Hello! I'm planning a trip to London and I was wondering if it's common to find Paypal as a payment method in shops, supermarkets, etc. (I've got some funds in my account that I'm not sure if I should keep or withdraw).
I'm also going to visit other cities in the UK after, so any info on this would be appreciated. Thanks!
[ Edit: Edited on 3 Jan 2024, 01:47 GMT by SophiaBP ]
Paypal accounts are commonly used in the UK for online purchases but I'm not sure how often they're used in shops etc here. I certainly haven't come across supermarket scanners, card machines etc which offer to provide the QR code which I believe is required?
Contactless payment has been commonplace throughout the UK for many years (shops, pubs, restaurants, public transport etc etc etc) but people use chipped debit/credit cards...either plastic or the phone version...for the scanner. Physical payment using cards with chip & PIN is also commonplace BUT some smaller shops have minimum spend for card use (e.g. 10GBP) because of the fees they have to pay. In really remote areas (we do have some!) some places can't get a reliable signal so only accept cash.
Afaik all ATMs require a card to be physically inserted.
If you really want/need to use your Paypal funds I'd advise you to withdraw them rather than assume you'll be able to access them in the UK. Make sure you bring at least one...preferably two.. debit or credit cards with chip & PIN, ideally with contactless function. And make sure you've always got some cash on you (especially after you leave London).
NB Visa and Mastercard logos are the norm for all card payments. Amex is much less widely accepted in the UK, especially outside London.
My experience with PAY PAL in London is mainly used for online purchases like Amazon. I have never experienced store purchases with PayPal. Most stores operate chip and Pin charges or contactless, which I frequently use on Transport for London platforms. To avoid confusion, kindly transfer your PayPal funds to your Debit card with chip and Pin for easy transactions in the UK. As you expect to visit other places in the United Kingdom, it becomes even more imperative that you carry a credit card or debit card with a chip and pin as you may experience some wifi problems in remote areas.
Thank you both for the info!
Quoting leics2
Paypal accounts are commonly used in the UK for online purchases but I'm not sure how often they're used in shops etc here. I certainly haven't come across supermarket scanners, card machines etc which offer to provide the QR code which I believe is required?
Contactless payment has been commonplace throughout the UK for many years (shops, pubs, restaurants, public transport etc etc etc) but people use chipped debit/credit cards...either plastic or the phone version...for the scanner. Physical payment using cards with chip & PIN is also commonplace BUT some smaller shops have minimum spend for card use (e.g. 10GBP) because of the fees they have to pay. In really remote areas (we do have some!) some places can't get a reliable signal so only accept cash.
Afaik all ATMs require a card to be physically inserted.
If you really want/need to use your Paypal funds I'd advise you to withdraw them rather than assume you'll be able to access them in the UK. Make sure you bring at least one...preferably two.. debit or credit cards with chip & PIN, ideally with contactless function. And make sure you've always got some cash on you (especially after you leave London).
NB Visa and Mastercard logos are the norm for all card payments. Amex is much less widely accepted in the UK, especially outside London.
very useful information . it's so different from here . I normally just bring my iphone ,people seldomly use cash nowadays.
[ Edit: Mod edit: fix quoted text ]
Helenbb:
>so different from here . I normally just bring my iphone ,people seldomly use cash nowadays.
Not very different, Helen. My reply was about using Paypal ....not about paying by a bank app on a phone!
Contactless payment (maximum 100GBP) using card or bank app on a phone is increasingly the norm in the UK and many people....especially younger people... use bank apps on their phones to pay. All UK bank cards are contactless and have been so for many years.
I would not travel anywhere in the world without backup sources for spending money! Never travel with a single debit or credit card!
I would not travel anywhere in the world without backup sources for spending money! Never travel with a single debit or credit card!
As I found out a few years back. Three days into a six month trip an ATM ate my card. It was the only one on that particular account and it took several weeks, many phone calls and couriers to get the replacement card sent from the the UK to my home address in NZ and then forwarded to a hotel on a Greek island. Oh what fun that was. Luckily I had other sources of funds but it messed things up a bit.