make the first payment for bookings made on your website.

  • You already use Avantio Payments and want to add PayPal to your operations.

  • You want to offer PayPal without signing up for a full payment platform.

Available integration options

There are two ways to integrate PayPal into your VRMS account.

The option you choose will determine how payments are processed and which operations can be managed within the system.

PayPal through Avantio Payments

You can integrate PayPal via Avantio Payments using Planet Payments.

This option is best when you want to include PayPal as part of a more complete and centralized payment operation.

Before starting, make sure your Avantio Payments and Planet Payments configuration supports this option.

This option may be right for you if:

  • You already use Avantio Payments.

  • You work with Planet Payments.

  • You want to centralize payment management.

  • You need to integrate PayPal into your usual payment operations.

  • You’re looking for a more complete solution than just the initial web payment.

PayPal without a payment platform

You can also enable PayPal without using Avantio Payments or any other integrated payment platform.

With this setup, PayPal will only be available for the first payment made by the guest on your website.

Subsequent payments related to the booking will not be managed through PayPal within the VRMS.

To activate this option, you need to contact the Avantio Customer Experience team.

This option may be right for you if:

  • You only need to offer PayPal during the online booking process.

  • You want to use it exclusively for the first payment.

  • You don’t have Avantio Payments.

  • You don’t need to manage subsequent payments through PayPal.

  • You want a more limited setup for your website.

Pay attention to the details

Regardless of the option you choose, you must have a PayPal Business account.

Personal accounts are not compatible with this integration.

Before you start

It’s a good idea to check the following beforehand:

  • You have a PayPal Business account.

  • The account is active and verified.

  • Your company details are correct.

  • You have admin access to the account.

  • Express Payment is enabled.

  • You’ve chosen one of the two integration options.

  • You’re aware of the limitations of the setup without Avantio Payments.

  • You know who will be responsible for checking payments.

  • Your website is ready to accept online bookings.

It’s also recommended to carry out the activation with someone who has access to both the VRMS and the PayPal Business account.

Prerequisites

Before requesting the integration, complete these requirements.

Create or verify your PayPal Business account

The account used must be a business account.

Check that:

  • The account is registered in your company’s name.

  • The email address is confirmed.

  • Bank details are set up correctly.

  • Any verifications requested by PayPal are completed.

  • The account can receive payments.

Do not use a personal account for this connection.

Enable Express Payment

Within your PayPal Business account, you must enable Express Payment as a payment solution.

This option allows the guest to access the PayPal flow from the booking process and complete the payment using their account.

If you can’t find this setting, contact PayPal support to confirm it’s available and active on your business account.

Choose the right option

Before requesting activation, decide how you want to use PayPal.

Choose PayPal via Avantio Payments if:

  • You already work with Planet Payments.

  • You want to integrate PayPal into a centralized payment operation.

  • You need a more complete solution to manage payments.

  • You want to review with Avantio how the integration will affect your current setup.

Choose PayPal without a payment platform if:

  • You only want to offer PayPal for the first payment from the website.

  • You don’t need to process subsequent payments with PayPal.

  • You don’t use Avantio Payments.

  • You understand and accept the limitations of this option.

Integrate PayPal via Avantio Payments

To use PayPal through Avantio Payments, you must have a configuration compatible with Planet Payments.

Follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you have an active PayPal Business account.

  2. Check that Express Payment is enabled.

  3. Verify that Avantio Payments is active on your account.

  4. Confirm you work with Planet Payments.

  5. Contact the Avantio Customer Experience team.

  6. State that you want to integrate PayPal via Avantio Payments and Planet Payments.

  7. Provide the account information requested by the team.

  8. Follow the instructions provided to authorize or complete the connection.

  9. Wait for the team to confirm activation.

  10. Make a test booking from your website.

  11. Select PayPal as the payment method.

  12. Check that the guest can access the PayPal flow correctly.

  13. Verify that the payment is correctly linked to the booking.

Do not start using the integration with real bookings until you have successfully completed the test.

Integrate PayPal without a payment platform

This option allows you to use PayPal only for the first payment made on the website.

Activation must be requested from the Avantio Customer Experience team.

Follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you have an active PayPal Business account.

  2. Check that Express Payment is enabled.

  3. Contact the Avantio Customer Experience team.

  4. State that you want to activate PayPal without using Avantio Payments.

  5. Confirm that you understand PayPal will only be used for the first payment from the website.

  6. Provide the requested information to complete the connection.

  7. Wait for the team to confirm activation.

  8. Go to your website as if you were a guest.

  9. Start a test booking.

  10. Select PayPal as the payment method.

  11. Complete the first payment.

  12. Check that the payment appears correctly in the booking.

  13. Review how subsequent payments will be managed using the available methods in your account.

Expected result

Once the integration is complete:

  • PayPal will appear as a payment option in the relevant process.

  • The guest will be able to access the PayPal environment to complete the transaction.

  • The first payment made from your website will be linked to the booking.

  • You’ll be able to offer your customers a well-known and reliable alternative.

  • Payment management will depend on the selected option.

When PayPal is set up without Avantio Payments, only the first payment made from the website will be processed through PayPal.

Recommended next steps

After activating the integration:

  1. Make a test booking from a computer.

  2. Repeat the test from a mobile device.

  3. Check that the PayPal button or option appears correctly.

  4. Verify that the guest can log in to PayPal.

  5. Confirm that the amount and currency are correct.

  6. Check that the payment is recorded in the booking.

  7. Review the transaction in your PayPal Business account.

  8. Confirm how subsequent payments will be processed.

  9. Inform the bookings team about the activated option.

  10. Document the procedure internally for reviewing transactions.

  11. Check the refund process when needed.

Key options

PayPal Business account

This is required for both integration options.

