Back in 2007, PayPal introduced a plugin that was supposed to allow you to use PayPal even on sites that didn’t accept it as a payment method. If a site didn’t accept PayPal, the plugin would generate a temporary number to allow you to check-out through Mastercard.
I thought it was a great idea but, sadly, it never really worked right so I gave up on the plugin a long time ago. But all the while, I really hoped they would keep working on it and make it work right because it was a great idea. What better way to deal with a company you aren’t sure if you should trust than to give them a temporary credit card number just for that one transaction thanks to PayPal? I really liked the idea.
I guess I was the only one. When it came out, it got very little press in the blog-o-sphere which is usually a pretty sure sign that few people were using it. So eBay pulled the plug. (PayPlug?)
The last day to use the plugin will be September 22nd, 2010. So if you never got a chance to use it, you only have a few days left.
If you consult their FAQ, you’ll find this:
Why discontinue Plug-In?
Simply put, we’re shifting our focus and resources to more popular products that provide a better customer experience. We continue to focus on expanding our coverage online with new stores accepting PayPal every month. Check out our extensive directory to find your favorite.
and then a few inches down the page, this:
Why discontinue the PayPal Plug-In?
Customer experience is a top priority at PayPal, and after two years of supporting the Plug-In, we felt it wasn’t providing the best experience for those who used it. See our list of other Products and Services to find new ways to pay online.
I love a good multiple personality FAQ.
So Reason #1 is that no one was using it so it wasn’t popular enough to warrant keeping. Reason #2 was that it didn’t work. I guess it’s a multiple choice kind of thing though I suspect both are true.
While I can’t fault them for pulling the plug on an unpopular feature, considering how low profile it was to begin with, I would have preferred they relaunched or revamped it to at least give it a real try. It was a great idea that they didn’t publicize at all and then didn’t work very well when you did try to use it. If there had been more users, might they have been able to work out the bugs? Who knows. But I feel like they killed it before they gave it a fair try.
But I’m just one person. Did any of you use the plugin? How did you like it?
If this is the first you heard of it (which I suspect is the case for many) would you have liked to see them give it a better try before killing it?
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I've been using the feature for quite awhile. I am seriously pi**ed off that it is being canceled. Truth to be told I dont trust any online vendor, because nobody is really secure. So generating a one time credit card is the only way I feel somewhat safe shopping online.
I use it all the time and absolutely love it. Now I have to look to other payment and security options. Put me down as seriously pi**ed as well.
I agree, it was a great idea. I don't really understand why they killed it without really giving it a chance unless there is more to the story we don't know…
I’ve been using the feature for quite awhile. I am seriously pi**ed off that it is being canceled. Truth to be told I dont trust any online vendor, because nobody is really secure. So generating a one time credit card is the only way I feel somewhat safe shopping online.
I use it all the time and absolutely love it. Now I have to look to other payment and security options. Put me down as seriously pi**ed as well.
Oops. Never let marketing and dev both have a go at your FAQs!
I agree, it was a great idea. I don’t really understand why they killed it without really giving it a chance unless there is more to the story we don’t know…
Oops. Never let marketing and dev both have a go at your FAQs!
I started using this before I got a credit card and I still use it at least once a month and feel safer than using my card. Very sad this is ending… Not sure what I’m going to do to order CDs and concert tickets from here on out. Hopefully the sites that are missing PayPal will keep adding. But Amazon never will I suspect…
Paypal plug-in disconnection is bad news for people who like safe online purchases.rnrnI don’t appreciate the announcement by Paypal.rnrnI urge Paypal to reconsider its position and brings back this tool.rn- auto fill of ordfer forms. No risk of errorsrnrn- secure on line payment with many websites that don’t accept paypal.rnrnPlease let’s push pressure on PAYPAL. We are the customers who buy the goods and brings money to this company.
there is certainly something they aren’t telling us. Why was it so unpromoted in the first place? They think people won’t be very suspicious? It was a great service, I used it a lot and loved it. Never had a problem with it and I don’t believe that anyone else did as long as they used it right. It allowed me to do business online without worrying about anyone having a number connected to my bank account or any card acct. This means that one could use it to buy something that would convert in 30 days to an automatic monthly charge and start draining your account while you struggle to get them to stop (it’s epidemic online). I suspect that they kept it low profile because it was a very tentative idea that they barely managed to pull of legally – although there was really nothing wrong with it. I never did anything illegal or immoral with this service – I simply used it to protect myself. That’s probably what did it in – it’s a valuable tool to protect the individual and we can’t h ave that – protection of the individual from blood sucking corporate monsters.,……
You’re wrong that nobody used it and it’s sad that PayPal didn’t educate users.
I used the plug-in for recurring payments because it gave me the ability to end the card on my end and stop withdrawals. Banks require that you contact the creditor and ask them to stop making withdrawals, which doesn’t always work as in the case with AOL where I had to close my checking account because they wouldn’t stop robbing it.
Also, for recurring donations (NPR, Public Television) and purchases on websites that didn’t accept PayPal, this was a great way to protect my information against being on lots of servers.
I loved the paypal pllug-in!
Please keep it!
I used the Plugin several times and I loved it. I still miss it especially when shopping on Amazon. I wish that they would bring it back. Also, I liked the fact that the debit card was for a one time use.