PayPal allows US shoppers to make cryptocurrency purchases

SAN FRANCISCO - PayPal on Tuesday began allowing people in the United States to use cryptocurrency to make purchases from millions of merchants that use the financial platform for online transactions.

The payments giant had already let users buy, sell or store digital money, but the new Checkout with Crypto feature provides an option to use it for purchases.

"As the use of digital payments and digital currencies accelerates, the introduction of Checkout with Crypto continues our focus on driving mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies," PayPal chief executive Dan Schulman said in a blog post.

"Enabling cryptocurrencies to make purchases at businesses around the world is the next chapter in driving the ubiquity and mass acceptance of digital currencies."

Merchants get paid in standard money, with PayPal converting cryptocurrency to US dollars to settle transactions at the time of sale, according to the Silicon Valley-based company.

Tesla last week began officially accepting bitcoin as currency to purchase electric autos, according to a tweet by chief executive Elon Musk.

"You can now buy a Tesla with bitcoin," Musk said on Twitter, implementing a plan announced in February to accept the cryptocurrency as a form of payment.

Agence France-Presse

Google to integrate bank accounts in payments app

SAN FRANCISCO - A Google bank account?

The internet giant said Wednesday it would be partnering with commercial banks and credit unions starting next year to allow users to manage mobile-based accounts through the Google Pay platform, in the latest move by tech giants into consumer finance.

"People do almost everything on their phones today, but for many, the way they save, pay and engage with their bank has remained unchanged," said Caesar Sengupta, vice president of Google Payments.

"That’s why we’re working with trusted financial institutions to create Plex, a new mobile-first bank account integrated into Google Pay."

The Plex Accounts for US consumers will be offered with no monthly fees, overdraft charges or minimum balance requirements, according to Google, which said 11 banks and credit unions were participating.

Google at the same time said it was updating its Google Pay app to help users better organize payments to people and businesses.

"Instead of showing a stack of cards or a long list of transactions, the new Google Pay app focuses on the friends and businesses you transact with most frequently," Sengupta said.

The initiative comes with tech giants moving deeper into personal finance with person-to-person payments and co-branded credit cards

Apple recently launched its own branded credit card with Goldman Sachs which integrates into its Apple Pay application. Amazon, which has its own branded credit card, has discussed offering its own checking accounts but has not followed through with the plan.

Agence France-Presse

Online selling platform aims to help maximize business profits

Our wallets may be a bit slimmer, but our hearts are definitely fuller, especially after having spent the holiday season with loved ones, sharing gifts and making beautiful memories. 

Now, as you gear up for the New Year, it's time to write down your resolutions and put into action your plans for 2019. 

For some, it's nurturing a healthier mindset and achieving work-life balance. For others, it's increasing their income and becoming more financially stable and independent through business. And there's no greater time than now to become an entrepreneur as there are so many opportunities to start your own enterprise. 

By using the right tools, you don't have to spend too much on setting up your business as you can take more conservative steps and bringing your goods and services to the digital sphere as an online seller. 

Introducing, CheckMeOut. It's the perfect partner for you as it takes care of all your payments and delivery needs through its easy-to-use platform. 

Here's how CheckMeOut can help you build your online business and maximize your sales.

1. For many budding entrepreneurs, online selling becomes the ideal option as the market is dynamic and accessible.

CheckMeOut fits into your want for flexibility as it’s a platform that you can easily access from your phone and laptop - and it's absolutely free.

Simply register online on the CheckMeOut website, and you can start selling immediately.

2. When it comes to your items, there's no limit to what you can offer. From brand-new to preloved items, to knick-knacks, clothes and beyond – you can sell anything and everything online.

CheckMeOut also gives you links that you can share via social media networks and chat apps, allowing your store to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. Not only does CheckMeOut offer ease and efficiency as a tool, it presents buyers with convenience and security, making several payment options available such as cash on delivery (COD), credit card and online banking. CheckMeOut allows you to offer these options for free.

4. With CheckMeOut, you can sell and coordinate deliveries with ease, shipping your packages safely across the country.

CheckMeOut also offers free pickup of items for deliveries and includes insurance and flat national delivery rates for buyers. Now you can boost your business and build a relationship based on trust with your customers. 

5. Futurepreneurs also don't have to worry about overcoming the learning curve of business as CheckMeOut assists sellers through its Axxelerate program. 

This program not only teaches you how to run your business, it also brings buyers and sellers together to create a friendly and positive community. 

CheckMeOut's Axxelerate even hosts unique opportunities for entrepreneurs like the CheckMeOut Sellerfest Bazaar.

In 2019, take that crucial first step and become an online entrepreneur now with CheckMeOut.

Register and get your FREE account on www.checkmeout.ph.

NOTE: BrandNews articles are promotional features from our sponsors and not news articles from our editorial staff.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Auto Payments Don’t Always Make Life Easier

There isn’t any payment we don’t handle that isn’t done online and set up with auto pay. My credit card, my husband’s credit card, our Roth IRA contributions, and our tithe are all set up through auto pay. What I just found out last week didn’t lead to late fees, but it did take three whole months before I realized it was happening.

The hubs and I set up an auto payment for a biweekly amount (I’ll use $250 biweekly for my example) to go from our checking account to our church. Our church decided to hire an intern as a full time pastor this summer and the church was asked to chip in on his salary for the next year until his salary was worked into the church’s budget. We signed up to give a little extra starting in September and we checked the box to just add $75 on to our current giving. You might be thinking “Oh so you were actually giving $150 a month extra since you had biweekly payments set up?” Nope.

I didn’t realize the payment was changed to monthly instead of biweekly, so that meant our giving drastically went down. Here’s the breakdown of what happened:

Previous set up: $250 biweekly (scheduled for the 1st & 15th day of each month)

New (correct) set up: $325 monthly (1st day of each month) + $250 monthly (15th day of each month)

New (actual) set up: $325 monthly (1st day of each month)

I didn’t notice this until I realized our checking account kept going up each month. We usually have about the same amount in our checking account at the end of each month because everything else gets reallocated to some kind of savings or payment. A huge chunk of it gets moved to the savings account for our home. When I saw the numbers creeping up, I looked back at our past statements and realized there was only one monthly charge coming from our church. In this example, those three months of missed payments add up to $750.

We were able to submit a one time donation to catch up on our missed giving and I corrected the giving amount through our church’s auto-pay set up. I only skim through our bank account online maybe once a week because we enter in our purchases in our handy homemade excel sheet. Our excel sheet accounts for the new biweekly payments but that obviously wasn’t happening in reality. Thank goodness it wasn’t a worse-case scenario. I couldn’t imagine if we accidentally fell 3 months behind on a credit card or mortgage payment!

source:  lifeandmyfinances.com