I have a generic question concerning processing payments with Magento.
First of all, what is the difference between the PayPal Website Payment Standard option available in Europe and the PayPal Payment Standard option available in the USA?
Also, some European countries also display a separate Paypal Express Checkout option. Is this option mutually exclusive with PayPal Website Payment Standard? That is, do I need to configure either one or the other. Is it advantageous or even possible to configure both options?
A. PayPal Payment Standard: Accept credit card and PayPal payments securely.
B. PayPal Website Payment Standard: Accept credit card and PayPal payments securely.
C. PayPal Express Checkout: Add PayPal as an additional payment method to your checkout page.
It seems to me that A and B are really the same thing, just offered in different locations around the globe under a different name, and that if I choose option B then this is equivalent to option C plus I can also process credit cards, so B is more advantageour than C and if I go with option B then I do not need option C. Is this correct?
This may sound like a stupid question, but if I go with PayPal then do I still need to go through a PSP (Payment Service Provider)? Presumably PayPal cannot act as a PSP and so I need one to enable transactions between my online store and Paypal? What is the difference between a payment gateway and a PSP?
I'm tempted to go with Authorize.net as the PSP, just because it is available by default and should thus be proven, tested, and stable, unlike some other extensions which might be buggy, especially now that a new release of Magento has been published. Or are the other Magento PSP extensions equally viable alternatives? How do these compare in terms of pricing and availability. Is Authorize.net available globally, or is it just available, say, in the US?
Thanks for answering my questions.
I appreciate your input.