Hi, I'd like to clarify a few questions I have about Paypal subscriptions, I need to charge recurring subscriptions for services (SaaS). So here goes:
- Is there a way to charge setup fees or one time fees during the first signup?
- Is there a mechanism to upgrade a subscription, if there is, then does the module add a differential amount subscription or does it cancel the first subscription and start a new one?
- Is there a way to collect additional information during the purchase? eg. asking the user to enter the domain name of the hosting package he/she is about to purchase?
- We need to send out custom invoces and enable one time custom value payments. Is that easily possible with the module? If not can we use ubercart alongside paypal subscriptions for these one off purposes?
- Is it possible to create drupal6 view out of data from paypal subscriptions? My requirement being that I have a comprehensive dashboard in my "account center" using panels, where i need to show support tickets, and other profile data along with "Current subscription status" and maybe the last 5 transactions. Is this possible?
- We use Civi CRM to collect information from the user and extend the profile with Civi. Are there any known issues with using Civi alongside the paypal subscriptions module?
- Is the module open source or is the source encrypted? will we get to modify it for our own purposes? I dont intend to re distribute, only modify if needed.
As a side note, we also have a Single signon scenario with other systems and have our own login page. I have read the post saying that in such a case the signup to a subscription wont be possible, but a user can still buy a subscription later. That is completly acceptable in our case we could redirect the user to a buy page post authentication.
I know this is a lot to answer but I am stuck with a tight deadline for the project and would really appreciate someone helping out ASAP
Apurva,
Thank you for your interest in this module. To answer your questions:
Is there a way to charge setup fees or one time fees during the first signup?
Yes, you can make a Trial Period for say $50 for the first month, and then charge $25 per month after that, for example.
Is there a mechanism to upgrade a subscription, if there is, then does the module add a differential amount subscription or does it cancel the first subscription and start a new one?
Paypal supports modifying subscriptions natively, and so does the Paypal Subscriptions module. When a user upgrades (or downgrades), their subscription is not cancelled, it is actually modified with the new terms.
Is there a way to collect additional information during the purchase? eg. asking the user to enter the domain name of the hosting package he/she is about to purchase?
Yes, you can add profile fields to the registration screen, and make them be required. You can see an example of this on the demo site.
We need to send out custom invoces and enable one time custom value payments. Is that easily possible with the module? If not can we use ubercart alongside paypal subscriptions for these one off purposes?
For invoicing, Paypal offers a method to send one-time invoices to your customers/clients, so this would probably be the best way to handle that. Ubercart would be overkill if it is something small like sending an invoice.
Is it possible to create drupal6 view out of data from paypal subscriptions? My requirement being that I have a comprehensive dashboard in my "account center" using panels, where i need to show support tickets, and other profile data along with "Current subscription status" and maybe the last 5 transactions. Is this possible?
Currently, Paypal Subscriptions data is not exposed to Views, but this is a good idea for a future feature addition.
We use Civi CRM to collect information from the user and extend the profile with Civi. Are there any known issues with using Civi alongside the paypal subscriptions module?
There are no known issues with Civi CRM.
Is the module open source or is the source encrypted? will we get to modify it for our own purposes? I dont intend to re distribute, only modify if needed.
It is open-source, in that you can modify all of the code, and nothing is encrypted. It also follows the Drupal Best Practices, so it is very cleanly coded. It also provides a powerful hook-driven API, so if you do need additional functionality, you don't have to hack the module, you can just create another module to hook into the system.
As a side note, we also have a Single signon scenario with other systems and have our own login page. I have read the post saying that in such a case the signup to a subscription wont be possible, but a user can still buy a subscription later. That is completly acceptable in our case we could redirect the user to a buy page post authentication.
Yes, the ability to register a user with a subscription is dependent on the core Drupal Registration system. But you can redirect users to a purchase page, as you said, and it will work just fine.
Sincerely,
Leighton