You heard it here first! PayPal Mobile is here, and you can sign up today! Even though PayPal has not yet officially launched the mobile service, it is up and running!
Explains PayPal, “Send money securely, anytime, from wherever you are. You don’t need cash or a check – just your phone. After you activate your phone, you can send money one of two ways.”
Those two ways are by sending text messages to a special number from your PayPal activated phone, or by calling a special phone number from your activated phone.
Very cool. However, while PayPal Mobile is up and running, it is darned hard to find! So here goes:
To get to the place where you can set up and activate PayPal Mobile, you must log in to your PayPal account. Perhaps after they officially launch PayPal Mobile, they will offer you an obvious link at that point. But not right now. Instead, you will need to click on the “Profile” tab. Once there, select “phone”, as you are going to “update” your phone number.
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After you update your phone, you will be taken to a screen which says:
“Send Money and Buy Things With Your Phone
Now you can do even more with the number you’ve just updated. You can buy, pay, and give with your phone – anytime, from wherever you are.
Learn more about how to send money and buy items and buy items using your phone with PayPal mobile.
To start sending money and buying things from this phone number, click Activate Your Phone.”
From that screen you click the “activate” button, which takes you to a screen where you have to enter in a special PIN, which will be your PayPal Mobile PIN.
Once entering your pin, you will be taken to a new screen, which instructs you:
“To complete activating your phone for PayPal Mobile, we will call you at [your number] to confirm that you have possession of your phone. During this call, you will be prompted to enter your mobile PIN.
Would you like us to call you now?
o Yes, call me now.
o No, I will return later to confirm my phone.
To reset your mobile PIN, click Cancel. Otherwise, click Continue to confirm your phone.”
Clicking “Yes” takes you to a screen which says:
“Confirm Phone – Call In Progress
Enter your mobile PIN to confirm your phone.
We will call you at [your number].
When you receive the call, enter your mobile PIN when prompted.
Once you have completed the call, click Continue.”
And before you can even finish reading the screen, your phone is ringing! So be sure to have your phone near you if you want to activate and confirm your PayPal Mobile account!
The call, which is of course automated, is quick and painless. You are asked to enter the PIN you set up at the site, and then you are advised that you should, for security reasons, remember that 1. to confirm a transaction, PayPal will always call you, and 2. they will always say your name on that call. These measures are presumably to help you distinguish real PayPal Mobile transactions from potential fraudulent transaction attempts.
Your two options when connected to PayPal Mobile with your phone are to send a payment, and to hear your balance. I haven’t yet tested sending a payment, but the hearing a balance option worked as expected.
They also will email you this interesting little set of instructions:
“Text Messaging:
Send a text message to PAYPAL (729725) with the desired amount and the phone number to send it to. For example, to send $10.00 USD to the phone number 4150001234, text:
Send 10 to 4150001234.
Automated Voice System:
Call 1-800-4PAYPAL to send money by voice or keypad.
Text to Buy:
You can also purchase items by text message. When you see Text to Buy in an ad for an item you want, text the item code to the number shown. We’ll call you back to confirm the order and ship the item to you.”
So, just why would you want to be able to use your phone to make a PayPal payment? Will anyone actually use this thing?
Well, you can bet that PayPal is betting on it. But not just PayPal…there is sure to be a broad uptake from merchants. As PayPal explains it, “Anytime you see ‘Text to Buy’ next to something you want to buy – on a poster, in a magazine, at an event – you can securely order the item by text message. Use your phone to buy items like CDs, DVDs, books, electronics, accessories and much more.”
Because, of course, your shipping address is already attached to your PayPal account. With one click of the phone, the item is paid for and on its way to you.
Tricky!
And..slick.
You can also, says PayPal, “send money conveniently to friends and family. Instead of mailing a check, send money by phone.”
Also pretty slick!
How about this one?
“Settle team or organization fees. Paying or collecting? Settle up by phone and use your PayPal account to keep track of who has paid.”
But what about privacy and security? This could be a nightmare if not handled right from the outset.
According to PayPal, you must confirm payment details for each and every transaction. “If you don’t confirm when you are called, no money is sent.”
Only time will tell, but we predict a broad adoption for PayPal Mobile.
To read more about PayPal Mobile, you can check out this backdoor link to the PayPal Mobile information on the PayPal site: Read more about PayPal Mobile
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