PayPal Checkout Flow — Redirect Back to Checkout is Normal

When a customer pays with PayPal, they are redirected to PayPal to authorise the payment. After authorisation, PayPal redirects them back to the checkout page requiring the user to confirm and finalise the payment. This is the expected behaviour — not a bug or error.

Common Customer Complaints

• "I was redirected back to the payment page after paying with PayPal"
• "PayPal took my payment but I didn't get a confirmation"
• "I think I was charged twice because I had to pay again"

What Actually Happens

1. Customer selects PayPal at checkout
2. Redirected to PayPal to authorise (not charge) the payment
3. PayPal redirects back to the WeTeachMe checkout page
4. Customer must confirm and finalise the payment on the checkout page
5. Only then is the payment captured and the booking confirmed

Key Points

• If the customer closes the browser or navigates away after step 3 without completing step 4, the payment is not captured. The PayPal authorisation expires automatically.
• The order will remain in pending status with a null total — this confirms no money was taken.
• If the customer then books again via a different method (e.g. Apple Pay), they are not double-charged. Only the completed order has a charge.
• Pending orders with incomplete PayPal payments do not trigger abandoned cart emails unless the customer provided their email during checkout.