As the world’s most popular online payment system, PayPal is often described as an alternative to banking. This is true to a certain extent; PayPal is wonderful in the sense that it empowers registered members to send and receive money with just an email address, and it also makes it very easy for people to accept payments made with credit and debit cards without having to install a merchant terminal.
PayPal actually works better than a bank in many respects, but it cannot be considered a replacement since it actually requires members to verify their United States registration with a bank account. In countries other than the U.S., PayPal partners with select financial institutions, so prospective members will first have to open an account at specific partner banks. In some cases, PayPal requires a valid credit card to be linked as well.
There is no way to get around the bank account verification requirement on PayPal. The methods described herein fulfill the account information that PayPal requests; they come from personal prepaid debit card accounts that include direct deposit as one of their features. These are not full-service bank accounts; they are personal finance products that function in similar fashion to depositary accounts with built-in automated clearinghouse (ACH) features and affiliations with global payment networks such as Visa and MasterCard.
<strong>Green Dot and Walmart Money Cards</strong>
Retail giant Walmart offers reloadable prepaid debit cards with added features such as online bill payments and direct deposit options. These cards are issued by Green Dot Bank. Walmart and Green Dot cards have underlying information that is very similar to that of checking accounts. Customers who have these cards can go online to check their balances and get their account and ACH numbers, which can be used to satisfy the PayPal bank requirement.
To further confirm the information provided, PayPal will make a couple of small deposits to the account. The account holder will be asked to verify the date and amount of the deposits made. Green Dot also offers the MoneyPak, the only method that can be used to deposit cash into a PayPal account.
<strong>Payoneer Cards</strong>
These cards are similar to the Green Dot and Walmart Money Cards described above, although they cannot be funded from a retail location. The verification process is essentially the same; however, it is very important to note that the name on the Payoneer card must exactly match the name on the PayPal account.