Recurring payments via Express Checkout with CC not paypal account

Question

Using the PayPal Express Checkout API, is it possible to set up recurring billing but have "PayPal account optional" feature enabled?

I have it enabled in the account (UK, Business with Express Checkout + Recurring billing enabled) and I'm also setting 'SOLUTIONTYPE=Sole' in the API call SetExpressCheckout which according to the docs sets the call to "Paypal Account Optional". However I still get the "Create a PayPal account - pay by debit card option".

Is there any way to have recurring billing without requiring a PayPal account?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, when working with recurring payments users will need a PayPal account to sign up through Express Checkout.

You would need to sign up for Payments Pro + Recurring Billing to get access to process credit cards directly and setup profiles that way. This way you could eliminate the redirect to PayPal altogether when people choose to pay with a credit card.