Reference Transactions enable one-click upsells by allowing applications to charge customers without requiring them to re-enter their payment details. They are essential for Post-Purchase upsells to display to PayPal orders but are distinct from automatic payments and require explicit approval from PayPal.
When you first install Aftersell, a request for approval is sent to PayPal automatically for you!
To check if you have been approved for Reference Transactions, please either follow the steps in the video below or follow the step-by-step instructions below it. Alternatively, you can verify approval directly in PayPal Manager by navigating to Account Administration and checking the settings for "Allow reference transactions."
Step-by-Step Instructions
Go to your Shopify Admin
Click "Settings" on the bottom left of your Admin
Click "Payments" in the left column
Click "Manage" on the top right of your PayPal payment method
Check the "Automatic Payments" line to see if you're marked as "Approved" or not. This method is complemented by verifying the approval status in PayPal Manager, as outlined in the Overview section.
What does my current status mean?
Approved: This means PayPal orders will be able to see Post-Purchase upsells. Congratulations!
Pending: This means PayPal has not had time to review your application yet. In this case, we recommend checking back in every day until it's changed!
Declined/Denied: This means PayPal has denied you access to Reference Transactions. In this case, we recommend reaching out to PayPal Support and asking them the following: When contacting PayPal, request explicit confirmation by asking, "Are my reference transactions approved and functional?" Also, ask for written confirmation or screenshots of the approval status for verification.
"Why has my PayPal account been denied access to Reference Transactions?"
Follow their recommendations to try and change their verdict. Once approval is confirmed, open the Aftersell application, navigate to Order Browser, and verify if PayPal payments for post-purchase upsells reflect correctly in specific orders.
PayPal automatic payments show as "Approved" in Shopify, but they still don't show?
Sometimes Shopify can shows an incorrect status of PayPal Reference Transactions. This will be evident in the fat that eligible customers are not seeing their post purchase upsells, even though your PayPal automatic payments are approved.
When this happens, it is best to confirm whether your PayPal account is actually approved for these payments, directly with the PayPal Support team.
Since there is no convenient way to see whether your PayPal account is approved for reference transactions or not on the PayPal's dashboard, you will need to reach out to their support team directly and ask the following question:
"Is my PayPal account approved for Reference Transactions?"
If not, ask them to re-approve you if possible. If your account is approved, please take a screenshot of their team's confirmation message and reach out to our support team for further assistance.