Setting Up Test Accounts

Depending on the business application you are developing and testing, you need different types of test accounts. There are two types of test accounts: Personal (or Premier) and Business.

Planning the Types of Test Accounts You Need

Determine the types of test accounts you need to test the applications you are developing. In addition, determine the number of different accounts you need. Typically, you create at least one seller (Business) account and one buyer (Personal or Premier) account. You might need several different Personal or Business PayPal test accounts to test your application.

When you create a test account, the following information is generated for you:

l	Mailing address

l	Email address and password for the test PayPal account. You can specify the same password (not email address) for all your test accounts so that you can more easily remember it.

l	Security questions and answers. You can use the same security questions and answers for all your test accounts so that you can more easily remember them.

IMPORTANT:

Never use real email addresses or live paypal.com passwords for a test account. Only use fictitious information in your answers to the security questions. All of this data should be fictional.

l	Personal or Business account

l	Your agreement to the terms of using the Sandbox

For Business accounts, the following additional information is generated for you:

l	Business name and address

l	Customer service contact information

l	Business owner contact information

l	Business owner address

l	Social Security Number to sign up for Website Payments Pro

Managing Test Accounts

You can view, work with, or launch the Sandbox Test Site for all your test accounts. You can also create new accounts or remove test email addresses from your view.

l	To work with test accounts, log in to https://developer.paypal.com, and click the Test Accounts tab.

l	To create a new account, click the Create Account link.

l	To work with the account, select the account by clicking the radio button associated with it on the left.

You can simulate the live paypal.com site for the selected account by clicking Enter Sandbox Test Site. When you logged in to https://developer.paypal.com, you might have set the Log me in automatically checkbox to allow direct access to https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/, in which case you do not have to launch the Sandbox to access it.

IMPORTANT:

The Delete button does not delete the test account. It removes the test account from your list of accounts, but the email address for the test account is still on file for the Sandbox. You cannot reuse an email address that is still on file for the Sandbox. If you want to rerun a test, do not delete the account; you can use the Reset option instead.

The following sections describe how to create a preconfigured test account, which allows United States merchants to create an account using a typical configuration that is useful for most testing. You can also create a test account manually, which might be required if the preconfigured test account is not adequate for your needs.

Note:

The first test account that you create is always a preconfigured test account. After you create the first account, you click Preconfigured to create a preconfigured test account or Create Manually to create the test account manually. The following sections assume that a test account has not yet been created.

Creating a Personal Account

To create a buyer with a Personal or Premier account:

1.	After logging in, select Test Accounts and click the Create Test Account link.

2.	Choose Buyer for the Account Type and make other selections or accept the defaults.

3.	Click Create Account.

The result is shown below.

Note:

The Login Email is a pseudo-randomized address, which is based on the address you specified. Credit card and bank account numbers are also generated randomly.

Creating a Business Account

To create a seller with a Business account:

1.	After logging in, select Test Accounts and click the Create Test Account link.

2.	Choose Seller for the Account Type and make other selections or accept the defaults.

3.	Click Create Account.

Note:

The Login Email is a pseudo-randomized address, which is based on the address you specified. Credit card and bank account numbers are also generated randomly.

The result is shown below.

Note:

The Login Email is a pseudo-randomized address, which is based on the address you specified. Credit card and bank account numbers are also generated randomly.

Verified Account Status

By default, a preconfigured test account has a confirmed bank account and email addresses. To create an unverified account change the bank account to unconfirmed.

Resetting a Preconfigured Account

You can reset a preconfigured test account. This is useful when you want to rerun transactions and need to start from the same point as the original test. Resetting a test account preserves information required to rerun the test, such as the account email address, API credentials, credit card and bank accounts, and starting balance. It does not, however, use the same bank account or credit card numbers. Consider the following account information associated with a test account:

When you click Reset for the account from the Test Accounts tab, you are prompted to enter a new password and a note to associate with the account:

After you reset the account, the information to rerun your test is preserved:

Creating a Test Account Manually

You can create a test account manually by clicking the Create Manually link for Create Account. This action automatically places you in the Sandbox Test Site, where you create the test account just as you would on the live site:

Creating a Website Payments Pro Account

You can use a wizard to create a Website Payments Pro account by clicking the Website Payments Pro link for Create Account. This action automatically places you in the Sandbox Test Site, where you create the test account just as you would create a Website Payments Pro account on the live site using a wizard to take you through the steps.

