Launched in 2012, PayPal Here is a POS system and credit card reading equipment accompanying an app for PayPal, an established online payment platform. Initially, it was widely recognized as a payment solution for eBay and later became the priority for various businesses as one of the leading payment methods. The main areas where PayPal excelled are online payments and purchases with a PayPal account connected to a person’s bank account or credit or debit card. But with PayPal Here, merchants can make and accept payments in person.
PayPal Here has an app that makes it easier for consumers to purchase anything through their smartphones. The equipment is available for both iOS and Android devices. It is also compatible with cash drawers, tablets and printers, making it a more suitable choice as a POS system.
PayPal Here Features and Services
Mainly a mobile card reader, PayPal Here does not have many astounding features and is similar to many other POS systems, but it provides exceptional services to its consumers. Below is a review of some major ones that PayPal Here offers.
Multiple User support
PayPal Here allows multiple users to connect to one account. So, if a merchant has several employees who all want access to PayPal Here, they only need one PayPal account. As many as 1000 users can access a single account, and merchants can customize what features they can use. The bonus point is that each user can have their own password for the same PayPal Here account.
Inventory Management
If a merchant wants their products to be listed and organized according to the desired criteria, they can upload the list and photos of their products using the PayPal Here app on their phone or open a PayPal Here account on their computer. This way, they can easily arrange their products and categorize them over an app.
Barcode Scanning
You can scan the products with barcodes with the camera on your tablet or smartphone. This saves time and effort rather than manually typing the product’s stock-keeping unit (SKU). A USB barcode scanner is available if a merchant uses a Windows tablet.
Tips and Tax calculation
PayPal Here offers multiple features specified for the consumer’s needs. If your business receives tips regularly, you can enable the tip feature for your customers and save considerable time. With the PayPal Here discount feature, the customers can apply for the offered discounts at the checkout counter. You can also calculate tax through the app and check the changes in your tax rates.
Sales and Transaction Records
PayPal Here reviews highlight another feature that comes in handy. It is the option to categorize the product reports you will receive by setting up the app to provide regular reports of the transactions and sales of a particular product, per your requirement.
You can also view sales reports from a certain time range and can keep a check on transactions made by a specific salesperson. The PayPal Here app also provides tables that show a list of your top-selling items.
PayPal Here Contract Terms and Pricing
PayPal Here provides a monthly contract to its users with a 0% early termination fee. It has no PCI compliance fee, and the users are free of any monthly or setup charges. However, the reviews indicate that the merchants notice inconsistent pricing.
- PayPal Here offers a swipe fee of 2.7% for all Visa or MasterCard transactions swiped or dipped through a card reader
- The keyed-in transaction fee is increased to 3.5%+$0.15 per transaction, and for PayPal Here, virtual terminal transactions
- PayPal Here deducts 2.9% + $0.30 per invoice payment and additional 1.5% for international payments
A keyed-in transaction fee is relatively higher than swipe transactions because of the high risk factor in this category of transactions.
PayPal Here Hardware and Card Readers
PayPal Here offers four different types of card readers for in-person payments. A magstripe reader compatible with Android, Apple, and Windows that connects via headphone jack costs around $14.99. The other three are chip and swipe, chip and tap, and chip with PIN card readers. Chip and fixture or chip with PIN card reader accept contactless payments, costing $59.99 and $79.99, respectively. The chip and swipe card reader costs $24.99 and does not offer contactless payments. All three card readers are compatible with Apple and Android, connecting via Bluetooth. PayPal Here also offers a chip and tap bundle with a charging stand for $79.99.
PayPal Here Customer Care
The company provides live customer support via phone calls and online communication. However, customer reviews do not indicate much about their one-on-one assistance. PayPal here does not offer any satisfactory response to queries regarding fund holds.
PayPal Here Sales Transparency
PayPal provides a relatively decent amount of information about the terms and conditions of PayPal Here on its website. Merchants can also find a note regarding additional charges for extra services on the website. The company does not use misleading marketing strategies, and all essential contract terms are disclosed beforehand.
PayPal Here Reviews and Complaints
PayPal is a vast corporation handling an extensive range of businesses; therefore, it has a high rate of complaints. A large sum of these queries and concerns remains unnoticed. This unresponsive attitude is the basis for many negative reviews from merchants.
The feedback received by PayPal is primarily negative. Out of the 2221 informal reviews, only 33 are positive. Most of these reviews are from customers and a few from merchants themselves.
BBB Rating
There is no separate profile for PayPal Here on Better Business Bureau as it is an app introduced by PayPal. Nevertheless, PayPal has received 27,150 complaints in the last 36 years; however, it still has an A rating from BBB. Only 12,193 of these issues were resolved, while the rest of 9,055 were unresponded, or the consumers were dissatisfied with the solutions provided by the company.
PayPal Here Lawsuits
A class-action lawsuit against PayPal stated that the company closed merchant accounts and held reserves without notice. It was also under legal investigation by SEC in 2021. It led to several lawsuits against the company, and its stocks dropped. Chris Moneymaker also sued PayPal for fund seizing.
Lawsuits against a company are significant red flags that merchants should take into consideration. Considering the reputation and magnitude of lawsuits against PayPal, merchants are advised to beware of any malpractice by the company and report them to regulatory authorities.
PayPal Here Downsides
Even though the company provides a wide range of features to provide a smooth payment method to its merchants, it has its downsides. The review below indicates some drawbacks of using PayPal Here;
Mediocre Customer Service
According to a BBB report, most of the negative reviews for PayPal Here are about customer service. There can be a great deal of improvement in this rating if customer care is maintained as per the consumer’s satisfaction. Most merchants have stated that they have not experienced customer service worse than PayPal. Considering the size of PayPal in an industry, it is not unusual to be ineffective in customer service. However, poor customer service can be a catalyst for disappointment and dissatisfaction regarding other services as well.
Too Expensive for Most Businesses
PayPal Here is suitable for certain profitable businesses but can be too expensive for the rest. If a company is making $10 or less on average per sale, or if it processes $2000 per month on credit cards, PayPal Here can be an excellent pick. However, businesses must look for more suitable options if they do not tick these particular indicators.
Holding of Funds
One of the most notable complaints against PayPal Here is fund holding and accounts being frozen without any prior notice. The provider does not offer satisfactory solutions for the issue and claims it is a measure taken for fraud prevention. To avoid such situations, merchants must carefully understand the policies before signing a contract.
Syncing Issues
The PayPal Here reviews show that the consumers have complained about app crashing and glitches. Most of these complaints are from Android users. There are also negative reviews regarding trouble in syncing devices.
Service Limited to Old Merchants
After being updated to Zettle, the PayPal Here app is no longer available for new merchants. Only merchants with a PayPal Here account can keep using its services.
Bottom Line
Even though PayPal Here is a unique mobile payment solution, it is still not useful for up-and-coming merchants looking for an all-in-one payment method. It is not reliable for businesses having high profit rates and can only cater to small businesses that fit under a specific profile and can be too pricy for most companies.
The PayPal Here app is reviewed to contain glitches in android devices, making it device-specific in most cases.
The merchants are suggested to explore more options for mobile payments and credit card readers to find a better-suited match for their business.
