Should I Use Paypal To Accept Credit Card Payments
Today we wanted to cover some of the struggles that merchants often encounter when dealing with generic, quick and easy merchant service providers. This includes big box processors like PayPal, Stripe and Square. While these solutions are often tempting for their simple, flat-rate pricing, quick sign ups and the perceived reputation that comes with being a billion dollar corporation.
Accept Credit Card Payments Without A Merchant Account
Last editedApr 2022 2 min read
There are a variety ofe-commerce solutions which allow companies to carry out transactions using credit cards without having a merchant account. The best known of these solutions are Paypal and Square, but there are several other good alternatives as well.
As a seller wishing to conduct online sales without amerchant account, rest assured this is certainly a possibility. In this post well take you through why you might opt to forgo a merchant account in favour of other options, as well as taking you through a detailed guide to accepting credit card payments without a merchant account.
How Can I Accept Credit Cards On My Phone
To accept card payments using a smartphone, you have to download a mobile payment processing app, like Square, PayPal Here, Payanywhere or Clover. When you sign up, theyll send you a card reader that plugs into your phones headphone jack, so you can accept physical cards and run entire transactions through your phone.
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Using Credit Cards Safely: Tips For Small Businesses
Despite the advantages of accepting credit cards for your small business, some risks are involved in giving customers this option. The most prominent are:
- Fraud.Some credit card systems are safer than others, and there have been instances in which businesses have been affected by credit card fraud.
- Processing fees. If your margins are very small, the processing fees associated with accepting credit cards can easily add up to a major business expense. Small businesses with thin margins will need to assess whether accepting credit cards makes business sense.
- Chargebacks. A chargeback is a disputed transaction that customers initiate when they arent satisfied with a purchase. Even if youre in the right and the customer is not, its difficult and costly to dispute chargebacks.
Small businesses that want to accept credit cards but also want to avoid these risks should be wary, and should follow best practices for credit card payment systems:
Stripe: Best For Online Payments

Stripe lets you offer flexibility with a Bluetooth card reader that handles swipe, EMV chip, and contactless card payment. It even works with Google Pay and Apple pay.
But where Stripe really excels is with online payments. Use one of its pre-built payment pages or embed its checkout cart straight into your existing website. Or, if you have a developer handy, you can customize a personal checkout cart.
Fees:
- Online: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- In-Person: 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction
Other Costs: One-time fee of $59 for basic card reader
Why We Like It
- Accept swipe, chip, or contactless payments from the same card reader
- Offers a pre-built payment page for businesses who just want a fast and easy online experience
- Online experience includes 1-click payment, address auto-complete, and payment method reuse
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How To Use A Credit Card On Paypal
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PayPal is a popular online payment system and payments app, and if you’re new to using it, you might be wondering how to use a credit card on PayPal. The good news is you can easily use a credit card with PayPal. While you can link your bank account or a debit card to PayPal, you may prefer to use a credit card for some online purchases. Before making a payment, you’ll need to link a credit card. Check out the information below to better understand how to use a credit card on PayPal.
Paypal Debit & Credit Cards
The good news is that if you already accept debit or credit card payments, you dont need to do anything more to accept PayPal cards. As long as your agreement includes Mastercard processing , youre good to go! If you dont currently accept credit/debit cards and are considering making the leap, we recommend checking out our top-rated credit card processors as a starting point!
If youre already using PayPal as your online processor, you may want to consider PayPal Zettle for your in-person transactions.
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Where Can You Pay With Paypal In Stores
Any store that takes one of the previously described methods PayPal cards, PayPal NFC payments, or PayPal QR codes can accept PayPal. In the case of PayPal cards, this means any store that takes Mastercard.
Likewise, to accept NFC payments, merchants need to have the appropriate hardware specifically, an NFC-capable credit card reader or terminal. Very few large retailers take PayPal QR codes, but some small business merchants may.
What Fees Do You Charge Each Month
This question is deceptively simple since some processors might provide you with a seemingly small upfront monthly fee. But be sure to dig deeper some additional fees might be hidden in the fine print. These can include fees for batch processing or fund transfers from a merchant account to your bank account, as well as statement fees. Processors might waive some of these fees to get your business, but could add them back in after a promotional period.
