PayPal has emerged and closely associated with online payments which are very famous for users to make financial transactions, completely doing away with the need for bank transfers and checks. This free payment process only requires a valid PayPal account for both the sender and the receiver. The biggest tendency of PayPal is its recognition from users and without any problem how easily it handles and unites with other third parties.
As perfection is concerned, PayPal is not the best option for payment as it has many serious drawbacks. Nothing is perfect in this world, but then you should not tolerate any issues if there are better options available. Let us first check some important issues related to PayPal which you can rationalize and act accordingly:
- Fees: In spite of the fees of payment methods may differ from one to another, but major difficulty is with the price. PayPal is high related to the fee.
- Holding Payments: Frequently, PayPal detains user’s payments and place it under analysis without any valid reason.
All countries cannot use PayPal. There are limitations on usage.
There are another drawback’s also from the “Merchant” point of view. Since many users also apply PayPal in their life, so it is important for everyone to know major disadvantages. Below are the topmost substitutes of PayPal, either they are best for online money transfer or E-commerce payment method. Each alternative will have their advantages and disadvantages.
Google Wallet is the modern method of sending, receiving and paying money through the online method and it happens only with just a click. The availability is only limited to one country that is the United States. Google Wallet is the best option to keep credit, debit, gift and loyalty cards in the digital wallet and you can use this money for sending and receiving money from family or friends and also can pay money through the online method. You can send money through the online process to your friends or family using the sender email id or as an attachment and can reserve money from Google Wallet balance, bank account, debit and credit cards. Below we will find out the advantages and disadvantages of Google Wallet.
Pros (Advantages)
- Only one card is allowed instead of various debit and credit cards
- The main advantage is that it is directly from Google
- It checks and tracks on the fraudulent activities 24*7 and also provide price protection where the customers can receive refunds on items purchased with the credit card if the price of those items decreases within a limited time after the purchase.
- Very closely connected to Google account
Cons (Disadvantages)
- User accepts this money transfer method less as compared to PayPal, and it is only available in the United States.
Commission
This wallet is free of cost, but you have to pay nominal transfer charge if you use credit or debit card for transferring money in your Google Wallet account.
Where does Google Wallet Work
Google Wallet supports many features like money transfer, shopping but these are only available in the US. You can purchase products from Google Play Store from 125 countries by using Google Wallet. It can be noted that if the online payment sector expands and is accepted by uses, then it might become super powerful in the web world.
Skrill is a classic substitute for PayPal. Skrill before was known as Moneybookers from the user’s point and it I a base for sending, receiving money and also for online shopping activities. Both receiver and sender must have Skrill, and through this programmer, the user can send money to an email address to another Skrill user. Additionally, using his/her debit, credit or bank account, the receiver can withdraw money. The most attractive feature of Skrill is that it provides instant withdrawal from the bank account of the receiver. Merchant related fees are approximately low, and the details about the fees are available on official site of Skrill. The best part of Skrill is that it is available throughout the world.
Pros (Advantages)
- It provides support to over 200 countries, and you can also access Skrill around 40 currencies.
- Skrill Prepaid MasterCard helps you to use money from Skrill account to purchase in reality
- Highest level Security
- Widely accepted
- Transaction cost is Low
Commission
The rate of fee for Skrill is very admirable, only 1% of sent money is the commission of Skrill. For example, for Euro 100 transfer the commission would be Eur 1 only. This commission is fixed up to 10 Euros. Therefore, a charge for money transfer to the bank from Skrill is free unless you are using through SWIFT method for transferring the amount. In the case of credit or debit cards, you have to pay as per the standard charges.
Where does Skrill Work
Skrill supports around 200 countries, with the capability to account manage controlled and money send in 40 countries. Taking into account, earlier the US was not in the supported list of Skrill. But later in March 2015, The United States is included in the list of supported countries by Skrill.
Altogether, Skrill is the best substitute for PayPal for:
Money transfer platform and
The Web or online payment
Payoneer is the best choice for professionals, like freelancers and marketers who are under the authority of the government or other organization attached or connected (a subsidiary group or a person) to an organization, who wishes to derive money from other different countries. Companies use Payoneer as a payment method together with wire transfer which can be done from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office. The user also has access to use this method for receiving payments from any part of the world. Users can receive the amount of money through various ways. There are two different methods for using received funds. Firstly through the local bank, global or from a Payoneer reloadable card or a prepaid credit card which can be reloaded with monetary value multiple time. Secondly, transferring money to another Payoneer user.
