How monthly PayPal subscriptions work
Understand how paid plans are created, approved, activated, renewed, and cancelled through PayPal.
Monthly subscription flow
Paid plans use PayPal Subscriptions. When a client chooses a paid plan, the platform uses the saved PayPal Plan ID for that local plan and opens the PayPal subscription approval window.
What happens after approval
- PayPal creates a subscription agreement.
- The platform verifies the subscription ID.
- The user account is activated on the selected plan.
- Renewal payments are handled through PayPal webhooks.
Important setup rule
Use sandbox client ID, sandbox secret, sandbox webhook ID, and sandbox buyer accounts together. Use live client ID, live secret, live webhook ID, and live buyer accounts together. Mixing sandbox and live IDs is the most common reason PayPal says a resource does not exist.