10+ PayPal Alternative: Best Services To Make Online Payments

In recent years, PayPal has become a household name. Checks and lengthy bank transfers are a thing of the past. PayPal has made it easier than ever to send and transfer money. All you need to do is create a free PayPal account to send money virtually anywhere in the world.

One of the biggest advantages of using PayPal is its universality. It’s easy to use and works seamlessly with many popular retail and other online shopping sites.

Still, not everyone is comfortable using PayPal. Though it might be one of the most popular money sites, it’s not without its flaws:

• Fees: Depending on your transfer or payment method, you might not have to pay any fees with PayPal. However, if you want to send internationally, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny.
• Holding payments: If you want to transfer money to your bank account, it could take up to 3-5 days for the payment to process. This is not ideal if you need your transfer to go through immediately.
• Country restrictions: Though PayPal is operational in 202 countries; the site isn’t available in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq, or Afghanistan.

Some of these issues may or may not apply to you personally, but why settle if there are better, more efficient choices available?

From a merchant point of view, there are even more drawbacks to using PayPal – but since you’re looking for PayPal alternatives, you probably know that already.

So let’s get to the goods you came here for – read on to discover 10 of the best alternatives to PayPal.

Google Wallet

Chances are you probably already have a Google account, whether it’s for Gmail, Google Docs, Google+, or all three. You might as well take advantage of Google’s new Wallet feature, where you can send money with a single tap.

(Unfortunately, at the moment it is only available in the US. However, once it’s up and running, Google Wallet will be available in 125 countries.)

What you can do with Google Wallet:

• Store debit, credit, gift, and loyalty cards.
• Send money to loved ones, either as a Gmail attachment or simply using their email address.
• Fund purchases or transfers through your Google Wallet balance or directly from one of your cards or bank accounts.
• Use your Wallet account to make purchases on the Play Store.

How Google Wallet keeps you protected:

• Google is known for the airtight security of their accounts.
• They offer 24/7 frauds and purchase protection, making it easy to report suspicious account activity no matter what time it is.

Drawbacks of Google Wallet:

• Current limited availability.
• Accepted at less places across the web.
• Standard transfer charges for transferring money from debit cards to Google Wallet.

Skrill

Formerly Moneybookers, Skrill lets you make purchases and send money to other Skrill users using the email addresses associated with their account. Like Google Wallet and PayPal, you can withdraw money from your debit card and add it to your Skrill balance. But Skrill is different – the money transfers instantly on both sides, whether you’re withdrawing from or sending money to your bank account.

What you can do with Skrill:

• Send and receive money from as many as 200 countries.
• Pay lower fees when you transfer money.
• Use up to 40 different types of currency – that’s 15 more than PayPal.
• Sign up for a Skrill Prepaid MasterCard to make “real life” purchases.
• Use the SWIFT option to transfer money from your bank account to Skrill.
• If you fancy making bets or gambling, you can do so with Skrill.

How Skrill keeps you protected:

• Skrill’s anti-fraud team safeguards every transaction made on the site, so you can be confident that your information and funds are protected.
• The site doesn’t share or sell your information to retailers or other third parties.
• All payments made on the site are authorized by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).

Drawbacks of Skrill:

• A commission fee of 1% applies to all transfers. However, there is a maximum commission fee of 10% for all transactions.
• You’ll have to pay standard transfer charges to transfer money to your bank accounts, debit, or credit cards.
  

  Payoneer
  

  This global payment service is a good option for professionals. Many companies use Payoneer as a way to accept payments as well as wire transfers. Payoneer users can receive payments from nearly anywhere in the world – the site supports 200 countries.

What you can do with Payoneer:

• Receive money using the bank transfer method.
• Apply for a reloadable Payoneer credit card.
• Transfer money to another Payoneer user.
• Pay for goods and services in over 100 currencies.

How Payoneer keeps you protected:

• Payoneer utilizes a strong encryption service that renders all data unreadable by outside sources. Even in the event that Payoneer was hacked, your information would be completely safe.
• Virus protection and firewalls are active at every access point of information in order to prevent theft and other security breaches.
• Payoneer’s Customer Support Service aims to respond to all security concerns or customer complaints quickly to resolve them.

Drawbacks of Payoneer:

• The fees to withdraw money onto the Payoneer card is a bit high compared to others.
• Payoneer is better suited for receiving secure payments rather than sending money, although you can do that as well.

Stripe

Stripe is for independent sellers and businesses. You can use Stripe to accept payments for the goods or services you sell. You can receive money from several different types of payment methods, including most major credit cards. Several different companies trust in Stripe to process their payments, including Lyft, TaskRabbit, Handy, Deliveroo, and InstaCart. Stripe accepts over 100 different currencies.

What you can do with Stripe:

• Receive payments associated with your Kickstarter, Shopify, or Pinterest accounts.
• Receive money using your mobile device.
• Accept other types of payments, including Apple Pay and Android Pay.

How Stripe keeps you protected:

• Stripe.js is a secure way to receive card payment details from browsers.
• Stripe is customizable through several different types of code, including curl, Ruby, Java, and Python. If you have a business website, you can customize Stripe payments to fit your unique design.
• All data goes through Stripe’s servers – not yours.

Drawbacks of Stripe:

• For now, Stripe is only available for businesses based in the following 19 countries: UK, US, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.
• Stripe charges a 2.9% commission fee on average.
• All earnings take up to 2 days to process.

