PayPal is the largest online payment processors in the world. There are many online vendors of goods and services who do not accept any other form of payment except PayPal. If you need to make a purchase from such a vendor, then you will need a PayPal account with a Debit/Credit card linked to your account.
Instructions
- Almost all banks in Kenya now allow you to make online payments using your Visa or MasterCard debit/credit card. All you need to do is to make a visit to your bank and inform them that you would like to make online payments with your debit ATM card or credit card. Some banks may ask you to fill out a special form and wait for a few days while others will activate it on the spot. In some cases, they may ask you to specify whether you want to carry out a single transaction or if you would like your card permanently activated to make online payments.
- As soon as the bank confirms your card is Internet ready. Log into your PayPal account (or create a new account if you don’t already have one) and navigate to “Add/Edit Credit Card”. Enter your card information. The ‘address’ requested is the postal address on record with your bank. After adding the card, click on ‘Link and Confirm my Debit or Credit Card.‘ When you click on ‘submit’ PayPal will debit your card with $1.99 (the Kenya shilling equivalent based on the current exchange rate). A 4 digit PIN will appear on your bank statement with this transaction. You will need to get the bank statement from your bank in order to access the PIN. If your bank offers Internet banking, you can access the code in a few minutes. Enter the code in the space provided in your PayPal account to confirm you own the card.
- Once you have successfully linked and confirmed your card, your PayPal account will convert to a ‘verified’ account and you can make payments online. Anytime you make a payment using PayPal, your bank account is debited via the debit card you have on record with PayPal.
Tips and Warnings
- You actually do not need a Kenyan bank account. There are numerous pre-paid debit cards on offer which work just as well. Examples include; Safaricom’s Mpesa Debit Card, Nation’s Hela Card, I&M Pre-Paid Debit card, KCB’s pre-paid debit card, Orange Money Visa Card etc
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