Paid Memberships Pro

We added the option to add Memberships using awesome Paid Memberships PRO plugin: http://www.paidmembershipspro.com

To install it you can do it from the Admin notification that should recommend you to install it or by going to WP admin - Plugins - Add and by doing a search for "Paid Memberships PRO"

Before you get started… be sure to spend some time thinking about what membership levels you want for your site. It’s easiest to set up Paid Memberships Pro when you have this very clear ahead of time.

• What will members have access to?
• How much are you going to charge?

For this tutorial, I’m going to do a simple $10/month membership, which will give users access to the “Members Only” category on my blog.

You should also have your payment gateway account created already and have your API keys or gateway username and password handy.

Go to paidmembershipspro.com/gateway/ to learn more about which payment gateways integrate with Paid Memberships Pro and to find links to sign up for them.

Step 1. Add a New Membership Level

On the dashboard, go to Memberships and select Membership Levels.

1. Name: The name of your Membership level (public)
2. Description: Optional content shown on the checkout page.
3. Confirmation Message: Optional content shown on the checkout confirmation page.
4. Billing Details: For my $10/month plan, I set:
   • Initial Payment (This is what is charged at checkout. E.g. $10.)
   • Recurring
   • $10 per 1 Month
   • No payment limit
   • No trial
   • No expiration
5. Content Settings: If you have any Categories that should be locked down for members, you can check them off at the bottom of the edit level page. This means that any post in a restricted/Members-Only category will be locked down for members of this level.
6. Save Level

Important: At least one membership level must be open to signups (“Allow Signups” = Yes) or your customers will be redirected to your membership levels page when they try to register or checkout.

Step 2. Setting up PMPro Pages

The next Step is to set up some pages that Paid Memberships Pro needs to get the job done.

1. Click the Pages Tab. (From the dashboard, go to Memberships and select Page Settings)
2. Paid Memberships Pro can Generate these pages for you: Click the link that says “let us generate them for you”.

This step sets the WordPress pages assigned to each required Paid Memberships Pro page. For better looks you can edit each page and set it to use the Full-width Page template

Step 3. Payment Gateway & SSL Settings

1. Click the Payment Gateway & SSL Tab. (From the dashboard, go to Memberships and select Payment Settings)
2. Payment Gateway: Click the drop-down and select one of the payment options available. In the tutorial, we’ve chosen Stripe, which is free and quick to setup. Make sure to setup your account before you do this step.
3. Gateway Environment: Choose the test or live gateway. For the tutorial, we’ve selected Sandbox/Testing, but typically you want to set this to “Live”.
4. Complete the fields for your chosen Gateway: For Stripe, enter your Stripe secret key and publishable key. Other payment methods with have different processes.
5. Sales Tax: For this example, we are not charging Sales Tax. Always check with your accountant or your state tax office to see if tax is required and the tax rate for your memberships.
6. SSL: An SSL certificate can be purchased and setup by your website hosting provider. If you are unsure, GoDaddy is a good SSL provider where you can get a cheap SSL to use no matter where your site is used. Learn more about setting up your SSL here.
7. SSL Seal Code: If you have an SSL Seal Code paste it in the box here. (Note: the “seal code” is a bit of javascript or HTML verifying your site’s security to your visitors and typically links to your SSL provider for verification.) This is different from the “SSL Certificate”, which is the private key certificate that must be installed by your web host.
8. HTTPS Nuclear Option: If you have SSL Errors on your check out page, checking the HTTPS Nuclear Option will often fix them.
9. Note: You may see additional fields below, such as a webhook or a service url you might need to reference for your gateway.
10. Save Settings

Step 4. Email Settings

1. Click the Email Tab. (From the dashboard, go to Memberships and select Email Settings)
2. From Email and From Name: Use these fields to change the email address and name used WordPress sends email communications to your members.
3. Send the site admin emails: Keep all boxes checked so you receive email confirmations about membership activity on your site.
4. Save Settings

Step 5. Advanced Restriction Settings.

1. Go to Theme options - Memberships.
2. Set up your restrictions for Buddypress components for different levels you have already added.
3. Save Settings

Step 6. You’re Done – Now go test it!

After you have successfully set up the plugin, try the experience from start to finish from your user’s perspective.

1. Navigate to a members-only piece of content, try a blog post in a locked-down category.
2. Click on the register link.
3. From the Membership Levels page, select a level to checkout.
4. After successful checkout, return to your members-only piece of content and enjoy!