Express checkout explained

This article shows you how to enable Express checkout in Kartra and explains the two processes that power it:

1. How Kartra saves buyer details in a browser cookie
2. What conditions must be met for Express checkout to activate

Key details:

• Express checkout has two phases: capturing a buyer profile, then matching it to a return visit.
• Credit card + multi-payment: A multi-payment offer purchased with a credit card is required to save buyer details in a cookie for later use.
• No custom fields allowed: Express checkout will not work for purchase flows that contain custom fields.

How does it work?

Express checkout depends on two phases:

1. Saving buyer details
   When someone completes a multi-payment purchase using a credit card, Kartra stores their contact and billing details in a browser cookie, as long as cookies are accepted.
2. Reusing those details later
   On a follow-up purchase, if certain conditions are met (see below), Express checkout will trigger, allowing the buyer to skip re-entering their information.

What does the buyer experience?

When Express checkout is enabled and all conditions are met, buyers can complete a follow-up purchase in fewer steps. 

Here’s how it works:

1. The buyer completes a multi-payment purchase using a credit card and accepts all cookies.
2. Kartra saves their billing details in a browser-based cookie for 30 days.
3. On a follow-up purchase, they click to buy. Depending on your settings, their experience will be a bit different:
   • One-click confirmation
     The buyer sees a simplified version of the checkout with their saved details prefilled. They can submit their payment with a single click or edit the information if needed.
     
   • Straight-through payments
     The payment is processed instantly when a button on a page is clicked with no checkout screen shown. 
     • Customers can’t enter coupon codes, view billing details, or see shipping costs. 
     • The checkout type needs to be a Kartra-hosted checkout linked to a button on your Sales/Upsell page.
4. After the payment is processed, they are directed to the product’s thank you page.

Conditions for Express checkout to work

The initial purchase must:

• Be for a multi-payment price point
• Use a credit card (not PayPal, Klarna, Google Pay, or Apple Pay)
• Be completed with cookie consent

The follow-up purchase must:

• Happen within 30 days of the first purchase
• Use the same browser and device
• Not include custom fields in the checkout form

Turn on Express checkout

Express checkout is available in both Checkouts and Legacy checkouts.

For Checkouts

1. Go to Sales > Checkouts and create a Checkout for your product. 
2. In the Design tab, open the Express checkout module. 
3. Activate one-click confirmation or straight-through payments, and Save.
   

For Legacy checkouts

1. Go to Sales > Products and edit your product.
2. In the Legacy checkout tab, open the Express checkout module.
3. Activate one-click confirmation or straight-through payments, and Save.

Troubleshooting

Kartra will revert an express checkout to the full checkout form if:

• The cookie isn’t active in the user’s browser. This can happen when:
  • The buyer rejected cookies or cleared them since the first purchase.
  • The new purchase is made in a different browser or device where the cookie doesn’t exist.
• The required data isn’t available, which can be the case if:
  • The checkout includes custom fields 
  • The checkout includes a required field (like Tax ID) that wasn’t collected in the first purchase
  • The initial purchase was a one-time payment. 
  • The initial purchase was made using PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Duplicate purchase prevention

To prevent accidental duplicate purchases:

• If a buyer attempts to purchase the same product again within 60 seconds, Express checkout is temporarily disabled for that transaction.
• Kartra will load the full checkout form, requiring manual confirmation.

Best practices

Each express checkout option fits different kinds of offers. Choosing the right one helps you keep buyers comfortable and reduces the risk of confusion or regret after purchase.

When to use one-click confirmation

Consider this option when:

• The buyer might want to review or edit their information.
• You want to increase cost visibility.
• The offer is something the buyer needs to consider before buying.

A couple of examples include:

• A buyer signs up for a membership and is offered a welcome kit as an upsell (with shipping). They may need to check or edit their shipping info.
• A buyer purchases entry-level access to a course and is offered a full-access upgrade at a discounted rate. This is a pricing decision they’ll probably want to review first.

When to use straight-through payments

Choose this option when:

• The price is low or impulse-friendly.
• The buyer already understands the value of what you’re offering.
• You want to create a fast, frictionless experience.

For example:

• A buyer purchases a set of guides and is offered an extra bonus file for a small add-on price (e.g. $5 or $9).
• A buyer signs up for a course and is immediately offered a $1 trial for a related program. They can cancel later, so the decision feels low-risk.