PayPal has become synonymous with the words ‘online payments’ for most people involved in the digital economy. It is the go-to platform to send or receive payments digitally, so much so that it is processing more than $150 billion per quarter.
But what if for some reason, PayPal does not work for you, which alternative online payment options do you have? Well, this article explores just that, and they are as follows:
PayPal Alternatives for Businesses
Amazon Pay
Since 2007, the e-commerce giant Amazon has had some false starts in its quest to replace PayPal. What we now know as Amazon Pay has over the years transformed from one name to another, including WebPay service.
However, in October 2014, the e-commerce company pulled the plug on WebPay. Amazon Pay is a more recent development the company came with following the experiences it had failing at launching its own PayPal alternative.
Amazon Pay has been touted as the best online payment service particularly to merchants and customers using the Amazon platform. The payment solution is also available to more sites other than Amazon, allowing you to quickly log in and make payment. It also comes with a great consumer protection program to protect you.
Although the platform does not provide P2P (person to person) payment, the inbuilt security feature (Login and Pay service) makes it one of the most secure and efficient PayPal alternatives in the market.
Stripe
Stripe has set out to make a name for itself, to the extent some e-commerce platforms prefer Stripe over PayPal. One major reason for that is the fact Stripe is quite easy to set up if you starting an online store. The fact it charges a fair fee for huge loads of transactions also makes it a darling to people who are looking for longer mileage.
Speaking of fees, Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for each successful transaction. There are also no monthly fees or hidden fees. Stripe also does not have changing fee brackets for various amounts of money being processed.
Although Stripe does have its downsides, like the fact when withdrawing funds, your money takes a few days to arrive. Also, when using an international card to make payments, Stripe slaps you with an additional 1% transaction fee.
2Checkout
2Checkout is more of a middleman between the merchant and the buyer, where the payer can use their debit card, credit card, and even PayPal to make the payment. Also, it accepts payment in more than 80 currencies.
2Checkout also gives you a management layer for processing your online payment. The merchant can set up weekly or monthly payments for recurring bills. The platform also enriches the user experience with add ons and extensions.
On the downside, 2Checkout charges you $20 when someone makes a chargeback. The fee for a domestic transaction is 3.5% + $0.35, but for international transactions, there will be an additional 1% charge.
Merchant Accounts
You can get a traditional Merchant Account from your local bank, which will allow you to receive credit card payments directly to your account. Though most people try to avoid the Merchant Account given there are some standing fees charged monthly.
However, if you are in business and process a lot of money frequently. Getting a Merchant Account might be more suitable, especially if you integrate it as a payment option on your website’s shopping cart system.
The first steps towards using a Merchant Account is doing some research, including calling your local bank, and find out the best option for your specific needs.
For Friends and Family
Google Pay
Like Amazon, the search engine giant Google too has had its fair share of false starts with online payment solutions. The latest solution, Google Pay, was previously called Android Pay and Google Wallet.
In its current form, Google Pay gives you a mobile payment solution for all your online transactions. That means you can make payments for purchases at the grocery store or send money to your friends and family. All through the NFC chip in your smartphone.
Google Pay’s most impressive feature is the ability to send money to just about anyone with an email address or phone number. It doesn’t matter if they are users of Google Pay or not, and they can cash out the money at their local bank or debit card.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay allows users to upload their credit, debit, and store loyalty cards for use during check out on NFC POS terminals. You can also send money to friends and family as easily as few taps on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
When compared to Google Pay, the biggest downside is the fact that both the sender and receiver must have Apple Pay installed to access the money. Although the sender can still send money to anyone, the receiver must first install the app to access and cash out the money.
Facebook Messenger Payments
In recent times, Facebook has been losing confidence among the users particularly when it comes to privacy and secrecy issues. It goes without saying that some users are skeptical about sharing their financial information to the social media giant, which seems out to thoroughly know the users, and use that information for their own financial benefit.
Must Read: The Feds have initiated Criminal Investigations on Facebook over alleged Illegal Data Sharing
However, we must give it to Facebook Messenger Payments, as it is super easy to use. You simply pick a contact in your Messenger app, tap on Pay, set the amount and send at zero fees.
The fact that as of Q3 of 2019, there were 2.45 billion monthly users on Facebook, make it a suitable payment option since your friends and family are already there.
WeChat Pay
The popular instant messaging app WeChat also comes with a payment solution, WeChat Pay. The messaging service has over 1.1 billion users, most being Chinese though it is having a growing number of users across the world.
This payment solution is especially useful if you are an international merchant – like Amazon international seller – and source your supplies from China. WeChat Pay is the most convenient way for your supplier in China to receive payment.
