If you’ve found this website you were undoubtedly wondering if there was an alternative to PayPal. In fact, there are many good alternatives! We have reviewed and listed the best alternatives to PayPal out there. Stop wasting your money paying high fees. Don’t worry whether your funds will be frozen for no reason at all. Stop worrying about malafide buyers reversing payments.
Alternatives to Paypal
We have published reviews for the following payment processors so far:
NETeller
NETeller is a brand of Neovia Financial PLC and is a payment processor based in the Isle of Man and regulated in the United Kingdom. It is the provider of NETeller, its e-wallet, Net+ debit master card products and available to merchants and consumers in more than 170 countries.
Review of NETeller
For our NETeller Review we have taken the following aspects into consideration: ease of the sign up process, available deposit methods, how easy it is to withdraw your money, security of NETeller, the quality of customer support, and additional perks you won’t find at most of their competitors. Having considered everything we rate NETeller 5 out of 5.
Signing Up
Signing up to NETeller is a breeze.
You sign up for your free NETeller account and confirm your identity to activate your account. NETeller may call you to verify your information. After your account is confirmed, the sky is the limit.
Depositing Funds
NETeller supports a variety of deposit methods including iDeal, Debit Card (Maestro, MasterCard Debit, Visa Debit Card, Visa Electron), Credit Card (MasterCard or Visa), Local bank deposits, International Bank Transfers (wire) and UKash. Most of their deposit options are instant so you won’t have to wait before you can use your money.
Withdrawing Money
You can withdraw funds from your NETeller account with the Net+ Prepaid Card (ATM), Bank Transfer, Cheque (regular mail and courier) or member wire. If you sign up for a NETeller account we recommend you get a Net+ Prepaid Card. They will send it to you free of charge. You can withdraw your money at any ATM, or make purchases anywhere where MasterCard is accepted.
Security
NETeller became popular as the leading banking authority for online poker sites. They have a very secure tight security system to ensure that your money is safe. They will notice immediately if someone unauthorized accesses your account and will protect your funds. NETeller is the most secure way to transfer money online.
Your account is protected by your account number, password, and a Secure ID and a secret question. No mutations to the account can be made without proving your identity and being able to answer the necessary questions. Account security is top notch at NETeller.
Worth mentioning is that in August 2011 NETeller’s affiliate program manager made an amateur mistake by sending an e-mail to all affiliates with all the e-mail addresses in the ‘To:’ header. Because this affected another department and not actual customers we won’t decrease their rating but we felt this had to be mentioned.
Support
NETeller’s support is simply outstanding. They even have support via Twitter where you can just send a direct message to their support department. They even respond! Within hours! They’ll even call you on the phone to answer your questions or help you with your requests. We are very impressed with the quality of their support.
Other Benefits
NETeller gives away free money every week and month. Whenever you make purchases using NETeller or your NETeller Net+ Debit Card you get awarded NETeller points. You can use these points to buy tickets for the periodic sweepstakes.
In our opinion, the greatest feature of NETeller is its Net+ Debit Card. Whether you use the virtual card or the real plastic MasterCard they send you for free, it’s a must-have. You can use your NET+ card to make secure purchases online. Using the virtual MasterCard Debit Card, you can instantly create a temporary credit card number which can only be used one time.
Using your plastic Net+ MasterCard Debit Card you can access your NETeller funds from anywhere in the world when you want it.
Moneybookers
Moneybookers is an online money service business licensed to operate within the European Union, registered in the United Kingdom. They are regulated by the Financial Services Authority of the UK.
Review of Moneybookers/Skrill
For our Moneybookers/skrill Review we have taken the following aspects into consideration: the sign up process, deposit methods, ease of withdrawing your money, security of Skrill, the quality of support, and additional benefits you won’t find at most of their competition. Having considered everything we rate Skrill 4.5 out of 5.
Signing Up
Signing up to Skrill is easy. You sign up for your free Moneybookers account, confirm your identity, and follow their steps to increase the limits imposed on new accounts. It is possible Skrill will call you to verify your information.
Depositing Funds
Moneybookers supports a variety of deposit methods, which they eloquently call uploading funds, such as iDeal, Credit Card, Directebanking and Bank Transfer. You will have to endure the verification procedures before you can use a credit card as your funding source though, and you may not be able to use debit (prepaid) cards as a funding source. With a few more deposit options Skrill would’ve been perfect.
