6 Best PayPal Alternatives (2017).
PayPal is the most popular online payment service that dominates and offers robust features for both individuals and businesses. Millions of people use PayPal and almost all online stores accept PayPal payments. However, PayPal is still not a perfect service and has its drawbacks.
PayPal is not available in all countries, it is expensive; the transaction cost is 4.5% and some users may not like its buyer protection policy. If you don’t like PayPal for any reason, there are several convenient alternatives. Check out these 6 Best PayPal Alternatives.
Best PayPal Alternatives
1. Skrill
Skrill is one of the best alternatives to PayPal due to lower transaction costs and broad country support. Skrill only charges 1.9% of the total transaction amount if there is no currency conversion. However, if currency conversion is used, Skrill will charge 3.99% more and offer a currency rate based on the current currency conversion rate.
Although, unlike Paypal, where you transfer funds directly; With Skrill, you will first need to add money from your bank account to your Skrill Wallet , which will then go to the recipient’s Skrill Wallet and then to his / her bank account. And this downloading and withdrawing money requires additional transaction fees. (screenshot here)
Skrill supports almost all countries except some countries such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Cuba, Iraq and Nigeria, etc. Uploading money to Skrill is also easy and you can use your credit / debit card, bank transfer, bitcoin and Neteller to upload money to Skrill. Bank transfers are free, but they take 3-5 days (currency conversion fees apply). While credit / debit card, Neteller and Bitcoin offer instant downloads with 1.9%, 3.0%, and 1% fees, respectively.
Withdrawing the amount is also not a problem, you can withdraw it via bank transfer for free or use your debit / credit card to withdraw funds instantly and pay a 1.9% fee. Although your bank may still charge a conversion fee or any other fee if applicable (check with your bank about this).
Commission: 1.9% per transaction in the same currency, 3.99% if currency conversion is used (additional download and transfer fees)
2. Pioneer
Payoneer is a completely different online payment solution, but it can be a great alternative to PayPal. PayPal basically sends you a debit card home for free and opens a US account for you. You can use this card to easily make payments anywhere and receive payments into a US account just like any other US resident (accounts in other countries are also available). You can even withdraw your amount to Payoneer using any Master Card support ATM.
Sending money from one Payoneer account to another is completely free, both when sending and receiving. Payoneer card top-ups can be a little problematic, however. Typically, your Payoneer card will be funded by the supported companies you work for or where you have money saved (including PayPal). These companies have their own fees for sending money to Payoneer account, maximum 2-3%. If you do not work for such a company, you will have to rely on bank transfer, which will take time, and local bank fees will be charged (which can be huge depending on your country).
In terms of withdrawal fees, Payoneer charges a 2% fee on all withdrawals. Although your bank may charge a currency conversion fee (depends on your bank). I should also mention that Payoneer supports over 200 countries, so there is a good chance it supports your country.
Commission: Free transactions from Payoneer to Payoneer, 2% commission on withdrawals.
3. Payza
Payza is another good PayPal alternative with lower costs and an easy-to-use service. Payza does not charge the sender of the amount, instead the recipient must pay 2.90% plus a flat $ 0.30 to receive the funds. Of course, in the end, someone pays, but the sender doesn’t have to worry about the commission.
Although they have a lower currency conversion fee compared to Skrill. Payza charges a 2.5% commission if a currency conversion is involved in the transaction and offers conversion rates based on the current conversion rate at the time of the transaction. Top-ups to your Payza account are free if you use bitcoin and credit card transactions cost 3.50% of the total. While bank transfers are charged a flat fee of $ 8, this is only reliable if you have a large amount.
Payza also has a fixed withdrawal rate. You will pay $ 15 for wire transfer and $ 8 for credit card transfer if the transfer amount is less than $ 5,000. Overall, I think Payza is a good option only if you want to make large transactions. They charge a fixed amount for withdrawals and funds, so a larger amount will compensate.
Fee: 2.90% + $ 0.30 per transaction, 2.5% currency conversion fee
4. Google Wallet
Google Wallet may not be the best alternative to PayPal for international payments, but if you live in the US or UK; then it’s definitely worth a try. Google Wallet allows you to send payments to your friends in the US or UK for free, directly to their phone number or email address. The recipient can withdraw the amount to their bank account or debit / credit card in just a few minutes.
Your bank may charge a fee for receiving the amount to a debit / credit card, but there is no fee for Google Wallet. It also makes it very easy to request funds from your friends and keep track of them easily. All this is conveniently done using the Google Wallet app for Android and iOS.
And, of course, Google Wallet is operated by Google, so you can trust it with your money. Google also offers fraud protection for any unauthorized payments and covers 100% of the amount.
Commission: Free sending and receiving, bank commission may apply.
PayPal alternatives for businesses
Here are two PayPal alternatives that work for merchants trying to sell products online but can’t accept PayPal payments or don’t want to pay with PayPal:
5. 2CheckOut
2CheckOut is a global payment processing website that allows merchants to receive payments from all over the world. It accepts payments from customers using 8 different payment methods including PayPal. And you can get the amount using your preferred payment method including EFT, bank transfer, and even Payoneer.
The commission charged for transactions depends on where the payment is coming from. This is usually 1.9% -3.9% + 45 cents per transaction. When you withdraw funds, 2CheckOut does not charge any fees if you withdraw using Payoneer, but the wire transfer fee is fixed at $ 15.
Commission: 1.9% – 3.9% + 45 ¢ per transaction, withdrawal cost USD 15 per wire transfer and free via Payoneer
6. Selz
Selz offers several ways to sell your products and services online, but in the process, it also allows you to accept payments in multiple ways and receive them directly into your bank account. You can use Selz to create an online store or, if you already have one, get a Buy Now button to start accepting payments.
It can accept payments through PayPal and all other major credit / debit card providers. You can withdraw the payment to your bank account via bank transfer or withdraw it to your PayPal account (which is not provided here). If you only use Selz to receive payments and do not use other Selz services, then Selz will charge a 2% commission for each transaction. Withdrawing funds by bank transfer will cost $ 20.
Commission: 2% commission per transaction, USD 20 commission for wire transfer to your account.
Packaging
Skrill is definitely the best alternative to PayPal, but it can be a bit problematic if currency conversion is used when uploading, sending and withdrawing funds. Payoneer is also a solid option if you can find a good way to fund it, such as letting someone fund it locally. Let us know in the comments why you are looking for a PayPal alternative and which of these PayPal alternatives is right for you.