Let's get Google Checkout to work with Drupal to allow membership subscriptions-based, recurring credit card charge

Not too long ago, Google announced FREE processing of your Google Checkout sales until the end of 2007. That's right - more than a year's worth of free processing!

From now through December 31, 2007, you can process Checkout transactions for free, even if you aren't an AdWords advertiser. If you're already an AdWords advertiser, you can process your Checkout transactions for free regardless of your AdWords spend.

This potentially affects folks who use Drupal's ecommerce and advertising modules. Wouldn't you like to use Google Checkout (GC) for your Drupal web site(s)? Before that's possible, we need someone to create a module. Unfortunately, GC currently works ONLY in the United States. Regardless, I'd like to see a developer step up and write a membership subscriptions-based, recurring credit card charges capable module and I'd be willing to make a small financial contribution. Here's a short GC video demo, but please read on for more info.

Drupal's developers have expressed their desire to support GC. Please register your interest (as a developer or a user/tester) on this GC ticket over on drupal.org. In addition, I'm hoping that whichever developer is interested in building a GC module for Drupal, that s/he will post requirements below as a part of this page and that s/he will eventually provide info for Reverse Bounty Status of Projects Needing Financing so we're all aware of basic needs and progress.

Here are a few links to Google Checkout:
- June 29, 2006, Google Checkout Open For Business, Internet News, By Vangie Beal
- December 20, 2006, Google Steps More Boldly Into PayPal’s Territory, The New York Times, By Miguel Helft

The NY Times article by Helft points out that:

Unlike PayPal, a full-fledged payment system that can be used to transfer money between individuals and can draw funds directly from bank accounts, Checkout merely offers users an easy way to use their credit cards.

[my emphasis in bold, not the author's]

A MAJOR LIMITATION to building this module may very well be that GC has recurring charge limitations. This might mean having to wait a while on this module's development until such time that GC actually allows automatically recurring credit card charges. Or is there a way to work around this? Probably not since the credit card info is entered via Google and so if they aren't set up to do the recurring charges or don't want to do recurring charges, there probably isn't a current solution. In that case, I would just rather hold off on funding. To illustrate the limitation, here are some posts I found:
- recurring payments are not yet available in Google Checkout.
- Google checkout currently does not support recurring payments
- No, Checkout doesn't do recurring charges.
- Google Checkout is designed primarily for one-time transactions.

Google Checkout is designed primarily for one-time transactions
involving tangible goods. You may use Checkout for subscriptions though
we don't currently offer the ability to charge buyers automatically on
a recurring basis.

Joel
GoogleCheckoutPro

In conclusion, per the guidelines posted on the Projects Needing Financing home page, here is my info:

• My donor and business name with a link(s):
  Walt Esquivel, Wellness Corps

• Project I'd like to contribute to:
  I'm interested in helping get Google Checkout up and running with my Drupal-powered web site by making a small financial donation to the developer leading this effort. I need a membership subscriptions-based, recurring credit card charge capable module.

• Web site(s) with additional information such as where your donations come from:
  http://www.wellnesscorps.com/50drupal.htm

Walt Esquivel, MBA; MA; President, Wellness Corps; Captain, USMC (Veteran)
$50 Hosting Discount Helps Projects Needing Financing