Retailers Adopt PayPal App for In-store Payments in the UK

By Jane McEntegart
published

One of the most well-known internet payments sites is branching out into the real world.

People have been using PayPal to pay for their online purchases for years. However, now the internet payments site is making its way into the real world, too. PayPal's foray into the world of brick-and-mortar retail comes in the form of PayPal InStore, an application that allows customers to pay for their goods electronically.

PayPal today announced that, starting May 31, customers at Coast, Oasis, Warehouse, and Karen Millen can use their smartphones to pay for their purchases. Available for Android and iOS, the PayPal InStore app allows you to charge in-store transactions to your PayPal account. It does so by generating a unique barcode and transaction number. The cashier in the shop scans the barcode (either at the till or via a special lanyard/iPad combo), which then deducts payment for that transaction number from your PayPal.

The app is PIN protected for security, and, handily enough, the app will also display any offers currently available at the store you're in.

Check the video below for a demo of PayPal InStore:

Jane McEntegart
6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • HopelessNoob
    come here to the US please >:
    Reply
  • How much does the seller pay for accepting such payments? same as online? then it is too expensive... regular POS terminal transactions cost 0.6-1.2%
    Reply
  • shqtth
    good idea but isn't screen on phone glossy? so I am not sure if all bar code readers will work. Also what if your bar code get hijacked? does it change everyday? and if your phone is offline does the bar code remain active so you can make a purchase? Maybe bar code remains active until a new one is downloaded? or maybe the barcode uses the same technology as veresign secure id (VIP)
    Reply
  • ubercake
    HopelessNoobcome here to the US please >:They're doing this at Home Depot.
    Reply
  • aracheb
    too late.
    Paypal might be good for the payer, but the seller get screw big time with paypal and paypal is going down at such fast rate that it is unbelievable.
    is hard to accept paypal payment when you have no protection at all what so ever.

    I used to accept paypal for customer paying until i started to get scammed, People would pay and then after receiving the merchandise would put a claim With their card holder, At that point paypal would not move a finger for you. They can't they have no way to protect you or fight that claim. The card holder bank will always win. I lost about 12,000 USD in merchandise in a single month with paypal.
    Reply
  • aracheb
    to those who might say something, paypal doesn't have verifone. All their transaction goes as electronically, so even a terminal transaction or a supposed swiped transaction can be cancelled by the cardholder bank
    Reply