November 19th, 2007
Paypal virtual credit cards
Credit cards are the only form of payment we accept and occasionally this causes problems for customers (usually international). Paypal is the most often requested alternative and it looks like they have a new solution that could be of interest to our customers. They are set to announce a virtual credit card product tomorrow which generates a usable Mastercard number that deducts directly from your Paypal account. Initial reports describe this as an installed software package that works with your browser, so compatibility with OS X and Linux remains to be seen. However, it could be a great one-time payment option for folks who’d prefer to setup a Slicehost account without using a credit card.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:01 PM Scott Yang
I would like to see how quickly they can roll it out to international customers. Products like PayPal Mastercard or debit card is not even available to OECD countries :(
The only reason I would like to use PayPal is because I am not in US but has ever-devaluing US dollar balance in my PayPal account.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:01 PM Cláudio Franco
In Portugal we have a similar service for about 7 years.
99% of the regular ATM cards can generate virtual VISA Cards that will expire in 1 month.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:01 PM Mike
Maybe I’m dense, but hasn’t paypal offered this for years? It’s really hard to find on their site, but you’ve been able get a credit card number to use for online (or offline) purchases for a long time. They called it Virtual Debit Bar and it was a small window that appeared below the main browser window. It was originally intended to be used with certain PayPal merchants, but it could be used anywhere.
I think what this news story is about is a browser plugin to make it easier to use, and to auto-generate the number. However, in the past I just cut-and-pasted the number in from the PayPal virtual debit bar.
I don’t know if it automatically changed the number each time like the new service does, because I never memorized it. I just checked, though and their FAQ says they’ve discontinued the virtual debit bar now that they offer this new service.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:01 PM QAD
Well, I’m thinking of switching to Slicehost for a test drive. However, the credit card thingy seems to set me back. As an international customer, I have no Mastercard nor Visa credit card. The virtual credit card offered by Paypal doesn’t apply to my country at that time. If possible, I’d like to see Paypal is added as a billing method.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:01 PM EnvyGeeks
Paypal has offered a beta version of the Paypal Plugin for years but never actually had it truly integrated into non-business accounts. They recently (I believe) released it to Premier and Business as an actual Plugin for browsers and on the Website. I use it a lot on sites that I feel weary about but are the only ones that have something I need. It does have OSx and Linux compatibility via the website ;). You just need to click the plugin link and choose “OSx” =P
April 22nd, 2008 at 01:24 PM Rob B
My credit card was blocked by PayPal (just after I made a perfectly normal transaction), eventually they stated my credit card was permanently blocked (no reason why & no apology) and advised me to use 3V vouchers in future! I got around the issue by getting my bank to reissue my credit card with a new number. If PayPal are promoting 3V vouchers, then, where is their on-line virtual credit card facility – I’ve checked their site in detail and I cannot find it?