Withdrawing Money
Once your account is setup, you can apply for a free MasterCard Debit Card. You can access your Skrill funds anywhere, any time. In addition, there are sufficient ways to withdraw your money, including Bank (wire) Transfer, and cheque.
Security
Skrill does not usually get involved in merchandise disputes and the availability of credit card chargebacks is limited. This is good from a merchant’s perspective, but not good from a buyers’ perspective. Having said that, Moneybookers security procedures are tight. Just make sure that you know who you’re sending funds to. There’s no dispute procedure like Paypal has.
Support
Moneybookers’s support is good. They can be reached by telephone and e-mail. Their support isn’t the fastest in the world, but they are very helpful.
Other Benefits
The Skrill Prepaid MasterCard is a definite plus. You can use it at all ATM machines with the MasterCard logo, any physical location where credit cards are accepted and for purchases online.
AlertPay
Alertpay has been around for several years and is an online money service business situated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The founder has been awarded the Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Canada Export Achievement Award, and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award.
Review of AlertPay
For our review of AlertPay we’ve considered the following factors: Deposit and Withdraw methods, the sign up process, customer support and additional benefits. All things considered, we rate AlertPay 4.0 out of 5 making it a viable Paypal Alternative.
Signing Up
Creating an account at Alertpay is very swift. You can be up and running in under a minute.
You sign up for your free Alertpay account, and a verification e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address you’ve supplied. You’ll need to choose whether you want a Personal account, a Personal Pro account or a business account. The Personal Pro account is the default and allows you to sell and buy.
Depositing Funds
Alertpay, unfortunately, has just a few deposit methods. We would’ve liked a couple more options. Depositing is limited to Bank Wire, Bank Transfer, Cashier’s Check or Money Order. They do offer you approved exchanger websites as an alternative deposit method. We would’ve loved to give Alertpay a top notch rating, but this is an area they can improve upon.
Withdrawing Money
Alertpay supports Bank Transfers (both domestic and international wire, cheques and credit card. You’ll have to add and verify your card before you can use the latter option. A downside is steep withdraw fees. A wire transfer will cost you about $15 USD, $4 USD for cheque and $5 CAD for depositing to your credit card. A normal bank transfer will set you back a mere $0.50 CAD and you can also withdraw with your AlertPay Prepaid Card for $1.50 USD.
Support
Alertpay’s support is swift and responsive. They also have a knowledge base online. They are indeed very transparent and open. Our inquiries were always answered within 1 business day.
Additional Benefits
One of the features of AlertPay I like is that you can withdraw your balance to your credit card. It’ll show up in a few days. Even though the associated costs are steep, the convenience is a definite plus.
EntroPay
Entropay is an online money service business situated in Malta, licensed to operate in the United Kingdom.
Review of EntroPay
This is a user submitted review and doesn’t necessarily express the views of Alternative to Paypal. The author of the review rated EntroPay 3.5 out of 5.
The Good
Five months ago, I was looking for an online debit card which I can use to cater my online transactions such as shopping for items on the internet. My colleague at the office immediately suggested EntroPay, however, the first thing that came into my mind was it’s just an ordinary debit card used only for online casinos, so it would not be ideal for me.
So I did some online research but I was really surprised to know that EntroPay is actually a VISA card. It means that I am allowed to deposit money to my EntroPay account by using my credit or debit card. Aside from that, I also found out that Entro Pay is a licensed company based in the United Kingdom that makes it more reputable, and because of these reasons, I’ve decided to apply for an Entro Pay account and give it a try.
From the time that I’ve been using this virtual card, I have realized its advantages as well as its drawbacks. Here are the reasons why I consider EntroPay as a great virtual visa card over other visa cards:
- First, it is free to open an account at Entro Pay, there are no hidden charges.
- Second, the best thing about Entro Pay Virtual Visa card is that it is not only limited to transactions related to online casinos, but I can also even use it to shop online.
- Third, Entro Pay allows me to use 3 major currencies such as US Dollar, Euro, and GBP. The good thing about Entro Pay is that it supports a built-in currency converter, so I can convert money currency easily.
The Bad
On the other hand, here are the drawbacks of EntroPay visa card:
Every time I deposit money through my EntroPay account, I noticed that I am also paying 4.95% of the total amount that has been deposited. That is just too much. Aside from that, I am also paying a service fee which is usually 1.95% of the amount that I am withdrawing. However, in general, I am still recommending EntroPay because it is easy and quick to use, and it has good customer service which is equally important to me. So what are you waiting for? Get your EntroPay virtual visa card now!