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Yes Prepaid Cards Work For Paypal But Not For Recurring Payments
PayPal accepts any prepaid card that has a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover logo. They do not accept store-specific gift cards, even if the purchase is being made with that store.
According to PayPals prepaid card terms, prepaid cards cannot be used for payments automatically pulled from PayPal accounts. For instance, if a subscription service is linked to a PayPal account, PayPal would not accept a prepaid card for monthly subscription payments.
Note that the prepaid card you use must be able to cover the entire transaction. If your transaction is $25 and your prepaid card has $20 on it, the payment will not process. You cannot split charges between multiple payment sources.
Mobile Payments Via Paypal
Mobile payments are relatively new for PayPal. They are relatively new for the US in general!
The advent of contactless payments has taken the country by storm in the last year. Touch-free payments are so much more important now.
PayPal has a contactless payment feature that works for any company with a PayPal account and any payee with an account too.
All your customer needs to do is scan your unique PayPal QR code with one of their mobile devices.
This payment method works well for shops, cafes and bar owners.
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What Do You Do When Paypal Cannot Process A Payment
Sometimes PayPal will be unable to process a payment. This can occur for several reasons, such as when there isn’t enough money in a customer’s balance to complete a transaction or their card information is not up to date. The payment could also be blocked for various security reasons.
When this happens, first ensure that the customer’s information is entered correctly, especially if you are manually entering it for a card-not-present transaction. You could also ask the customer to change their funding source in PayPal for their current transaction. If these methods fail, contact PayPal customer support to resolve your issue.
Will You Earn Credit Card Points

If you have a credit card that earns points, you may be able to earn credit card points when using a card on PayPal. This depends on the type of rewards card that you have. For example, if you have a card with rotating categories and PayPal is one of the current categories, you can earn points. Some cards with rotating categories do require you to opt in to be able to earn, so be sure to do that if you want to take advantage of that perk.
If your card earns at a flat rate for purchases, you can also earn points. But if your card only earns points on travel purchases or other categories that exclude PayPal, you likely won’t earn points on your purchase.
If you’ll earn enough rewards that carry a value higher than the fees you’ll be charged, it may be worth considering using a credit card to make a payment on PayPal.
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Adding A Credit Card On The Paypal App
How To Accept Payment On Paypal: 5 Ways
Paypal is a very powerful payment spider with many strings to its web. Lets unravel it all!
PayPal is the leading online payment processor in the world for a reason. It is fast, international and flexible. To show just how flexible it is, we have rounded up the many ways you can accept payment through PayPal.
However you make sales, wherever you make sales, you can receive money on PayPal.
Note: These payment methods apply to merchant accounts/business accounts. That said, some of these also work for personal accounts.
Heres What Well Cover:
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Best Credit Card Processor Options
Choosing to work with an actual credit card processing company over a generic big-box solution can provide you business with many benefits. You can work with a more versatile payment processor with more banking connections, giving you more options for features, rates and supported industry types. With a company like Leap Payments, you also enjoy 24/7 US based support, lower rates and a dedicated account representative who can guarantee your complete satisfaction with the services.
If just cutting your processing rates in half and keeping more of the money your business generates everyday isnt enough, you also get access to fully customizable programs like Cash Discount, Gift Cards, and Instant Funding. Cash Discount can actually make your processing fees entirely free. Instant funding will deliver your card transaction batches directly into your bank account within 3-5 hours. These benefits can be revolutionary to a company that has only worked with generic processing solutions before.
If you think working with a billion dollar company intrinsically means you will get better customer service, you would be surprised. All that revenue is not going towards hiring more and better support agents. At Leap Payments, we actually pride ourselves in our customer service and make it top priority to guarantee our merchants happiness. Our support team is always US based and available 24/7, including holidays.
