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PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers. It serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders. The company operates as a payment processor for online vendors, auction sites and many other commercial users, for which it charges a fee.
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Financial Technology |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://paypal.com/ |
Products and subsidiaries
Controversies
Steam, 2025
PayPal does not allow purchasing of Steam Games for all currencies except USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY and AUD.[1]
Inactivity fee, 2022
PayPal charges an inactivity fee in Canada and the EU.[2]
If you don't log in or don't have transactions for a year you will be charged $20USD each year. Then, when there are no more funds in the account, they will close your account. If you have not logged in they assume you have seen the changed terms and agree to the changes and thus the fees.
Transaction fee refunds, 2019
PayPal will no longer refund transaction fees on refunds[3] PayPal announced they would undo this policy change, and then a few months later re-implemented it.
Privacy
In 2018, the introduction of the GDPR in Europe forced PayPal to disclose a list of third party companies they share user data with. The list includes over 600 different companies, from fraud prevention to analytics, tracking and advertising companies.[4]
In 2025, a German study by Netzwerk Datenschutzexpertise (Data Privacy Expertise Network) found PayPal to be violating the GDPR in several instances. It lists unlawful data processing for advertising purposes, invalid consent practices, and violations of the principle "Privacy by Default", as required by Article 25 of the GDPR.[5]
General References:
- ↑ David, Carcasole (Aug 12, 2025). "PayPal Is Only Processing Steam Purchases in EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD, and USD". wcfftech.com. Archived from the original on 9 Oct 2025.
- ↑ "What is the inactivity fee?". PayPal Help Centre. Archived from the original on 24 Jan 2026.
- ↑ Meldner, Richard (April 6, 2019). "PayPal Will No Longer Refund Transaction Fees On Refunds". eSeller365. Archived from the original on 5 Oct 2025.
- ↑ "List of Third Parties with Whom Personal Information May be Shared". PayPal. 1 July 2025. Archived from the original on 17 Jan 2026.
- ↑ Koch, Marie-Claire (2025-12-11). "Expert Report: Massive Data Protection Violations at PayPal". Heise Online. Archived from the original on 28 Dec 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-12.