PayPal finally found a valid purpose?

[Byron]

I know this has already been mentioned as far as the awful costs levied by Visa Debit, but it will probably make it easier to get into e-commerce in a way...

... you see, most small clients I have are put off e-comerce solutions by lack of support for Laser cards - without having to go through all the hassle of the Realex process. Although fees are totally ludacris, atleast small online retailers won't feel Laser is a barrier anymore, and that PayPal will probably suffice for many websites.

Maybe PayPal knew this was happening and this is why they avoided accepting the cards on their systems.

Just a few thoughts...

 

[mneylon]

It's going to take a long time for Laser cards to be fully removed from the system - I got a replacement card recently which has an expiry in 2015 ..

 

[Byron]

Was talking to a cashier in the local bank, he said the rollout will begin in October in Dublin... seems to be a branch by branch basis?

 

[link8r]

It's going to take a long time for Laser cards to be fully removed from the system - I got a replacement card recently which has an expiry in 2015 ..

That's the expiry of the card - doesn't mean that they have to provide a service until 2015 though! Look at MBNA - they're exiting the Irish and UK markets (with some 22 billion in outstanding credit!!??) - presumably the cards will have to be re-issued by the new owner (if). Same as Halifax - when they pulled, their cards became disabled.

@Byron - I know most of us in the industry loathe PayPal but in certain sectors, when given a choice between Realex and Lazer, in some cases 35% - 50% of consumers opted for PayPal. This is in a very non-tech industry (we're talking industrial) for a big client with 51% market share.

I often think that we make too many assumptions and thus remove choice and testing and create our own altered reality....

Added: Nearly forgot - VISA/Mastercard transactions come with insurance, Lazer don't - very handy for consumers

 

[mneylon]

You can do a chargeback on a Visa - you can't via Laser ...

 

[link8r]

You can do a chargeback on a Visa - you can't via Laser ...

Another good point!

 

[Byron]

@link8r
I totally agree on about our own webby reality, it's a pity there isn't more money in the industry to actually get a proper scope on these things




I wonder if Visa Debit will actually be used as much as Laser, or if it is just a long term attempt to move people to full Credit Cards by stealth, earning banks more fees, etc.