I had occasion to use the virtual credit card service that PayPal offers today: I wanted to do some shopping but didn’t want to tap the family budget, nor did the merchant accept PayPal. So I simply had PayPal gin up a virtual MasterCard, backed by the cash in my account, and used that. So it’s really a debit card that works like a credit card. All the same, smooth as silk.
Once you get a “card” created for you, PayPal pops up a little mini-window with your account information — the account holder name, card number, expiration date, etc. — and you can just refer to the details there as you make your purchases.
Since my takings from my little part-time gig go to PayPal — I use their invoicing tool to collect — I have funds available. And this opens up possibilities with other merchants who don’t do PayPal (some eBay sellers don’t accept it, but would they care about a debit purchase? I doubt it.).
Now playing: Erase-Rewind by The Cardigans from the album “Gran Turismo” | Get it