PayPal Changes Options for Small Merchants

PayPal has recast its offerings for small merchants, a move it says builds on its recent launch of the PayPal Here portable card reader.

PayPal's new options, called Standard, Advanced and Pro, all offer the same payment acceptance options and work with the Here reader. The overall package is called PayPal Payments, and the key difference among the tiers is the level of control merchants get when accepting payments online.

The Standard option, which has no monthly fee, requires shoppers to leave a merchant's website to complete a PayPal payment. The Advanced option, at $5 a month, allows merchants to keep the checkout experience on their own site. The Pro option, at $30 a month, goes a step further by allowing merchants to design and host a customized checkout page.

The Pro option adds a virtual payment terminal to accept credit cards by phone, fax and mail. It also allows configurable options for compliance with the payment card industry data security standard.

"PayPal Payments is one business product with three tiers of capability to give U.S. small businesses the flexibility to easily choose a payment option that works for them," said Ed Eger, senior vice president and general manager of PayPal Americas, in a blog post Wednesday. "Every tier offers an integrated suite of products that makes it easy to take payments from mobile devices and in-person, as well as online."

Last month, PayPal introduced a mobile card reader called Here, which attaches to smartphones to allow PayPal merchants to accept payments from a swiped credit or debit card. The Here app also accepts card payments through the phone's camera.

PayPal is a unit of eBay (EBAY) of San Jose, Calif.