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Paypal “Here” is Actually Here

When PayPal first announced this credit card processing service last year, I figured it would simply kill off Square Up but so far, that hasn’t happened. But frankly, I think it’s only a matter of time. It’s going to be hard for Square Up to compete against paypal, which is owned by eBay.

As many of you with paypal accounts probably noticed, there was an announcement on your account that you can now physically accept credit cards on your smartphone using “Paypal Here.” The good news: It’s free.

After signing up, I got my card reader in the mail. According to published reports, Paypal claims that their reader is safer than the one from Square Up because it is encrypted, making it harder for a virus or fake apps to steal credit card numbers.

Once you get the card reader, you will have to follow the instructions to download the app for your smart phone (iOS and Android).

paypalhere

The app allows you to enter the amount of purchase using the on screen (in-app) numeric keyboard. On the upper right, there is a button to go to a built in calculator.

paypalheremain

As you can see below, it’s just a regular calculator but it’s nice that you don’t have to launch the calculator app along with the paypal app to figure out how much the total should be. You can conveniently use the in-app calculator to add up multiple items and get the grand total.

paypalherecalc

You can also setup your profile and have it listed on paypal to get more business. The profile screen also allows you to get your sales history, and manage items so that you can easily sell your most common items quickly without having to enter all the information. If you have a small list of items that you sell, this setup is quick and easy.

paypalhereprofile

The settings screen allows you to set discounts, tipping, and charging tax or not. You can also setup your charging screen to be totals only or itemized as shown below.

paypalheresettings

Finally, when you make your sale, the customer will get an email receipt as shown below. As you can see, the receipt even includes a map of where the customer made their purchase in case they forgot. It’s professional looking and will leave your customer feeling safe and comfortable with their purchase.
paypalreceipt2

After testing the entire process myself, it seems to work just as advertised. It’s easy. It’s quick. And it’s free. Even the card reader is free.

As far as I’m concerned, if you have a paypal account, and want to sell stuff to people with credit cards, this is a no-brainer. If you don’t have a paypal account, get one now.