PayPal

PayPal has been discussed several times here on the forum (with you being active in many of those threads). You knew the answer...you just didn't want to accept it.

So send your money into an Australian bank.
https://mozo.com.au/bank-accounts
Opening a new personal account

You might not be able to do that online, depending on what kind of "pension" you have. Closing you Australian accounts and sending the money to a Philippine bank was a mistake (if you wanted to use PayPal).

It isn't useless. I've used mine several times because my US PayPal account was useless when trying to buy anything online in the Philippines. You can put your money into an Australian bank and then move it into the Philippines...you just choose not to. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

It wouldn't have been useless. Whoever told you that didn't understand how it could be used. And why would you pay to close a PayPal account? Just withdraw all the money, unlink all your accounts/cards and let it sit. PayPal would have eventually closed the account after it sat empty and inactive for a few years.

Spoiler: Philippine PayPal Loophole

Maybe another method to get money into a Philippine PayPal account would be to create a "PayPal.Me" link and pay yourself that way. Here is what I would do if I were in your situation:

1. Link a Philippine bank debit/credit card to your existing personal PayPal account if you haven't already done so. (Unlink your bank account if it is already linked to your personal account.)
2. Create a Philippine PayPal business account. (I was not concerned with being a legitimate Philippine business when I personally did this...and neither was PayPal concerned with verifying it. If it violates Philippine banking laws/PayPal rules I don't give a crap.)
3. Link your Philippine bank account to your business PayPal account. (For PayPal balance withdrawal purposes.)
4. From the business account go to "Send or Request Payments".
5. Click on "Get your PayPal.Me" link:
6. Set it up:
7. 
8. Create the link and copy it.
9. Log out of your business account and log into your personal account.
10. Click on the link and pay yourself the amount you want. (It will be charged to your debit/credit card. If you want to withdraw your PayPal balance it will go back into your account linked to your business PayPal.)
11. The link will look something like this: Pay Dustin Wrye using PayPal.Me (Note: Do not send me money. You will get nothing and I won't give it back.)
12. You should now have a PayPal balance in your business account.

Just add the link to your bookmarks and then you can pay yourself with just a few clicks. Loophole! Suck it PayPal and/or Philippine legislators!

You lose a bit of money doing it that way with the fees, but they aren't very high.

Edit: It appears if you use another personal account you can make that link a "Send to Friends/Family" option, which they say is "sometimes free". So maybe create another personal PayPal account for the wife/gf and have her set up a "PayPal.Me" link and send money to that account for shopping online.

To make the link request a certain amount add this:

Code:

https://www.paypal.me/WryeD/200

To specify the currency add the currency code behind the amount:

Code:

https://www.paypal.me/WryeD/200php

 

It sounds like they were thinking you had a Australian PayPal, which you did. Was the email you were contacting them with connected to your Australian account? Your situation is a rare one that the script reading customer service doesn't normally deal with. I think you are latching on to the customer support issue a bit too much. What's done is done, let it go.

The post I made just above yours tells you exactly how to load funds to a Philippine PayPal account balance from another Philippines PayPal account.

Negative. Again, see above. The steps I provided above is a one time setup, no paperwork with PayPal or your bank required.

 

I'd rather not be throwing my credit/debit card numbers all over the internet or typing in the numbers over a WiFi network that is shared. For all the sh*t attached to PayPal they definitely do offer extra security and protections for online buyers.

 

Cebu Pacific accepts PayPal and I pay cash when possible.

British humour?

It's not about you being stupid. It is about banks/companies being stupid and/or cheap (the less they spend on cyber security the more profits they make). Many companies, especially those in the Philippines/3rd world, are going to skimp out on security or simply not have access to people who know what they are doing. The Philippines/3rd world is still in the stone ages when it comes to online security from my very limited banking/online shopping experience.

Are there companies out there that I have trusted with my credit/debit card info? Sure. But if PayPal is, or becomes, an option I will delete my card from those websites....even though there is little to no risk of me losing any money if my debit credit card is stolen. My bank offers 100% payback of any fraudulent transactions and has good security measures in place to prevent that from happening in the first place. Plus their customer support is top-notch and my money is returned in less than a day of being reported. What kind of fraud protection and customer support do Philippine banks offer? (Honest question. Maybe there is a Philippine bank that actually has their sh*t together.)