I expect that I am in the minority, but I'm pretty much done with Paypal.
As a trusted vehicle for isolating my credit card information from vendors it's a worthwhile service.
As a trusted vehicle for isolating my debit card information from vendors it's a worthwhile service.
But it seems to be FAR MORE DIFFICULT now to use paypal, than it is to ask your bank for a separate debit card for online transactions, and to maintain a small balance in that account. Over the past few months, I have tried repeatedly to validate my card numbers, which must be failing due to some sort of address logic. Now I'm asked to validate my account with the bank. And at this point, paypal is a burden not an advantage. Banks are far better at this than paypal is because they tolerate risk.
But at some point, paypal's attempts to reduce losses create such a burden on the vendor and consumer that they become pointless. If you are trying to replicate teh VISA/MC/AMEX system online, you don't have the knowledge or financial stomach for that business - because it is a RISK MANAGEMENT business, not a transaction processing business.
So, from this point onward, I"m just going to manage my own risk, which Visa is happy to help with, rather than rely upon Paypal.
