paypal

PayPal for Android completely refreshed

The newest version of PayPal for Android is out, and it sports a refreshed interface, complete with the "Holo" styling typical of apps designed for Android 4.0 and above. All of the main navigation is at the top, with the familiar dotted menu button sitting on the top-right of the Action Bar.

With all of PayPal's core features now split into three tabs -- Account, Send, and Request -- PayPal 4.0 is easier than ever to use. Plus, it now looks and feels more in line with its sibling PayPal Here, the company's answer … Read more

PayPal and major Chinese e-commerce platform part ways

The partnership between PayPal and Chinese e-commerce company DHGate has officially ended this week.

On August 6, DHGate stopped accepting payments completed through PayPal. "After a thorough annual business review by PayPal, both companies have mutually agreed to part ways due to different approaches to achieve their respective business goals and standards," the company said on its Web site.

DHGate is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms of its kind in the region, and still accepts other payment methods including Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer and Western Union.

Despite the end of the partnership, PayPal is keen to emphasize … Read more

Starbucks takes mobile payments to UK and Canada

Starbucks is expanding its Android mobile app access to the United Kingdom and Canada, the company announced today.

The app allows customers to pay with their phones, locate stores and check their reward points, just like the original app. Additionally, it has some new features, including a widget, the ability to use PayPal (in addition to any major credit card) to reload your card, pin code protection and a rewards history dashboard to see how many points you've earned. U.S customers can also access the features with an app upgrade.

"The expansion of our mobile payment footprint … Read more

PayPal to roll out Web redesign making it more user-friendly

PayPal's clunky Web site is about to get sleeker and more user-friendly. According to TechCrunch, the online payment company is revamping its Web site to make it more orderly and have fewer navigation bars and tab options. Now, there will be just three tabs: buy, sell, and transfer.

"We are always creating new ways to use your PayPal account," screenshots of the new Web site say. "Explore some innovations that could make your life a little easier."

PayPal told TechCrunch that the company will announce more details on the redesign tomorrow. For now, it's … Read more

PayPal adds 15 new retailers to its brick-and-mortar roster

PayPal announced today it is partnering with 15 more U.S. retailers aiming to get shoppers to use PayPal's offline payment system.

"Consumers are relying on technology now more than ever to simplify their lives when it comes to shopping and paying, and retailers must adapt to this shift or risk becoming irrelevant," PayPal President David Marcus wrote in a blog post. "Innovative retailers everywhere are looking for ways to improve the shopping experience, extend loyalty programs and better engage with their customers."

The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American … Read more

PayPal and Softbank team up for 'PayPal Japan' venture

Online-payment company PayPal and Japanese telecom and Internet firm Softbank announced this evening a joint venture, PayPal Japan, meant to create "the premier digital wallet for online, mobile, and offline transactions" in the Asian country -- one of the world's largest economies.

As a first step, the companies said Japan would be the fifth nation to get PayPal Here, a Square-like service that lets small businesses accept credit and debit card transactions -- and PayPal payments -- through a smartphone.

PayPal Here was unveiled in March, in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong. A week … Read more

PayPal Here racks up thousands of sign-ups in first week

Since PayPal launched its new payment service "PayPal Here" last week, it has raked in thousands of sign-ups. In fact, in the first 24 hours of its introduction, the online payment company says it was getting 1,000 sign-ups per hour.

"To say there's been some interest in our new offering would be an understatement," PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar said in a statement today. "Clearly there's a need for a secure, global solution that provides small businesses the flexibility to get paid anytime, anywhere, any way."

The idea of PayPal Here actually … Read more

PayPal reverses its ban on 'obscene' e-books

After vocal outrage from authors, e-publishers, and free speech activists, PayPal has shifted its "acceptable use" policy on e-books containing certain erotica content. The online payment company announced today that mostly books with images will be under scrutiny.

"First and foremost, we are going to focus this policy only on e-books that contain potentially illegal images, not e-books that are limited to just text," PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar said in a statement today. "The policy will prohibit use of PayPal for the sale of e-books that contain child pornography, or e-books with text and obscene … Read more

PayPal demands 'obscene' e-books be pulled

Mark Coker, the founder of e-book publisher Smashwords, got an alarming e-mail from PayPal's enforcement division last month. It was an ultimatum telling the company to pull certain books with "obscene" content from its inventory, Coker said in a blog post.

"Their hot buttons are bestiality, rape-for-titillation, incest, and underage erotica," he wrote. "PayPal gave us only a few days to achieve compliance otherwise they threatened to deactivate our PayPal services."

Smashwords isn't the only e-book publisher targeted by PayPal, according to the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), similar emails were also … Read more