Use the ActiveCampaign PayPal integration

Integrate your PayPal account with ActiveCampaign to sync order events, create and update contacts, and trigger automated workflows in ActiveCampaign when orders are approved in PayPal.

Take note

• You will need an ActiveCampaign account and PayPal Checkout to set up the integration
• This integration only works with PayPal Smart Buttons, and a script tag should be present in the smart buttons definition
• This integration is available on all ActiveCampaign levels
• This integration will not add contacts directly to a list
• You can only map PayPal fields to existing fields in ActiveCampaign. This integration will not create any new fields in your ActiveCampaign account
• You can connect more than one PayPal account to your ActiveCampaign account

How the ActiveCampaign PayPal integration works

This integration syncs contacts to ActiveCampaign when an order is approved in PayPal.

Contacts synced from the PayPal integration

All contacts synced to ActiveCampaign will have the following tags added to their contact records:

• paypal-integration
• paypal-integration-EVENT_NAME

PayPal automation trigger

Once the integration setup is complete, a new "PayPal event received" automation trigger will appear in your ActiveCampaign account.

This trigger will be under the "CX Apps" section of the trigger modal. Use this trigger to create automated workflows to send post-purchase emails or experience surveys to your customers.

Connect your PayPal account and resource to ActiveCampaign

1. Click “Apps” in your ActiveCampaign account.
2. Search for PayPal.
3. Click the PayPal option to open it.
4. Click the “Add an Account” button.
   
   
5. A "Create Contacts From PayPal Orders" modal will open:
   • Paste your PayPal Client ID and Secret into the fields provided. These items are located in your PayPal account's Developer Dashboard
   • Click the "Connect" button
     
     
     
6. Open a separate tab or window and log into your PayPal account.
7. In PayPal, click "My Apps and Credentials."
8. Click "Live" then click "ActiveCampaign."
9. Scroll down and click "Log in with PayPal settings" under the Live App Settings.
10. Go back to your ActiveCampaign account. On the next screen.
    • Click the "Choose Resource" dropdown and click the resource you would like to use
    • Click the "Continue" button
11. On the last screen in the modal, map fields from PayPal to fields in ActiveCampaign.
    • To map additional fields, click the "Add field mapping" option
    • To remove a field mapping, click the trash icon next to the option you wish to remove
    • To sync customer phone numbers, you'll need to enable phone numbers in PayPal. To do so, log into your PayPal account and go to Account Settings > Website payments > Website preferences > Update > Contact telephone number and click the "On (optional field)" option
      
      
12. Click "Finish" when mapping is complete.

Your PayPal account is now connected to your ActiveCampaign account. Customer information will sync to ActiveCampaign every time a checkout order is approved.

Manage the PayPal integration

You can manage your PayPal integration from the PayPal apps page in your ActiveCampaign account.

To get to the PayPal apps page:

1. Click the Apps icon in your ActiveCampaign account.
2. Click the "Connected Apps" option.
3. Click PayPal.

From this page, you can:

• View all connected resources
• Add more resources
• Remove resources
• Edit a resource
• Connect another PayPal account
• Disconnect your PayPal account
• View app details

Update field mapping

You can update field mapping for your connected PayPal resource at any time. Once field mapping is updated, all submissions moving forward will reflect the new mapping rules. It will not alter or change any fields for contacts who synced before this update.

To update mapping for your PayPal fields:

1. Navigate to the PayPal app page in your ActiveCampaign account (click Apps > Connected Apps > PayPal).

2. Locate the resource you want to modify and click the "Edit" button.

3. Locate the field mapping you wish to update and use the dropdowns to update the mapping.

4. Click the "Finish" button.

Disconnect a PayPal resource from ActiveCampaign

When you disconnect a PayPal resource, your ActiveCampaign account will stop receiving data from PayPal whenever an event for the resource occurs. You can always reconnect the resource to your account in the future if you need to.

Removing a resource will not remove any previously synced data from your ActiveCampaign account.

To disconnect a PayPal resource:

1. Navigate to the PayPal app page in your account (click Apps > Connected Apps > PayPal).
2. Locate the resource you want to remove and click the down caret. This is located next to the "Edit" button.
3. Click "Remove."  
4. A confirmation modal will appear. Click the "Disconnect" button.

The resource is now removed from the PayPal app page in your ActiveCampaign account. Your PayPal account will remain connected to ActiveCampaign.

Disconnect your PayPal account from ActiveCampaign

You can disconnect your PayPal account from ActiveCampaign at any time. Doing so means that:

• The PayPal account will no longer be listed under "Connected Apps"
• Data will not transfer from PayPal to ActiveCampaign

Disconnecting the integration will not remove any previously synced data from your ActiveCampaign account. 

After disconnecting the integration in ActiveCampaign, you will need to revoke access within your PayPal account.

To disconnect your PayPal account:

1. Navigate to the PayPal app page in your ActiveCampaign account (click Apps > Connected Apps > PayPal).
2. Locate the PayPal account you wish to remove and click the down caret. This is located next to the "Add a new resource" button.
3. Click "Remove."
4. A  confirmation modal will appear. Click the “Disconnect” button.

Your PayPal account is now disconnected from your ActiveCampaign account. 

You can reconnect the integration at any time and remap fields for the Resources you would like to use.