Chapter 2

Sign Me Up!

In This Chapter

  • Reviewing the different account types and deciding which one is right for you
  • Setting up your PayPal profile
  • Comprehending International accounts
  • Protecting your privacy with PayPal
  • Discerning the PayPal User Agreement
  • Finding out about the PayPal fee structure
  • Earning interest on the money in your PayPal account
  • Referring a friend

If you haven't opened a PayPal account before, it may be easiest to start with a Personal account, just to get a sense of how PayPal works and what you can do with it. Later, when you're ready, you can always upgrade to a Premier or Business account.

On the other hand, if you're the type of person who likes to jump right in, you may want to pass “Go” and go straight to Premier (or Business, for that matter). All three types of accounts are quick and easy to open and your choice depends upon the type of flexibility you need when conducting financial transactions.

Types of PayPal Accounts

No matter which type of account you open — Personal, Premier, or Business — they all give you a basic set of functionality. Each of the accounts lets you do the following things:

  • Send and receive payments via e-mail.
  • Incorporate PayPal buttons into online auctions. The buttons let you accept PayPal payments, automatically invoice the winner of your auctions, and send e-mail payment reminders.
  • Pay with PayPal for goods and services you purchase online.
  • Add PayPal buttons to items you sell through your own Web site.
  • Earn interest ...

Get PayPal For Dummies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.