PayPal Ghana: Everything You Need to Know About PayPal in Ghana

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on how to create a PayPal account in Ghana. Today, I want to talk in-depth about PayPal Ghana: Everything you need to know about PayPal in Ghana, what others are saying, and more. Businesses and individuals are slow on picking up with the international community because of PayPal Blacklisting Ghana.

Before we begin, we want to let you know that we are not agents of PayPal in Ghana. We are only educating people so that they can make the most out of their online business, buying, and selling, in a legal way.

I am also sorry to let you know that this article about PayPal Ghana contains exactly 1,600 words. I don’t expect you to read everything if you cannot. Just scroll down to the subheading that seems to answer your question, and leave us a comment. We would be glad if you can read everything also.

It is very sad that Ghana is not part of the many countries whose citizens are allowed to create an account because PayPal as an online payment gateway is a very important tool. Though there are other payment processors, like the MPower we have in Ghana, they are not as efficient as the payment giant.

What is PayPal, and How Do You Benefit From it?

PayPal is an online payment service that allows individuals and businesses to transfer funds electronically. Here are some of the things you might use PayPal for:

  • Send or receive payments for online auctions at eBay and other Web sites
  • Purchase or sell goods and services
  • Make or receive donations
  • Exchange cash with someone.

Is PayPal More Secure Than Standard Bank Cards?

Yes – PayPal is more secure than using a standard bank card. This is because, After signing up for an account, you connect with your bank’s Credit, Debit or MasterCard. This allows you to type in the card’s details such as the card’s number, security code, and the expiry date. After doing this for once, that is all.

You are not asked for this card’s details any longer. Upon visiting any site where you can buy items online with PayPal, you only enter your PayPal email and password. This method is very secure.

On the other hand, if you want to buy an item on any site without using a PayPal account, you will need to type in your card details on each of those sites – everywhere. The risk with this method is that some hackers have a way of stealing card details as you continue typing it in these online shops.

Security Tip: Protect your information

Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information to open accounts and make unauthorized transactions in your name. According to the Federal Trade Commission, it is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world today. The best way to take these criminals on is learning the tricks of their trade. Chron.com talks about the Dangers of Theft & Identity Fraud Using PayPal.

Why is Ghana Blacklisted by PayPal?

In 2016, The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) intensified moves to get off PayPal’s blacklist. PayPal in 2004 blacklisted Ghana together with Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries due to a high incidence of credit card fraud from these countries mostly on eBay and Amazon online stores.

Even though Nigeria in 2014 was taken off PayPal’s blacklist, Ghana remains on the list denying Ghanaians from being able to purchase and pay for their goods and services online using PayPal.

There is a petition someone wrote to PayPal on Change.org to Enable PayPal in Ghana. You can also sign; probably, your voice may make the executives at PayPal do something about the issue.

What PayPal Ghana means to it’s Citizens

PayPal means a lot to Ghanaians. This is because online payment is growing quite rapidly, and Ghanaians seem to be left behind in the eCommerce world.

I personally think that if we cannot be a part of PayPal, we should create our own online payment processor. I don’t understand why we have computer science graduates and students yet cannot develop a flexible PayPal-like system for our own transactions.

Let us consider China as a country: Though there were not blocked from using WhatsApp, they have created their own chat software known as WeChat which is doing a lot of good to them.

I think Ghana should get up on its toes and do something for its citizens.

Is PayPal Available in Ghana?

No, PayPal is not Available in Ghana yet. There is nothing like PayPal Ghana. But you can create an account in Ghana. This is because You may be a non-Ghanaian but resident in Ghana. If you already own an account, that does not stop you from using the account while in Ghana.
Secondly, PayPal needs to verify your account with your email address and not with your country/ location, or your phone number.
This means that you can use a different country’s address and phone number to register an account with another country.
What if you use your PayPal account to buy an item online when you actually used a Togo address to create your PayPal account?
Answer: When buying an item online with a PayPal account, you are always prompted to provide a shipping address. This is where you want the item to be shipped to. It is totally different from the billing address you provided when creating your account in the first place.

Signing up for a PayPal Account in Ghana

I have written a full article on how to create a PayPal account in Ghana. Please click on the link below to read the complete steps involved. I talked about everything you need to know in there, including the legalities and how to connect your bank account Debit Card or MasterCard with your account.

I also want to state that some people choose to change their PC IP address to make it look like they are not creating their account from Ghana. All these are, sorry to say crap. Anyway, I said it. Just follow the steps I have outlined above and you are good to go.

Verifying a PayPal Account in Ghana

You can get a verified PayPal account in Ghana. Yes, you can. Now, after creating your account, you need to activate your account to let the PayPal team know that you are not a robot. That is the reason why you need to provide a valid email address. An activation link or code would be sent for you to activate your account.

PayPal Banks in Ghana

Are there PayPal banks in Ghana? No, there are no PayPal banks in Ghana. But there are PayPal banks in other countries especially the US, and other countries. This is a question people ask me and I get a bit surprised: PayPal banks? Probably they meant banks in Ghana that can enable them to get a PayPal account.

What I know is that you will need a bank to get you a debit or MasterCard to link to your PayPal account.

This helps you to make payments from your PayPal account for the funds to be cleared from your bank account. Whenever someone sends money to your account, it would be credited to your bank account as well. In the next subheading, I will show you how to send and receive money from your PayPal account.

There a quite some number of international banks in Ghana that give debit cards after creating an account with them. You may need to make inquiries for your favorite banks. I only know a few.

Below are the banks where you can get your debit or MasterCard to link to your account:

  1. Barclays Bank (Debit Cards)
  2. Ghana Commercial Bank (Visa Cards)
  3. GT Bank (Cards)
  4. United Bank for Africa (Debit Cards)
  5. Zenith Bank (Cards)
  6. Stanbic Bank (Platinum Debit Cards)
  7. Ecobank (MasterCard)
  8. Standard Chartered Bank (Cards)
  9. Fidelity Bank (Debit Cards)

How to Send and Receive Cash from PayPal

Sending Money to Someone Else’s PayPal Account

These are the steps to follow to send money to someone’s PayPal account regardless of the country you created the account from:

  1. Log in to your account at PayPal.com and select the Send Money tab.
  2. Enter the recipient’s email address, the amount, and transaction type.
  3. Click Change to select PayPal Credit as your payment method if it’s not already set.
  4. Confirm your payment details, and you’re done.

Receiving Money from PayPal in Ghana

It is no longer possible to receive money from PayPal in Ghana using MPower. There used to be a menu item on MPower that allows for the transfer of money from PayPal to your MPower account and later to your Mobile Money or bank account.

This system is no longer available after the upgrade of MPower to Hubtel.

Receiving Money from PayPal Accepted Countries

If you are in other countries other than Ghana where cashing out of PayPal is readily available, here’s how to withdraw money to your local bank account:

  1. Log in to your PayPal account.
  2. Click Transfer to your bank or Withdraw Money below your PayPal balance.
  3. Click Transfer money to your bank account.
  4. Enter the amount you want to withdraw.
  5. Select the bank account you want to credit, then click Continue.

There’s no charge to withdraw money from your PayPal balance to your local bank account. Some banks may charge a fee for transfers. Contact your bank directly for more information.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of the article relating to PayPal Ghana. I do hope you learned a lot from it. It is quite lengthy but it contains all the information you need to know about PayPal Ghana.

It is now your turn to let me know what you know and the questions that bother your mind concerning PayPal Ghana, and don’t forget to like our Facebook page.