Get Transaction status from Paypal using Merchant's transaction id - api

Question

Paypal provides GetTransactionDetails API call to get the transaction status of a transaction. But it requires TRANSACTIONID as mandatory parameter which is transaction id assigned by Paypal to this transaction.
This TRANSACTIONID is returned by Paypal after completion of the payment. But in scenarios when the customer has made the payment and is returning to merchant page and the network is disrupted, the merchant won't be able to get the status of payment as well as the transaction id of paypal. How would the merchant be able to get the transaction later using API call? Is there any way to get the status using the transaction Id of the merchant?

Answer 1

You can pass your own invoice id in the variable "INVNUM" and then run the "TransactionSearch" API to get the details by passing the "INVNUM" which will give you the response with PayPal's transaction id (if transaction would have been gone thru ).
And once you get the transaction id for PayPal , run the "GetTransactionDetails" API to the detailed information . I have included the sample request and response where in the first api I used my own invnum to fetch the details and then using the PayPal's txn id in response I fetched the complete detail.
NVP Request:
USER=us-XXXX&PWD=XXXX&SIGNATURE=XXXX&VERSION=109.0&METHOD=TransactionSearch&STARTDATE=2015-08-08T00:00:00Z&TRANSACTIONCLASS=All&INVNUM=MyOWNID123456
NVP Response:
L_TIMESTAMP0=2015-08-20T16:43:10Z
L_TIMEZONE0=GMT
L_TYPE0=Payment
L_NAME0=John Test
L_TRANSACTIONID0=33407257W5286551J
L_STATUS0=Completed
L_AMT0=0.01
L_CURRENCYCODE0=USD
L_FEEAMT0=-0.01
L_NETAMT0=0.00
TIMESTAMP=2015-08-20T16:44:22Z
CORRELATIONID=7247ad390a76
ACK=Success
VERSION=109.0
BUILD=000000
NVP Request:
USER=XXXX&PWD=XXXX&SIGNATURE=XXX&VERSION=109.0&METHOD=GetTransactionDetails&TRANSACTIONID=33407257W5286551J
NVP Response:
RECEIVERBUSINESS=XXXXX
RECEIVEREMAIL=XXXXXX
RECEIVERID=XXXXX
PAYERID=RPP8F58J274JG
PAYERSTATUS=unverified
COUNTRYCODE=US
ADDRESSOWNER=PayPal
ADDRESSSTATUS=None
INVNUM=MyOWNID123456
SALESTAX=0.00
SHIPAMOUNT=0.00
SHIPHANDLEAMOUNT=0.00
TIMESTAMP=2015-08-21T04:03:50Z
CORRELATIONID=db0509e83df7c
ACK=Success
VERSION=109.0
BUILD=000000
FIRSTNAME=John
LASTNAME=Test
TRANSACTIONID=33407257W5286551J
RECEIPTID=5098-8700-1518-0878
TRANSACTIONTYPE=webaccept
PAYMENTTYPE=instant
ORDERTIME=2015-08-20T16:43:10Z
AMT=0.01
FEEAMT=0.01
TAXAMT=0.00
CURRENCYCODE=USD
PAYMENTSTATUS=Completed
PENDINGREASON=None
REASONCODE=None
PROTECTIONELIGIBILITY=Ineligible
PROTECTIONELIGIBILITYTYPE=None
L_QTY0=1
L_TAXAMT0=0.00
L_CURRENCYCODE0=USD
L_TAXABLE0=false