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Why did I get random approvals, declines, and timeouts when testing PayPal Payments Pro with Payflow in the Sandbox?

Random approvals, declines, and timeouts usually result when the credit card numbers you're using are associated with many test accounts. The system has difficulty handling multiple requests for these same few numbers. When performing test credit card transactions with a Payflow Pro account linked to a Sandbox account, you must use a unique credit card number. There are two ways to do this:
  • Use the credit card number assigned to your Sandbox test account. When you create a new Sandbox test account on the Developer site, the Sandbox assigns you a unique credit card number, but you can use any three-digit number as the Card Verification Number. Here's how to create a test account:
  1. Log in to the PayPal Developer Portal.
  2. Navigate to Sandbox > Accounts.
  3. Click Create Account and follow the directions on screen. Refer to Sandbox Test Accounts in the Developer Documentation for more information.
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