Webmoney
Webmoney is a Russian establishment, largely unknown to the rest of the world but quite popular in the region.
Review of Webmoney
This is a user submitted review and doesn’t necessarily express the views of Alternative to Paypal. The author of the review rated Webmoney 3 out of 5.
My experiences with Webmoney
To give you an idea about Webmoney, it is an electronic wallet/purse that is funded through the internet and it is often used as an excellent method for credit extension and bill payments. It is a comprehensive and extensive online financial tool used by many web users today. The good thing about this financial tool is that it is available in selected countries all over the world and still growing.
I am a loyal patron of Webmoney for more than one year now; I am using it to compensate or cater all my money-related transactions online and I would say that web money is indeed a safe and secured virtual wallet that I can bring and use everywhere and anytime.
I must say that making transactions using Webmoney is very easy and simple. I just took a copy of the “WM Keeper” software through their website, I followed the instructions provided there and then I started to create my account; it is really quick and hassle-free! I simply add funds or money to my electronic purse or wallet so that I can start using it. I am also glad and thankful because I can redeem my WM units in any internet sites in just a few seconds. Aside from these things, I also found out that one of the best features of WebMoney is, it does not require the use of personal banking details or credit card; thus, I don’t need to worry about online fraud or scams.
Furthermore, no one can use my WebMoney account or withdraw money from it, unless he/she knows my WM password. Thus, I would say that it is very safe to make online money-related transactions using web money. One more advantage of using web money is that I can make withdrawals from my web money purse in any WebMoney’s authorized exchange agencies or I can withdraw through money transfer or bank wire. The service charge is very reasonable that’s why I cannot really complain.
I am certainly recommending Webmoney as your best partner in making online money-related transactions. As I said, it is very safe, secure, easy and convenient to use.
Bitcoins
You’ve probably heard of bitcoins. What are bitcoins? Well, they’re money, but the real question is: What is money? We all know it’s not paper bill with the value printed on it. That’s just a piece of paper which is supposed to represent a certain amount of gold. But money isn’t gold either.
The Gold Standard
The gold standard arose early in human history due to the mineral scarcity, easy division, and recognizability. There is only a finite amount of gold in the world and it can only be mined at a predictable rate.
Gold currency can be freely exchanged. But it was difficult for individuals to manage and hard for governments to control. The governments began to issue representative money to citizens. Notes that could be exchanged for gold. During the 20th century, most governments stop exchanging gold and all money essentially became ‘flat money’, which only has value because the government says so. However, if a government decided to print flat money at an unpredictable rate, existing money would lose its value.
So how do bitcoins work?
Well, bitcoins work similar to gold in the sense that they have a fixed scarcity, can be easily divided and easily recognized. But whereas gold is mined from the earth, bitcoins are mined from the internet. Bitcoins are codes designed to be generated at a predictable rate from the bitcoin network, which awards bitcoins randomly to anyone using the bitcoin software. Users can then freely exchange the generated bitcoin codes for goods and services using the central bitcoin network as a means of verifying a particular code’s authenticity.
But how is the bitcoin network any different from a government issuing flat money or services like Paypal or Second Life’s Linden Dollar? Well, these services are all run by a central authority. The bitcoin is a distributed peer to peer computing network similar to BitTorrent. This means the process for creating and verifying bitcoins is shared among everyone running the bitcoin software.
Bitcoins and Inflation
So what this means for the real world economy? Right now bitcoins can be exchanged for about $5000+ USD. But if the value of the dollar were to change due to inflation theoretically bitcoins would still retain their value. However, bitcoins are not immune to economic depressions. Just recently the bitcoin market suffered a steep crash where bitcoins lost 30% of their value. This was caused by users exchanging their bitcoins for US dollars en masse. Like a virtual bank run. Bitcoins suddenly became less valuable only because users temporarily lost faith in the bitcoin’s economic stability.
In the end money isn’t gold, paper or even data. Money is trust in the system. Be it the earth, the government or the internet. So question to you is this: Who do you trust?
Help spread awareness about Paypal Alternatives
The general population is confronted with PayPal everywhere they go, and as such have no clue there are alternatives to Paypal readily available. If you have experience with another payment processor, do not hesitate and send us your review!
Last but not least, help spread the word! People need to be made aware that there are good alternatives to Paypal, and you can help raise awareness. If you wish to make a donation to our website, feel free to send us an e-mail! (We do not accept Paypal :P)