Paypal Website Payments Standard with a Ruby/Rails Application

API differences between Paypal Express Checkout and Website Payment Standard

Rather than edit my previously edited answer, I'm going to try again.

Express Checkout was made to sit next to your existing payment solution as a "Pay with Paypal" option. It has a more full API, and only requires your customers to leave your site to enter their payment information. There is a more detailed writeup here

For clarification, YES, both Paypal's Express Checkout and Website Payment Standard allow you to accept payments from "Guest Accounts" (Customers without paypal accounts.)

I agree that the documentation is sometimes confusing. Since you mention Rails, here is how to enable "Guest Accounts" in Express Checkout with Active Merchant.

I believe express checkout is only available for business acccounts (not personal). If you have a business account, you will find a setting in your paypal profile - Profile>My selling tools>Selling Online>Website preferences Scroll down to PayPal Account Optional and select the On radio button.

Edit: Apparently this option can be found under Profile>Website Payment Preferences>Paypal Account Optional

Then using Active Merchant, call paypal with the allow_guest_checkout (This code is based on the railscast on express checkout episode)

response = EXPRESS_GATEWAY.setup_purchase(current_cart.build_order.price_in_cents,
  :ip                => request.remote_ip,
  :return_url        => new_order_url,
  :cancel_return_url => products_url,
  :allow_guest_checkout => true

)

Hope this helps.

checkout with paypal without login

Found an answer to this issue on SO itself, here is the link in case someone bumps into this question. API differences between Paypal Express Checkout and Website Payment Standard

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