What does it really mean the max_failed_payments field vs reattempts in recurring payments?

[kovi]

I'm really confused from this, because i found in docs this: Otherwise, PayPal reattempts a recurring payment three days after the recurring payment failed. If this first reattempt fails, PayPal waits 5 days to reattempt a second time. If the second reattempt fails, PayPal cancels the subscription.

So I understand it as there is only ONE way, which is, that after the recurring payment failed, there are other two reattempts, first in 3 days and second in 5 days counting from the first reattempt.

But now I'm reading in docs too this: By including the MAXFAILEDPAYMENTS field in the CreateRecurringPaymentsProfile request, you set the number of failed payments allowed before PayPal automatically suspends the profile. PayPal sends you an IPN message when the number of failed payments reaches the maximum number specified.

So which one is right? What does it mean if I will set the MAXFAILEDPAYMENTS = 10? It means, that the reattempts count will be 10? And when the others reattempts will appear?

But if this right, that would mean, that the first meaning in docs is out od date maybe or totally wrong. Or the param MAXFAILEDPAYMENTS is about anything else?

Thx for the response.

[MTS_Andre]

Hi, the MAXFAILEDPAYMENTS is the allowed number of failed attempts before to suspend the profile. But consider that each counter includes 3 re-attempts so the MAXFAILEDPAYMENTS = 1 means that PayPal re-attempted 3 times the payment without success.

[shocklamuk]

How long PayPal will retry after each re-attempt? 1 day or 2 days

If I config max_failed_payments='1' that means PayPal will re-attempt 3 times, so it take 3 days or 6 days totally to done the retry?

[fajnalowiec]

Hi @shocklamuk 

You are going to be informed about it by paypal IPN. You need to have your own listener to handle such notifications. 2nd attempt is going to be 5days later after initial payment. 3rd one 10 days later after initial payment. If first two attempts failed then the notification for each of them is gonna set field

txn_type: recurring_payment_skipped

If 3rd one is failed the notification is gonna set up this field to:

txn_type: recurring_payment_failed