PayPal has launched the Website Payments Pro range of products in Canada. The initiative allows e-commerce merchants to offer shoppers the possibility of paying via their PayPal accounts, their credit cards, by phone, fax or mail.

Website Payments Pro incorporates three features: Express Checkout, Direct Payment and Virtual Terminal. Via Express Checkout, buyers who already have a PayPal account can pay for items on a merchant's website. During the checkout process, the customers initiate payment via PayPal. They are transferred to PayPal, where they log in to their account and confirm their shipping address and billing information that PayPal has stored. Customers are transferred back to the merchant's website to review their order and complete the checkout process. Once the payment is processed, PayPal sends the merchant's website a confirmation.
The Direct Payment feature is aimed at buyers who do not have a PayPal account. Those who choose to pay by means of this option must enter their credit card details directly on the merchant website. Payments are processed via the PayPal system on the back end.
The Virtual Terminal option provides merchants with an online interface to manually enter credit card transactions via the PayPal system. The feature supports phone, fax and mail orders.