Pros (Advantages)
- It is available around 200 countries
- Process transactions across 100 currencies as per 2015
- Huge acceptance by users
Cons (Disadvantages)
- Rental cost of credit card is a bit high
Commissions
The transfer rates of Payoneer rely upon the country where you live and the currency you process for the transaction. There will be a little charge difference when you use your Payoneer Credit Card through an ATM for your funds.
Where does Payoneer Work
Payoneer works for more than 200 countries and is capable of processing the transactions around 100 currencies. Payoneer is an excellent result when it comes to processing international transactions in spite of the services which are not available in some countries such as India.
Stripe is another easy method to receive payments from your customers. The Stripe is the best suitable alternative to PayPal which is the easiest way of payment accepted by users. It has various methods for payments including cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB. The Stripe can operate transaction up to 100 currencies.
To receive payments for business who have to be located from Canada, Netherlands, UK, United States, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark, France, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland.
Commission: For every effective transaction, Stripe charges would be around 2.9%+$0.30 as a commission. Transactions of earnings are processed within two days rolling basis.
Pros (Advantages)
- Simple framework and layout using Plugins
- Integrated mobile payments
- Payment can be done from any country
Cons (Disadvantages)
- Stripe is accessible to only 19 countries till date.
Stripe is another simple substitute for PayPal, as a payments method and also a policy for sending money to anyone on the internet. For standard users, Dwolla can be used to make payments through the online method and also for sending or receiving money and as far as business owners are concerned Dwolla can be used to receive money from their customers. Through this process, you can transfer money to any email addresses, Twitter followers, LinkedIn people, businesses and phone numbers that are connected with Dwolla. Another best characteristic of Dwolla is MassPay, which allow you to make payments for thousands of people together at one time. Dwolla was noticeable and marked for buying and selling of Bitcoins until it discontinued dealing with the Bitcoin exchange houses in October 2013.
Pros (Advantages)
- It’s service is free, and transaction fees are too low
- Simple framework and layout which also supports in Android and iOS
- Highly secured and protected against any identity theft, as you’re sharing your email address and phone number
- Easy steps for clearing payments
Cons (Disadvantages)
- If compared with PayPal, acceptance is moderately low
- Money Transfer may take up to 2 to 3 days when sending from Dwolla to your bank account
- No link with credit or debit cards.
Commission
This is the most impressing feature of Dwolla. Unlike PayPal, you’ve to pay only $0.25 for each transaction when you transact, in spite of the fact that transaction cost is free if the amount is less than $10.
Where does Dwolla Work
Presently, Dwolla is available only in the United States, provided you have a valid US Mailing address & SSN. Moreover, users with US bank accounts can be linked to Dwolla.
Irrespective of the fact that Dwolla is trying to launch its services in other countries also, the service availability in the US is a recognizable problem. Apart from that, Dwolla is an excellent substitute of PayPal for US-based citizen users.
2Checkout is incomplete PayPal substitute as it does not allow transferring money from one user to another. As an alternative, merchants use 2Checkout as a useful way for processing transaction for selling items. This method provides eight payment methods like Visa, JCB, MasterCard, PIN Debit cards, and PayPal. This operates in 26 countries and is interlinked with wide a range of shopping carts like Shopify, Ecwid, Zen Cart, and 3DCart.
Commission: 2Checkout charges for per transaction would be 2.9% + $0.30 if you are from the US and 5.5% + $0.45 for other countries.
Pros (Advantages)
- Automatic fund release through EFT
- Smartphone Applications available to keep record of the tracked numbers
Cons (Disadvantages)
- It does not allow transferring payment from one user to another.
2Checkout, a PayPal alternative which is best for merchants and businessman. It is available in 196 countries with eight payment methods, 26 different currencies, and 15 languages.
Executing WePlay in your place means setting up a path for customers to pay money without vacating the location. WePlay creates an indirect terminal for processing payments. This is an API-based technology, and you must have a good technical knowledge to execute WePlay. Though the service is simple in all other aspects and few characteristics are also very appealing just like the other applications mentioned above, WePay though supports major international cards but is only available for customers from US and has a US SSN and billing address.
WePay payment API mainly focuses on the policy of businesses like Crowd-funding sites, small business software, and marketplaces.
Commission: WePay transaction charges through credit card would be 2.9% + $0.30 and for bank payments it will be 1% + $0.30.
