PayPal mobile payments hit the UK. Sort of

+Martin James May. 31, 2012 at 19:00 More articles by Martin James

PayPal mobile payments hit the UK. Sort of I'm sick and tired of NFC, to be honest. For all the talk, the publicity, the PR, the hype and everything else, there are too many competing systems and not enough people actually using any of them. Still.

What we need is for something like PayPal to hit the high street – you know, something most of us already know and use? Well, wouldyoubelieveit, it just has! If you do your shopping at Coast, Oasis or Warehouse, that is.

The high street fashion outlets have been chosen to kick off the PayPal mobile payment system's UK rollout, this after similar trials of pay-by-PayPal real-world shopping have been taking place in the US over recent months.

To use the system, shoppers need to download the companion InStore app for iOS and Android, which will enable you to display your very own barcode on your mobile device's screen, which is then scanned at paypoints in the shops in question to pay via your PayPal account.

You don't need NFC capabilities, or even a mobile web connection, to use it – though it's obviously tough luck at this stage if you're not an Android or iOS user. Or want to buy clothes from anyone other than Coast, Oasis and Warehouse.

If that's not a hassle, however, you'll find a total of 230 outlets willing to take your PayPal cash starting today.

Via Engadget

Meh, I'll stick with using an actual bank for my financial transactions, rather than a privately owned company which isn't bound by the same rules and regulations as UK banks.

Ok, is it just me or is this infact going backwards? This will be A LOT more of a faff then using your card, and then you will still be needing to attach your card or bank account to paypal to even use it.

And then you have this incredibly untrustworthy middleman sitting between your trustworthy bank and the shop, messing with your money. Why would you do that just so you can whip out your phone and spend 'longer' faffing at the counter?

The only use I see for this is for parents to give their children their pocket money to go and spend, that way they do not need a bank account or a card, they just need their phone and they can just send them £5 or whatever whenever.

Last edited by Reser, May. 31, 2012 at 20:53

This is a terrible idea - PayPal have proven time and time again that they are untrustworthy and have no sense of ethics.

Reser pretty much nailed it on the head. Paypal is a joke and should never be used outside Ebay.

This is a terrible idea - PayPal have proven time and time again that they are untrustworthy and have no sense of ethics.

Have to agree, absolute scamsters and can't even protect buyers and sellers effectively with their much trumpeted policies on eBay, so what hope have buyers got on the high street when something goes wrong, DON'T TRUST THEM, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Last edited by billybear, Jun. 1, 2012 at 12:32

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