Built-in connectorLast verified 2026-09-11 · Reviewed by a person 2026-09-14
PayPal is built into Shopify: Shopify generates a PayPal Express Checkout account from the store owner's email when the store is created and configures it under Settings > Payments > Additional payment methods, so there is nothing to install and Shopify maintains the connector. In the United States and France, stores on Shopify Payments do not get PayPal Express Checkout at all; PayPal runs as the PayPal Wallet method inside Shopify Payments, with transactions, payouts and disputes managed in the Shopify admin. PayPal Express is also the one outside method Shopify exempts from its third-party transaction fee when Shopify Payments is active. Card processing through PayPal on Shopify is limited to the legacy Payflow Pro credit-card provider and PayPal's own guest card option inside the PayPal window; Shopify's PayPal integrations page lists no other.1
UAT-Ops testing: PayPal's sandbox was verified by UAT-Ops on 2026-09-11 with the directory's card flow (5 passed) → evidence on the PayPal hub. The Shopify integration itself has not been run.
Sources checked: 28 claims from 6 sites, listed at the foot of the page.
Connects through PayPal Express Checkout is auto-created at store creation and activated from Settings > Payments in the Additional payment methods section by logging into a PayPal business account and granting permission, then choosing immediate sale or authorize-only. US and French stores on Shopify Payments use the PayPal Wallet method that is created automatically with Shopify Payments and requires the newest Shopify Checkout. PayPal Payflow Pro is a separate credit-card provider option keyed by Vendor/Merchant Login, Password and Partner. Biggest gotcha: US and French stores do not get PayPal Express Checkout.
How it connects
Method
PayPal Express Checkout is auto-created at store creation and activated from Settings > Payments in the Additional payment methods section by logging into a PayPal business account and granting permission, then choosing immediate sale or authorize-only. US and French stores on Shopify Payments use the PayPal Wallet method that is created automatically with Shopify Payments and requires the newest Shopify Checkout. PayPal Payflow Pro is a separate credit-card provider option keyed by Vendor/Merchant Login, Password and Partner.1
Maintained by
Shopify (built-in connector; PayPal Wallet is part of Shopify Payments)1
No app to buy. Shopify's pricing page lists PayPal Wallet at 'starting at 3.49% + 49c' on every plan; PayPal's US fee page lists PayPal Checkout and Venmo at 3.49% + $0.49, Pay Later at 4.99% + $0.49, Payflow Pro at $25/month plus $0.10 per transaction, a $15 dispute fee and a $20 chargeback fee. PayPal Express is exempt from Shopify's third-party transaction fee (2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus) when Shopify Payments is active. PayPal Wallet adds a 3% currency-conversion fee when the payment currency differs from the payout currency.3
Yes: a source confirms it on this integration. Limited: supported, but only under meaningful conditions or through a subset of connector paths. Not verified here: the gateway supports it, but no source confirms this integration exposes it. No: not available. A capability with no source either way is left off.
Not as a normal card gateway. Customers in some regions can pay by card as a PayPal guest inside the PayPal window once the merchant enables it in the PayPal business account, and PayPal Payflow Pro can be set as the store's single credit-card provider.
PayPal Express Checkout globally, or PayPal Wallet inside Shopify Payments in the US and France; appears as an accelerated checkout button on Shopify Checkout. B2B checkout accepts PayPal since 2023-05-23.
Shopify's customer-experience page says PayPal buyer credit is available to US and UK PayPal customers with no extra configuration. PayPal Pay Later on Shopify is not documented by Shopify.
Subscription apps have accepted PayPal Express since 2021-05-19 once PayPal approves Reference Transactions for the account; PayPal Wallet on Shopify Payments supports recurring payments.
PayPal Express Checkout accepts multiple currencies only when Shopify Payments multi-currency selling is set up, and foreign-currency PayPal orders must be reviewed manually unless the PayPal account is set to accept or decline them all.
PayPal supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
Capability status reflects the integration and documentation available at the time of verification, not necessarily every capability of the underlying gateway or platform.
Testing it
Shopify's PayPal connector has no sandbox switch: the setup guide's final step is a real test transaction against the live business account. On a development store only the Bogus gateway or a provider's built-in test mode work and real transactions are refused, so PayPal cannot be exercised there. For US/French stores, put Shopify Payments into test mode (paid plan needed, live orders blocked while on) to test card flows, and use a low-value live PayPal order plus refund for the wallet path. Assert that the Shopify order shows the PayPal transaction, that the Seller Protection badge reads Eligible, that authorize-only orders show a Capture payment action, and that a refund issued in Shopify appears in the PayPal (or Shopify Payments) activity.2
UAT-Ops runs integration flows like this against the real sandbox and keeps the evidence. Tell me when it opens →
Gotchas
US and French stores do not get PayPal Express Checkout
If the store runs Shopify Payments in the United States or France, PayPal Express Checkout is not offered. PayPal arrives as the PayPal Wallet method inside Shopify Payments, created automatically, requiring the newest Shopify Checkout, paid out with card transactions and disputed through the Shopify admin. Venmo switches on with it and can only be turned off by Shopify Support. Non-payout currencies carry a 3% conversion fee.
The fee exemption is for PayPal Express, and only beside Shopify Payments
Shopify's third-party fee (2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus) skips PayPal Express when Shopify Payments is active. One page says "PayPal" is excluded, another says "PayPal Express"; neither names Payflow Pro, which replaces Shopify Payments as the card provider, so the exemption cannot apply to it. Budget the fee on Payflow stores.
Payflow Pro is the only PayPal card gateway, and it is legacy
Shopify still lists Payflow Pro; PayPal still charges $25 a month plus $0.10 a transaction for it and documents its Website Payments Pro editions as no longer marketed. Cards inside the PayPal window are a PayPal-hosted guest option, not merchant card fields.
The setup guide ends with a real test transaction, Shopify's test-orders page never mentions PayPal, and development stores allow only the Bogus gateway or a provider's built-in test mode. Plan a low-value live order and refund.
Subscriptions wait on Reference Transactions approval
Shopify asks PayPal for Reference Transactions the moment a subscription or post-purchase app is detected, but until PayPal approves, PayPal simply disappears from subscription checkouts. PayPal emails the decision and may not flag a denial in the admin, so a missing PayPal button on subscription products is usually this.
One PayPal account across stores collides on order IDs
Linking the same PayPal account to several stores produces "Payment already processed for InvoiceID" because order numbers repeat; fix it with a per-store order prefix or suffix. Activation also fails when the store country differs from the PayPal account country, and burst traffic can trigger a 24-hour "Too many requests" suspension that only PayPal lifts.
Last verified 2026-09-11 · Reviewed by a person 2026-09-14
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Where newer information, testing, or vendor documentation materially changes a published claim, UAT-Ops may revise the page to reflect the most current verified information. Readers should confirm time-sensitive requirements with the relevant vendor before making production or purchasing decisions.