The account must be active, verified, and ready to receive payments.

Express Payment

This must be enabled as a payment solution within your PayPal account.

It allows the guest to be redirected to the PayPal payment flow during booking.

Integration via Planet Payments

Allows you to use PayPal through Avantio Payments, as long as your account configuration is compatible.

Integration without a payment platform

Allows you to use PayPal only for the first payment made from the website.

Limitations and considerations

Please note:

  • You cannot use a personal PayPal account.

  • A PayPal Business account is required.

  • Express Payment must be enabled.

  • The availability of certain options depends on your PayPal configuration.

  • Integration via Avantio Payments requires working with Planet Payments.

  • The mode without a payment platform only processes the first payment from the web.

  • Subsequent payments are not managed through PayPal in this mode.

  • Activation without a payment platform must be requested from the Customer Experience team.

  • PayPal's terms and fees depend on your company's contract.

  • Avantio does not control the verifications carried out by PayPal.

  • The account must be ready to receive payments before testing.

  • Some payments may require additional validation by PayPal.

  • The guest may need to log in or complete verifications within PayPal.

Before activating the integration, make sure you understand how the first payment and subsequent charges will be processed.

Best practices

  • Use a PayPal Business account registered in the name of the company.

  • Complete all verifications requested by PayPal.

  • Enable Express Payment before requesting the connection.

  • Choose the mode according to your actual payment operations.

  • Do not choose the mode without a payment platform if you need to collect subsequent payments with PayPal.

  • Test from different devices.

  • Always check the amount and currency before confirming activation.

  • Check the payment both in the VRMS and in PayPal.

  • Limit access to the business account.

  • Enable two-step authentication in PayPal.

  • Keep your banking and company information up to date.

  • Inform your team about the limitations of the selected mode.

  • Document how refunds and issues should be handled.

  • Do not start processing real bookings before completing a full test.

Practical example

A vacation rental company receives many direct bookings from mobile devices.

Some guests abandon the booking process when they have to manually enter their card details, so the company decides to offer PayPal as an alternative.

The company already uses Avantio Payments with Planet Payments and has a PayPal Business account. Before requesting the connection, they enable Express Payment and contact the Customer Experience team.

Once the integration is activated, they make a test booking from a mobile phone. The guest selects PayPal, logs into their account, and confirms the payment.

The company checks that the amount appears correctly in PayPal and in the booking in the VRMS.

As a result, their guests have an additional, well-known payment method that works well on mobile devices.

Common errors

PayPal does not appear as a payment method

Check that the integration has been activated and that Express Payment is enabled in your PayPal Business account.

Also make sure you are checking the correct booking flow.

The PayPal account cannot be connected

Verify that it is a PayPal Business account and that all validations are completed.

Personal accounts are not compatible.

The guest can pay the first installment, but not the following ones

This is expected when PayPal is set up without Avantio Payments.

In this mode, PayPal only processes the first payment made from the web.

The amount shown in PayPal is not correct

Check the amount set for the first payment of the booking and the currency used.

Also check that the test booking has the expected payment conditions.

The guest cannot complete the payment from their mobile

Check that the website loads correctly and that the user can access the PayPal environment from the device.

It may also be necessary to review the verifications requested by PayPal.

Express Payment is not available

Go to your PayPal Business account settings and check the active payment solutions.

If the option does not appear, contact PayPal directly.

If something doesn't work

Before contacting the Customer Experience team:

  1. Check that you are using a PayPal Business account.

  2. Verify that the account is active and validated.

  3. Confirm that Express Payment is enabled.

  4. Review the selected integration mode.

  5. Check that Avantio Payments and Planet Payments are active when required.

  6. Verify that PayPal appears during a booking made from the web.

  7. Check the amount and currency.

  8. Review the payment status in the PayPal account.

  9. Try the booking from another browser or device.

  10. Refresh the page and check the result again.

If the problem persists, create a ticket and include:

  • Company name.

  • Integration mode used.

  • Booking identifier.

  • Approximate date and time of payment.

  • Amount and currency.

  • Device and browser used.

  • Status shown in PayPal.

  • Full error message.

  • Screenshots.

Do not include passwords or sensitive account information in the screenshots.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a personal PayPal account?

No. The integration requires a PayPal Business account, regardless of the mode you choose.

What happens if I set up PayPal without Avantio Payments?

PayPal will only work for the first payment made from your website.

Subsequent payments will not be managed through PayPal within the system.

Can I use PayPal through Avantio Payments?

Yes. PayPal can be integrated through Avantio Payments using Planet Payments, as long as your account and configuration are compatible.

Is it mandatory to enable Express Payment?

Yes. You must enable Express Payment as a payment solution in your PayPal Business account before completing the integration.

Can I process all payments for a booking with PayPal?

It will depend on the integration mode.

When PayPal is set up without a payment platform, it only processes the first payment made from the web.

Does PayPal work from mobile devices?

Yes. The guest can access the PayPal process from compatible computers and mobile devices.

Are PayPal fees included in Avantio?

PayPal's terms and fees depend on the contract you have directly with the provider.

Check the applicable rates in your PayPal Business account.

How do I request activation?

Contact the Avantio Customer Experience team and provide:

  • That you want to integrate PayPal.

  • The mode you want to use.

  • If you have Avantio Payments and Planet Payments.

  • That your PayPal Business account is active.

  • That Express Payment is enabled.

Is it recommended to do a test?

Yes. Before offering PayPal to your guests, make a test booking and check the entire process from the web, the payment record in the VRMS, and the transaction in your PayPal account.

Who can help me with the integration?

You can contact the Avantio Customer Experience team.

We will help you review the most suitable mode, complete the activation, and make sure payments work correctly.

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