Hi all! I am debating on joining paypal, but am unsure yet. If you want the first account that is on the site, must you give a bank account number or charge account number? If you do, what would be the safest thing to do? I had heard different horror stories and up until now I resisted. Do you give them your real email or do you give one like hotmail, yahoo,etc.? Anything you can tell me about it will either have me joining or not. I just don't like to give out too much personal information because of all the scams going around. Thanks!

I am also interested in the answer to this question. I let Pinecone pay me in Paypal but can't seem to spend the accumulated funds without linking to a credit card or checking account - kinda PO'ed about that!

cj

i opened a new bank account specifically for paypal / internet purposes. i keep a low balance in the account, so i'm not as worried giving out the account # or credit/debit card linked to it. i was also skeptical about giving so much info, so by not using my main account (which is also with a different bank), i feel much more confident doing online transactions.

hi all , i can understand that alot of people who are not as familiar with the internet can get rather paranoid. i have had my paypal account for 8 years now. and it is a dream . companies like paypal now owned by ebay , can not stay in business in this day and age unless they are very secure. they deal with every major bank. they hav eno more information than what you already handed over to the 16 year old at the gas station to pay for your gas , or the cashier at walmart. paypal is secure. they can not pull from your bank unless you specificall athorizxe an exact amount each and every time. i myself have it hooked to my debit card account number. though i rarely do any transactions from paypal to my bank. I have a free debit card from paypal that use to spend my ebay money . they dont change a fee to use it at stores for cash back and if i use it as a charge at stores i get 1% back. using paypal guantees my purchases and gives me recourse for bad ebay customers. all and all a great tool to use.

I set up a savings account for paypal that I only need a 200.00 balance for with no fees...paypal/ebay are getting too big and will be hacked...just look at all the phishing emails we all get...I keep my family money in another bank ...when I questioned my bank this seems the best way to go for me.

Great tip from bellaboo!

Wells Fargo has a free checking account with no minimum balance. I'm sure that other banks offer the same type of account but they were the first that I found. You can read more at www.wellsfargo.com

I'd mainly be sure that it is not your regular bank since all of the accounts will be linked and there goes the privacy that you are looking for!

I also opened a free seperate checking account to connect to my Paypal account that I keep a very low balance in. I do use my real email account. I have had Paypal since they started and I have never had any problems with them.

Keep it off of your family checking account. Preferably in a different bank.

If you don't sell, just use a credit card.

Do you even have to use a credit card or bank account if you set up a Personal (vs Premier) Account ? I signed up so long ago...

For instance, in post #2 up above where the user just wants to be able to use the money, can't s/he sign up for a PayPal Personal Account and then request a snail mail check for the $50?

PayPal charges a fee to request a check. I believe it is $1.95 per check.

Thanks so much for all the answers. I was thinking of doing surveys and then just maybe using the money for buying things online. I might just set one up after I open another account somewhere.