The trend toward cashless payments has long been a part of everyday life for many people . Instead of having to pull change or bills out of your wallet to pay at the checkout in supermarkets, gas stations, bakeries, and other stores, you simply place your card or smartphone /smartwatch on the reader.

A short beep and, if necessary, the entry of your PIN, and you can leave the store with your purchases. Payment provider PayPal will soon be joining the fold and also allow payment via app on such devices.

From online shopping to the supermarket

PayPal is the largest payment provider in online shopping, as almost every store now offers PayPal payments – and for good reason! Payments are quick, and since PayPal also offers its own installment system that eliminates the need to sign and verify complicated agreements and contracts , the service has become very popular with many people.

Payment via PayPal app at checkout

This feature will be available to all PayPal customers in the coming weeks. It’s important that the PayPal app is updated to ensure this functionality is available.

From now on, payment via PayPal will be possible at all cash registers that also accept contactless Mastercard payments . This is likely to be possible at almost all terminals. Simply hold your unlocked smartphone to the terminal, just like using a wallet, and the payment is processed via the PayPal app.

Is it possible to pay supermarket bills in installments?

If you’re planning larger purchases, such as a big barbecue with family and friends, you can also transfer the amount to installment plans, just like with other stores. This allows for a little more flexibility with larger purchases. PayPal calls this feature “Installment Payment To Go.”

Especially when shopping at electronics stores like Media Markt or Saturn, the purchased goods can then be easily converted to installment payments, something that would previously have required an application to a bank. For purchases made with PayPal, this application can be easily submitted via the app. Installment payments in three, six, twelve, and 24 monthly installments will be available to customers. However, interest will be charged, which can be found upon application.

Online and offline purchases in the app

Of course, the sales will be displayed in the app as usual. How and whether the app will separate the sales from online and offline purchases by tab or category remains to be seen. This would definitely be a practical idea for keeping track of purchases.

The same applies if you have credit in your PayPal account. You can certainly use this for purchases, so you can spend the available credit on living expenses.

Apple and Android NFC function

After Apple had to comply with the rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) some time ago , for example to be able to use third-party apps, the NFC function was also released for all providers, which was previously only available for the Apple Wallet.

On Android devices, the use of the NFC chip has always been completely open, meaning that theoretically any app can access it. Therefore, nothing major changes for Android device users.

PayPal wants to enter the competition

The reason for this innovation is quite clear: PayPal wants to establish itself in contactless payment options such as Apple Pay or Google Pay in order to gain a competitive position.

Will you use PayPal’s new feature or stick with traditional card payments? Do you see any advantages to paying with PayPal, or not?