How To Pay With A Credit Card On The Paypal App
If you’re paying a person or sending money to someone for payment directly:
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Should You Use A Credit Card On Paypal
It depends on your purchase and your credit card. To help decide if you should use a credit card on PayPal, consider these factors:
- The total fees that PayPal will charge you
- The total rewards points you’ll learn when using your card
- Whether your credit card company considers PayPal payments to be a cash advance transaction
What Is The Best Prepaid Card To Use With Paypal
In our opinion, the best prepaid card to use with PayPal is PayPals own prepaid Mastercard. But Since PayPal accepts prepaid cards from American Express, Discover, Visa, and Mastercard, you can use just about any reloadable prepaid card with your PayPal account. The goal is to find the best prepaid card for your personal needs.
Do you want a card with free direct deposits? Do you need a card with free ATM options? How about a prepaid card with rewards or cashback? And what are the fees associated with each card?
Compare prepaid cards available for you to find the right option for your lifestyle. Here are our favorite prepaid cards for your consideration:
Variable Monthly Fee | Not applicable |
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Fees For Personal Transactions
When you send money to or receive money from friends and family for personal reasons, and not for any sort of commercial reason, PayPal considers this a personal transaction. PayPal has a special Friends and Family tab you can click when making personal transactions. Some of these transactions attract fees while others dont, mostly based on where youre drawing the funds from and where youre sending them.
If you use your PayPal balance, bank account, or Amex Send Account, there is no fee for a domestic personal transaction and a 5 percent fee for an international transaction. If you send money using a debit or credit card, youll be charged 2.9 percent if its domestic and 5 percent if its international, plus a fixed fee that varies depending on your country .
Is there a fee to receive money through PayPal? Generally speaking, no. Its free to receive money from a friend through PayPal as long as theres no currency conversion involved.
Getting Paid Through Paypal

Whether youre wondering how to receive money on PayPal from a friend, how to receive PayPal payments from customers or how to create an invoice on PayPal, getting paid through PayPal is simple. Keep in mind that there are different merchant fees involved with some payment options. So make sure you understand the best choice for your situation.
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Does Dominos Take Credit Cards
Dominos takes credit cards. In case of no cash, credit cards are very much accepted at Dominos as they have very good POS services and are easily accessible to all clients.
It doesnt matter if youre at the restaurant or ordered Dominos pizza delivery at a different location.
While placing your order, you inform the restaurant that payment will be via credit card, and the process goes well on delivery.
. It takes very little time and requires no stress.
Many people prefer using theirfor payment, so they dont have to carry money around. As long as you have your card, youre good to buy from Dominos.
Does Paypal Have A Card Reader
PayPal offers businesses several options for a card reader. You can choose a free PayPal card reader upon signing up . Additional card readers cost extra, but some options are relatively inexpensive. It’s always wise to incorporate a card reader that works with EMV chips and contactless payment options through near-field communication as well. Here are the card readers PayPal offers.
- PayPal Mobile Card Reader: $19.99. This model accepts magstripe cards only and plugs into the audio jack on your phone or tablet.
- PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader: $24.99. This model accepts magstripe and chip cards. It connects with your phone or tablet via Bluetooth.
- PayPal Chip and Tap Card Reader: $59.99 . This model accepts magstripe, chip and contactless credit and debit cards, and mobile payments from Apple Pay and Google Pay. It connects with your phone or tablet via Bluetooth.
- PayPal Chip Card Reader: $99.99. This reader accepts magstripe, chip and contactless cards, and mobile wallets. It’s the only model that has a screen and a built-in PIN pad. It connects with your phone or tablet via Bluetooth.
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Drawbacks Of Merchant Accounts
As this is a rather convoluted process, there are several issues involved in using a merchant account for credit card payments.
Firstly, in order for a bank to take the risk of offering you this solution, they may opt to underwrite the account. They may also refuse to issue one if you have a poor credit history.
Secondly, there are a number offees involved in using a merchant account. These usually include application fees, setup fees, transaction fees and currency conversion fees in the case that you are receiving payments internationally.
Thirdly, using merchant accounts can result in delays in receiving the funds in your business account. As you are dependent on credit card companies’ processing times, the duration of time it takes for the money to arrive in your account is out of your hands.
For all of these reasons and more, many businesses look for ways to accept payments online without having a merchant account.