PayPal

A Web payment processing service from PayPal, San Jose, CA (www.paypal.com). Founded in 1998 and acquired by eBay in late 2002, PayPal operates as an independent brand. Customers with PayPal accounts can pay for merchandise by bank account or credit card on any PayPal merchant site, and their financial data are not revealed to the merchant. Anyone else may use credit cards on PayPal sites; however, their financial data are sent to the merchant.

An E-Commerce Solution for Small Sites
PayPal's Web Payments Standard service hosts the processing on PayPal servers. Merchants add buttons on their order forms that link the customer to PayPal, which performs the credit card processing and returns the customer to the merchant's site with an approval or denial. Although the logo of the merchant is on the page, customers are well aware they have been transferred to an external PayPal service.

Gateways to Credit Card Merchant Services
For large, online retail sites that wish to display credit card forms with their own site's custom look, PayPal's Web Payments Pro offers gateways to PayPal credit card services or to a merchant's existing credit card service provider.

Send Money Free
Individuals with PayPal accounts can send money to anyone with a bank account and e-mail address. If recipients do not have a PayPal account, they are asked to open one when they receive notification that funds have been sent and are pending.

A Huge Success
In 2002, the company went international, allowing its customers to accept payments in euros and pounds. It operates throughout the world with more than 140 million PayPal account holders.