Back from Beijing

[jim_julian]

This eliminate the need for an ATM..by having the card in So's name..

135677[/snapback]

The pinyin version of the SO's name in traditional Chinese order offered no problem in the US or in China?

[david_dawei]

To clarify the PayPal situation - a PayPal account is usaually set up by an eBay seller to receive funds from a buyer, or a buyer to send funds to a seller. The seller may also transfer funds from a bank account to his own PayPal account. Why would he/she do this? Read on.

 

A seller may acquire a PayPal ATM card in order to facilitate the withdrawal of funds from the account. No actual eBay sale or purchase need be involved - just a free Premier account. So someone such as ourselves may give the card to our SO to allow her to withdraw funds that we transfer to the account.

 

Yes this is a typical VISA or MasterCard debit card. The advantage to it is that no annual, maintenance, or non-usage fees are involved (it is absolutely free) - just, as we found, a $1.00 per-transaction fee. I believe this is far cheaper than any other (reported) method of cash transfer to China. And there is no direct linkage to any bank account.

135691[/snapback]

good clarification..

 

And I think that maybe we are talking about two PayPal cards... so I'll make further comments...

 

An eBay seller (which I am), can get a PayPal "Priemere business card" (PBC) with Mastercard logo (at least that is what mine is)...

 

With this, a seller may also transfer funds TO and FROM a US bank account, withdraw from ATM, etc.

 

What I want to make sure I distinguish is, are you talking about the Priemere Business card or the PayPal visa card ?

 

The former will have the words on it (PBC), the latter not ( I based this on seeing the webpage ads for PayPal visa and there is not PBC wording on it).

 

 

So, if the latter is really just a Visa card, then there is no 'seller' bank attached to it... I agree with that idea.

[ed and ying]

The wire transfer process has worked well for us. The funds are held in Ying's BOC account in US dollars. She can get RMB from any ATM in China. The best side is that at BOC the funds can be withdraw in US dollars no questions asked.

[Randy W]

The card is in China, so I can't look at it, and she is out of town for now.

 

But you are right - there is no direct linkage to a, bank account. When I want to send her money, I request (at the PayPal website - the only place this may be done) a transfer from my bank account. This transfer takes about 3 or 4 days to be credited to the PayPal account, at which point the funds may be withdrawn.

 

I only very occasionally buy something from eBay, and have never sold anything. This card is specifically an ATM debit (it functions as a "checking account" with a PIN) card, not a VISA credit card (although it does have the VISA logo).

[Guest DragonFlower]

RW

If your card has a Visa logo,that answers some of my question.

My mastercard debit paypal PBC and my other mastercard credit card,were not accept someplaces,even for purchases.

I did have all my cards "activated" for use in China.

In the US we tend to think Mastercard and Visa are the same,in China this is very far from the real situation.

Perhaps I can contact Paypal and have them reissue my Premeir Bus. Card on the Visa system.

Maybe that would help.

 

long

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

I always found the preferred method of getting money to China was to stuff a wad in my pocket and deliver it in person.

135925[/snapback]

 

Whatever it takes.....LOL....

 

[david_dawei]

The card is in China, so I can't look at it, and she is out of town for now.

 

But you are right - there is no direct linkage to a, bank account. When I want to send her money, I request (at the PayPal website - the only place this may be done) a transfer from my bank account. This transfer takes about 3 or 4 days to be credited to the PayPal account, at which point the funds may be withdrawn.

 

I only very occasionally buy something from eBay, and have never sold anything. This card is specifically an ATM debit (it functions as a "checking account" with a PIN) card, not a VISA credit card (although it does have the VISA logo).

136027[/snapback]

thanks for clarify.. and I had the same thought as DF, get my card changed to a Visa log !

 

Ok, now I'll share the idea that I had concerning paypal, one that does not seem feasible, but is maybe easier to explain with the past comments.

 

Since one can transfer money to and from a bank to a PayPal account, I came up with the idea of having a bank account in China be able to retrieve the funds directly from the PayPal account, as I can do here in US.

 

So, in principle, I would send money to the PayPal account (online as RW explained) and then I would go back online and move the money to a chinese bank. This last step is not permitted at this point, as China is one of the countries where electronic transfer from PayPal to local bank account is not allowed (as it is allowed in US).

 

This would simply get around having to change the SOs current banking process.. So the SO would not need a new ATM/Debit card/Visa.. they would continue to use their bank as they alway have... the money would simply end up in their account, much like a wire transfer (but using PayPal as the transferring link).

 

 

But no go... for now.