Dwolla

Dwolla is the total package – not only can you send money to and receive money from family and friends anywhere on the internet, but small business owners can also receive payments using Dwolla. This site makes use of some pretty impressive and unique payment features.

What you can do with Dwolla:

• Send funds to email addresses, phone numbers, your connections on LinkedIn, your Twitter followers, and businesses that accept Dwolla.
• Use their MassPay feature – process thousands of payments in a matter of seconds.

How Dwolla keeps you protected:

• You can choose to add a second layer of security protection to your account upon logging in.
• The site performs routine testing to ensure their firewalls and other security measures can’t be hacked or compromised.

Drawbacks of Dwolla:

• It’s not very widely accepted when compared to other services like PayPal.
• You can’t link any bank accounts, debit or credit cards to the service.
• Moving money from your Dwolla balance into your bank account can take up to 2-3 days.
• Currently, it’s only available for US customers, despite the fact that it’s trying to launch in other countries.

2Checkout

This site is one of the best options for merchants who want to receive money for the items they sell. (There is no option to send or receive money to and from 2Checkout users.) 2Checkout supports 211 markets, 87 different currencies, and 8 payment methods, including PayPal. You can also use it with over 100 online shopping carts like Shopify and 3DCart.

What you can do with 2Checkout:

• Accept payments instantly from across the globe.
• Set up automatic or recurring bills for your customers if your business offers memberships subscriptions.
• Use it through a host, or customize your own API.

How 2Checkout keeps you protected:

• 2Checkout is fully PCI compliant, boasting a Level 1 certification – the highest available.
• All accounts go through a heavy encryption process.
• They use a three-tiered system to protect clients against fraud, theft, and other suspicious activity.

Drawbacks of 2Checkout:

• Doesn’t allow users to send or receive money directly.
• Commission prices are a bit on the high side – 2.9% for US users.
• If you’re based anywhere else in the world, the commission rate nearly doubles to 5.5% — not an ideal rate, even when you consider how high international rates tend to be.

WePay

The first and only option for small business owners and crowdfunding sites. We recommend that you only use WePay if you’re an advanced technology user. WePay is a way for you to accept payments on your business’s website directly, without redirecting users to another site. In order to do this, WePay produces a “virtual terminal”.What you can do with WePay:

• Customize the payment process for customers who use your site.
• Accept payments from multiple parties and international cards.
• Pay a lower commission rate for bank payments at just 1%.

How WePay keeps you protected:

• If fraud occurs, WePay will accept all liability for the fraud, making it easier for you to accept payments on your site without any extra hassle.
• WePay will assist you in making sure that you meet all PCI, OFAC, and other financial or government requirements.

Drawbacks of WePay:

• You can only used WePay if you’re based in the US with a US billing address and a Social Security Number.
• The commission rate for credit card payments is 2.9% — fairly standard for what we’ve seen so far.
  

Selz

This is yet another one for merchants and other online sellers such as freelancers or bloggers. It’s particularly suited for WordPress sites – WordPress offers a Selz plugin so you can easily integrate it into your site or blog. You can transfer funds from your Selz balance directly to your bank account, or even to PayPal, if you like.What you can do with Selz:

• Accept payments in more than 190 currencies.
• Sell your digital products or eBooks online easily.
• Add sell buttons to all your social media platforms.

How Selz keeps you protected:

• Selz uses standard SSL encryption so your customers won’t have to worry about making unsecured transactions.
  

Drawbacks of Selz:

• The commission rate is higher compared to other sites: all transactions are subject to a 5% fee.
• Selz isn’t available in several countries, including those not supported by PayPal as well as Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Nigeria.
  

Amazon Payments

Our next PayPal alternative is brought to you by online retail giant, Amazon. You’re probably already aware of how easy it is to store payment methods and shipping address with Amazon, especially if you have an account. However, their WebPay service also allows Amazon users to send and receive money.

What you can do with Amazon Payments:

• Seamlessly combine your regular Amazon account with your Amazon Pay account.
• If you want to send or receive money, you won’t have to worry about any commission costs or hidden fees – it’s completely free. (However, please note that you’ll have to pay a fee if you want to withdraw the money onto your debit or credit card.)
• Enjoy volume and non-profit discounts if you’re a merchant.

How Amazon Payments keep you protected:

• Amazon is a trusted household name. They use the latest encryption techniques to keep your information safe.

Drawbacks of Amazon Payments:

• This service is only available in the US currently.
• Merchants have to pay a commission fee of 2.9%.

Square

Square works a little differently from the other methods listed here. When you sign up for Square, you’ll receive a card reader that plugs into the headphone jack of your mobile device or tablet. If you’re a merchant, you can set up an online store. If you’re a customer, you can use Square to pay for things on the go, whether you’re using your card or your Apple Pay account.

What you can do with Square:

• Make payments with your card even if the business you’re shopping at doesn’t have a card reader.
• Use Square to pay for purchases with Apple Pay.

Drawbacks of Square:

• Square is only currently available in the US and Canada.
• The commission charge is 2.75% of the amount of money transferred or paid.

Whether you’re a merchant or a customer, PayPal isn’t your only option. These are just ten of the dozens of online payment options out there.

Got any other alternatives you like using? Let us know in the comments!

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