When I was first asked to transfer money to a friend using PayPal to sign up for a recreational soccer team, I was a little skeptical. It was a relatively new website that had not yet taken off and I was not sure what to think. However, after signing up, I will view PayPal as one of the most helpful, user-friendly, and reliable means of transferring money over the Internet.
Signing up: Creating a PayPal account is very simple and requires a valid email address and a few minutes of your time. There are several different types of accounts you can set up (personal, business, etc.) but for the purposes of an individual, a free personal account is all that is required. Once you enter in the standard information, you are prompted to check your email to confirm it exists and presto - you have an account with PayPal.
Using PayPal: Like I said earlier, it is a very user-friendly tool and there are many different things you can do with it. I, for instance, have my bank account linked to my PayPal account. This allows me to do several things. First, it allows me to transfer money from my bank account to my PayPal account. Why do this? Well, here comes the security / reliability part. All transfers are guaranteed to be secure. No personal information will be given out at any time. That means I do not need to write any more checks to people that also have a valid PayPal account. We are in the midst of a transition to e-paper folks (i.e. no more paper) and this is just the first step. Secondly, it allows me to receive money from people by simply having an account and an email address. No more going to the store to buy stamps, mailing a check, waiting a day or two, then taking a trip to the bank to cash it. That is in the past. I now request all payments (withing reason, of course) to be done via PayPal so I can quickly transfer money directly to my bank account. Lastly, if you have websites where you are trying to sell a product or service, PayPal makes it extremely easy to link your account to your sales page. They provide all of the technical code required to do so and it is extremely simple. If someone clicks on the button provided by PayPal, it will take them to a sales page, where if the product is purchased, your account is credited. It is really that simple.
Mobile Application: With cell phone technology moving along at the speed of light like it has in the past few years, mobile applications are becoming a billion dollar industry - and PayPal has not missed the train. They now offer instant access to your account and all of its features over your cell phone, which is incredibly helpful when you are in a pinch and cannot find an ATM and need to transfer money. This is something I find very valuable and use on a weekly basis.
Well there you have it - my two cents about PayPal. It really is an amazing tool that should really be utilized by anyone who needs a fast, safe means of transferring money online. If you are on the fence about signing up for an account, I highly recommend doing so. It is free, easy, and there's really no drawback at all. Just my opinion, but I hope I have provided you with some insight. Here is a link to the website for your reference: www.paypal.com
Cheers!