PayPal Payments on WooCommerce: buttons, errors and pending orders

Buttons that do not show

Usually a JavaScript problem: the PayPal SDK script is blocked, deferred by an optimisation plugin or loaded twice by another plugin. Check the browser console on the checkout and the plugin’s own log under WooCommerce → Status → Logs.

Currency, country and account settings also decide which buttons appear. The plugin documentation lists what each option requires.

Generic errors at payment

A “something went wrong” message after the PayPal window closes often means the order could not be created or captured: an expired connection to the PayPal account, a mismatch between cart total and order total from a fee or discount plugin, or a server error.

The plugin log usually contains PayPal’s actual response. It is the same approach as in diagnosing a failing payment gateway.

Orders stuck on pending

PayPal confirms payments with webhooks. If a security plugin, firewall or Cloudflare rule blocks them, orders stay pending even though payment succeeded. Check webhook status in the plugin settings and resubscribe if needed.

Keep an eye on the share of PayPal orders over time, and on a checkout check that reaches the payment step: together they catch both the loud and the quiet failures.

Check your own store now with the free WooCommerce checkout checker: it walks the checkout in a real browser and shows the step where it stops.

For Greek banks and card redirects, read card redirect failures in Greek stores.