Note:

A Website Payments Pro account is a kind of business account.

Adding a Funding Source

To test transactions, you must add a source of funds to your buyer test account. The following sections describe your choices:

1.	“Changing or Adding Additional Bank Accounts”. You can add bank accounts, but they will not contain funds unless you use Send Money to send the bank account holder money.

2.	“Adding Credit Cards ”. For testing, this is the most efficient way to add funds.

Note:

No money or funds are actually transferred in the Sandbox; however, to protect confidentiality, you should not use actual credit card numbers or bank accounts if you allow other people to log in to your Sandbox account.

Changing or Adding Additional Bank Accounts

You add a bank account to the Sandbox test account representing a customer or buyer so that you can test transactions between the buyer’s account and another account; typically, the other account is a business account that represents yourself as a merchant. Adding a bank account also changes the account status from “Unverified” to “Verified.”

The bank account is a source of funds for a user’s PayPal account, and thus for transactions between that test account and other test accounts. A test account can have multiple bank accounts, but at least one is required in order to verify the test account.

The Sandbox automatically generates bank account and sort code numbers when you add a bank account.

For Australia, Canada, Germany, or UK

Use the automatically generated bank account information only for test US bank accounts. To add test Canadian, German, or UK bank account information, follow these guidelines.

Table 3.1

Australian German, Canadian, and UK Test Bank Account Information

Australia	Canada	Germany	UK
BSB Number: 242-200	Transit Number: 00001	Routing Number: 37020500	Bank Account Number: Any 8-digit number
Account Number: any random number	Institution Number: 311	Bank Account Number: Any 10-digit number	Sort Code: 609204 or 700709
	Bank Account Number: Any one-digit to 12-digit number	Sort Code: Any 8-digit number

Steps for All Countries

1.	Select a test account and click Enter Sandbox Test Site.

2.	Navigate to My Account > Profile.

3.	Under the Financial Information header, click the Bank Accounts link.

4.	In the Bank Account window, click Add.

5.	In the Add Bank Account window:

–	Enter a fictitious bank name. Using the automatically generated bank account number as the name of the bank will make that account number visible to you for use in testing later.

–	Except for UK or German test bank accounts, leave all other automatically generated information as is.

–	Make a note of the test bank account number, because it will be handy to have when you do your testing.

–	Click Add Bank Account.

6.	In the resulting success window, click the Continue button at the bottom.

The My Account > Overview page opens.

7.	Click the Confirm Bank Account link in the Activate Account box at the left side.

8.	In the Confirm Bank Account window, click Submit.

Adding Credit Cards

A credit card is a source of funds for the buyer’s PayPal account, and thus can be used for transactions between a buyer’s test account and other test accounts. A test account can have multiple credit cards. Test credit card numbers cannot be used to pay for real-world transactions.

To create additional credit card accounts for an already existing test account:

1.	Select a buyer’s test account and click Enter Sandbox Test Site.

2.	Navigate to My Account > Profile.

3.	Under the Financial Information header, click the Credit Cards link.

4.	In the Credit Cards window, click the Add button.

5.	In the Add Credit Card window, leave the automatically generated information as is.

6.	Make a note of the credit card number for your use in later testing.

7.	Click Add Credit Card.

Generating a Credit Card Number to Test PayPal Account Optional

To obtain a test credit card number for testing PayPal Account Optional:

1.	Select a buyer’s test account and click Enter Sandbox Test Site.

2.	Navigate to My Account > Profile.

3.	Under the Financial Information header, click the Credit Cards link.

Make a note of the credit card number for your use in later testing.

Signing Up for Website Payments Pro

To sign up for Website Payments Pro, create a Business account, as described in “Creating a Business Account”.”

To complete the application for Website Payments Pro, you must enter a Social Security Number. You can enter a Social Security Number in the following format:

111xxxxxx

where x is any digit.

Note:

The SSN you enter must not have already been recorded for some other account in the Sandbox.