PayPal Debit Card?

September 1, 2006 6:22 AM

Has anyone had any experience with the Paypal Debit Card?

So I was browsing Paypal the other day, and I noticed this neat little feature called the PayPal Debit card. It essentially gives you a credit card number to use on Websites that don't explicitly use PayPal, but accept MasterCard.

It seems like a great idea, and If it works out I would love to use it!

Does this seem too good to be true?

Thanks!

posted by CXImran to computers & internet (12 comments total)

I have a Paypal Debit, which I've used in the past. The only problem with the Paypal Debit is that, like most debit cards, it requires you to keep money in your Paypal account, which is not reccommended, as Paypal is not a bank and can do whatever they want with your money whenever they want to. It's been helpful when someone sends me cash that I need to withdraw, but I don't use it for daily use.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:28 AM on September 1, 2006 [1 favorite]

I also use it. I've never had any problems and it's linked to my paypal buyer credit account so if I need a backup funding source when money isn't in my account, it will withdraw from the buyer credit.
posted by killyb at 6:33 AM on September 1, 2006

Ditto TPS. I just use mine to withdraw money when someone sends money that way. Had it for several years, and no problems.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:34 AM on September 1, 2006

I use a Paypal debit card and have some reservations about using it as a debit card.

First, if you are using it to withdraw money from an ATM, you are charged $2.00 on top of whatever the ATM charges you.

Second, you are limited to withdrawing $400. a day (though I believe the limit is higher, say $1000., when using it as a credit card).

Third, if you mess up your PIN number or try to withdraw more than is in your Paypal account, it will shut down your card. Not immediately, but some time within the next several days. You'll most likely find this out when you are trying to use it in line at the grocery store and there are 10 people behind you.

Fourth, last year there was a glitch within Paypal - if you withdrew, say $60. from your account, Paypal would keep making that withdrawal over and over again, until your account was drained. Then you'd start getting nasty e-mails from Paypal about restoring the balance in your account. This hasn't happened to me in the past 6 months, but I keep a close eye on my balance.

All this aside, if you want to use it in lieu of a credit card, I can't see a problem.
posted by suki at 7:12 AM on September 1, 2006

My experience with a Paypal debit card has only been limited to withdrawing funds via ATM from my Paypal account as an eBay seller...I've never used it in lieu of my regular bank debit card. I've never had issues with it, I can confirm the $400 max withdrawal limit per business day, but if you use the card for purchases you do get some small percentage cash back credited to your balance (1.5%, perhaps).
posted by Asherah at 8:35 AM on September 1, 2006

Actually, what I think CXImran is talking about is a cool little feature on the paypal website. Say you want to shop on-line, and the merchant does not take paypal. Paypal can generate you a temporary Mastercard number to use on that site, that is good for ONE transaction.

I've used this feature in place of using my actual credit card to purchase things, and It has worked fine. The only problem is that Paypal does not offer the CVS number, that 3 digit validation code from the back of the card. If your merchant requires that, you are out of luck.
posted by quibx at 10:10 AM on September 1, 2006

Quibx that's exactly what I was talking about!
posted by CXImran at 10:15 AM on September 1, 2006

Ok, that is quite different than the "PayPal Debit CARD." I have one of the PayPal Debit cards. Never had any issues. And I've also used the one time transaction feature, and it worked just fine as well. It's a pretty simple feature, and I think that actual banks offer it as well. Citi is one that comes to mind.
posted by drstein at 11:06 AM on September 1, 2006

Woah, how do you create a disposable CC # through PayPal? I can't seem to find that feature.
posted by keswick at 12:16 PM on September 1, 2006

I use it all the time and love it, but my whole life is based around Paypal right now. (uh oh)
posted by clango at 12:26 PM on September 1, 2006

I've used the (permanent) Paypal debit card for three years as my primary debit card. Paypal folks were friendly, fast & perfect when I had problems (when my wallet was stolen and once when I had to do a chargeback) and they do not have a fee when you're accidentally overdrawn (BIG benefit for me) -- you have some time to get your balance back above zero with no penalty. These things put them way ahead of my traditional bank. Yes, they are not FDIC insured, but with my small balances and their outstanding customer service, that small risk is much more than worth it for me.
posted by lorimer at 5:01 PM on September 1, 2006

Yeah, how do you create the temporary cc #s? I'd love to do that.
posted by evariste at 11:42 PM on September 1, 2006