PayPal Log Entries

Problem

On WHMCS 8.7.2 or later, one of the following errors appears in the Activity Log at Configuration () > System Logs:

The system has detected an orphaned subscription. It is not associated with any services, nor was attributable to an invoice or client.

The system has detected a missing subscription. The subscription is not associated with any services, but the event was attributable to a client and/or invoice.

Cause

WHMCS 8.7.2 included changes to the PayPal Checkout payment gateway module to improve handling of issues with PayPal subscriptions.

  • A message about orphaned subscriptions indicates that the subscription is not associated with any service, addon, or domain. Additionally, the system could not find an alternate ID to use to identify an associated invoice or client.
  • A message about missing subscriptions indicates that the subscription is not associated with any service, addon, or domain. However, the system did find an alternate ID to use to identify an associated invoice or client.

Solution

The severity of the problem and the method to resolve it depends on the message and its timing:

If you see an orphaned subscription message that begins with [PAYMENT.SALE.COMPLETED] and you updated to WHMCS 8.7.2 more than 48 hours ago, there is a serious problem.

Investigate this issue immediately to determine the necessary action.

If you see an orphaned subscription message that begins with [BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.CREATED] and you updated to WHMCS 8.7.2 within the last 48 hours, this is a normal indicator that a user checked out using PayPal just before you upgraded. You do not need to take further action.

If you see a missing subscription message that begins with [PAYMENT.SALE.COMPLETED], there is not an immediate issue, but you should review the subscription in order to understand why the ID is missing.

  • If the payment gateway indicates that the subscription is active, update the service with the subscription ID in order to associate it with the relevant service. If you do not, the message will repeat for each payment.
  • If the payment gateway indicates that the subscription has been cancelled, the cancellation event was received before the final payment. You do not need to take further action.
troubleshooting payment-gateways paypal

Last modified: October 9, 2024