Selz is one more substitute of PayPal for merchandise and small firm business. Selz is best suited for freelancers who is self-employed and is not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term as well as for bloggers and also for various other online professionals. You can use Selz WordPress plugin if you are having a WordPress site or blog then you can easily install it. If you compare Selz with PayPal and other various payment methods, then Selz is best fit for selling digital products. You can transfer money to your account or PayPal through it.
Commission: For each transaction through Selz, charges would be a commission of 5% + $0.25.
Pros (Advantages)
- Simple to use layout
- Supports around 190 currencies
- Best suited for digital downloads
Nevertheless, Selz is not available in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria as well as for those countries, which does not support PayPal.
Amazon Payments is one more substitute of PayPal which is directly related with the web giant namely Amazon. Though it has a single platform for managing money transactions through the online process, there are also various categories in Amazon Payments that different users choose according to their need like customers, business and obviously developers. For simplifying the purchasing process, they have implemented an online section of services so that the payment method is easier to handle for that they have added directly to your Amazon.com account. This process can be skipped by re-entering the payment details and also by editing the shipping address. On another side, WebPay from Amazon Payments also allows users to send and receive payments. If we try to look Amazon from Merchant’s view, to make the process easy in payment methods, they have added Checkout by Amazon which the merchant can implement.
Pros (Advantages)
- It is directly linked to Amazon
- Comparatively widely accepted
- Interconnected with Amazon.com
Cons (Disadvantages)
- Amazon WebPay is only available for US residents
- High transfer rate of money withdrawal from Amazon WebPay to your bank
Commission
Amazon Payments is free from the user’s point. Using through Amazon WebPay, users can send money by paying no money at the same time receiving money from others. They have to pay transaction fees for withdrawing money through credit or debit card. Moreover, in the case of merchant’s point of view, its commission is a bit high as Amazon Payment charges are based on a rate of 2.9% + $0.30. However, Amazon provides a good volume of discounts as well as non-profit discounts also.
Where does Amazon Payments Work
Amazon WebPay is currently available in the United States. In the same way, when it comes to exit page from Amazon, it is little bit composite, because Checkout is available for merchants in the US.
Amazon Payments is an ideal choice for both users and merchants, irrespective of its confined availability. Hopefully, Amazon Payments will expand its operations to other countries as well.
Square is another option but it has a turn to it. Through a card reader Square provide access to iPad, iPhone or Android smartphone that will work perfectly with this application. Customers can make various purchases through online store created for the users by Square. The Square card provides supports to Visa, Discover, MasterCard, American Express, etc.
Square announced in November 2015 that it will start accepting payments through Apple Pay in 2015
Commission: Square charges 2.75% of total amount of money transferred. Square Reader is accessible for Canada and the United States countries only.
Bonus:
The argument for your wallet has already felt or expressed violent, uncontrollable anger, and online payments are growing in today’s world from past one year since the commencement of Apple Pay. Very simple and fast to join were the likes of Facebook, Google and Samsung are a section from this arising tendency to payments through online. Apple Pay has been introduced in such a way to make easy payments with relief of your phone, as an alternative to carrying a bundle of cash or plastic cards like credit or debit cards along with you all the time. You can immediately make payments easily by pressing your thumb on the Touch ID sensor of the phone. This is done through the use of an NFC terminal which is supported by 220,000 retailers. After hiring a PayPal executive in 2014, Facebook has declared that you can send and receive your money or payments with your friends by the help of their application namely Messenger. The feature will soon be turning out to the US users who are based on Android, iOS, and desktops.
Google’s Android Pay is a new mobile Sundar Pichai, the Google Executive throws some light in the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona related to a new mobile payments plan on Google’s Android Pay. It is claimed as an ‘API Layer’ stage which helps the retailers to center their mobile payments on a freshly developed Android platform. Another fascinating feature was announced to the support for NFC and Biometrics which is similarly related to Apple’s Touch ID in Apple Pay. For these mobile payments, we can rely on time only as it will tell us if they can manage to sustain and become popular.
Commission: It is observed that Apple net pay is about 0.15% of the financial transaction money made through this stage.
Conclusion
It should be kept in mind that the above online payment methods and services are on casual and undirected order as different people have different ideas and criteria’s while searching for the “best”, few people look for lower commissions and other wants international availability. Altogether, according to your suitability you ca select the most appropriate PayPal alternative.