[MW Forums]

Apple Computer Inc. announced Friday that the U.S. version of its iTunes Music Store now accepts payments through PayPal, the popular electronic payment service owned by eBay. With PayPal, users can pay for their iTunes downloads using a "virtual wallet" that's linked to a credit card, bank account or stored account balance. Apple also announced that the first 500,000 customers to open a new iTunes account using PayPal as their payment method before March 31, 2005 will receive five free songs. more

[rlavere]

Just changed my billing to PayPal.
Oh, this is gonna be baaaaad. I forsee WAY too many impulse purchases now...

[ginopiazza49]

i would love to see this deal not only applying to the iTunes Music Store, but the whole on-line Apple Store.

[coolfactor]

"first 500,000 customers who open an account receive 5 free songs"
I'm assuming that doesn't apply to existing accounts being switched to PayPal? There's going to be a lot of people opening new accounts just to get the 5 free songs, not realizing that songs are linked to accounts. People will need to maintain two separate accounts, all for just 5 free songs. Apple should just give the reward to any account switched to PayPal.

[Uncommon]

I stopped using PayPal once I saw http://www.paypalsucks.com/. Although I think they're overly cynical sometimes (like their news item about PayPal's maintenance downtime), it raises too many questions for me.

[Deromax]

Meanwhile, 56 millions happy consummers seems to disagree with you and that web site /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Deromax

[MacGod]

A few questions that maybe someone can answer for me:
1) What's the advantage of this over paying directly? They both come off my credit card (although I suppose technically I could link PayPal to my bank and pay directly, what's the point in this instance?)
2) If you have a PayPal account and live outside the US, can you still do it? I know it says there's no plans to link iTMSs other that the US store to PayPal, but if I (as a Canadian) use my PayPal account to connect to the US store, can I download tracks that aren't yet available on the Canadian iTMS?

[MacGod]

Popularity doesn't always mean correctness. Think of how many people voluntarily use Windows! That doesn't make it a good operating system.

[coolfactor]

Apple must still answer to the Labels, so my guess is that they check the address on your PayPal account. If it's a US Address, you can go ahead and purchase tunes from the the US Store. However, I believe PayPal requires that a valid credit card be provided, so maybe iTMS still requires you enter a credit card for address validation. Not sure.

[tb485]

Actually you can open a PayPal account with a checking account. But you are correct, your account is location specific (whether you sign up with a Credit Card or checking account) so iTunes (via PayPal) will know where you are.
To answer the earlier question, some people can't or don't want a credit card (or debit card). Using a PayPal account will allow these individuals to use the iTMS.

[Netizen_Kane]

They really need to get a life.
Paypal user for four years and not a problem yet.

[rlavere]

In reply to:

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What's the advantage of this over paying directly?

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I can answer that. I do a lot of selling on ebay, and at any given time, have at least a small amount of untransferred balance sitting in my PayPal account. This makes it very easy (too damn easy, I'm finding out already) to spend that money without taking the hit on my credit card or checking account.
The irony of all this is that much of the selling I do on ebay is music-related. So from the profits of the CDs I'm selling there, I'm buying more music on the iTunes store.
Who'da thunk it?

[AidenFShaw]

In reply to:

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So from the profits of the CDs I'm selling there

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Of course, you're not selling CDs after ripping them - that would be illegal, right?

[rlavere]

In reply to:

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Of course, you're not selling CDs after ripping them - that would be illegal, right?

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Yes, it would. So NO, I am not.