Question about Non US members and paypal

Hi, I just got a basic membership the other day, and wanted to upgrade. I live in Canada and the only way I can do it is if I give paypal a credit card. Well if I had a credit card I would just skip paypal all together.

Has anyone had this problem and is there a way to buy Lindens $$$$$ ? WOuld be nice to get some cloths and things. If You are in the US you are verified if you have a bank account, and that's all there is to it. Canada isn't a third world country and we even have banks here lol, so I just don't understand the problem.

THanks

So are Gorean women allowed to buy much clothing or own money? For that matter how does one become one so fast? Do they have recruiting offices outside telehubs and welcome areas now?

As with all Chat Modes, word travels of new types and locations. I was brought by a Friend also involved in the Gorean Lifestyle, from another Chat program. Of course that was not the point of the question, I am asking like any other resident would. How can I purchase the local money here, is there another way?

You can use slexchange with paypal for buying money. Its quick and easy to debit your bankaccount with slex, buy there some L$ and let them give you the money in-world.

@Leffard

If I read Kara right, she has no credit card and no paypal.

Kara, are debit cards available in Canada? I don't have a credit card, I use a Visa debit card, works exactly like a cc, but all you need is a bank account to get one.

Using a credit card to verify a paypal account is optional. Doing so will speed up the processing of funds.

This requires that the debit card IS actually a VISA debit card. It really depends on the bank which system they are using (VISA, Maestro...)

So are alts allowed to come on here and question genuine newbies?

Oh yes, I forgot, they are.

In England, VISA debit cards aren't particularly common - most banks issue Maestro cards (formerly known as Switch). UK Paypal accepts all the cards in common use in the country as well as direct bank transfer - does the Canadian site not do the same?

I read that you first have to put money on your PayPal account, so it can be verified.

The way it works here is that they send two small amounts (eg. 32p and 14p) into your bank account, you log onto internet banking or wait for your next statement, see the amounts and type them into the Paypal site to confirm you're the owner of the account.

Being Australian, I have the exact same problem.

I don't have a credit card and would like to avoid ever getting one if I can help it. The only way I would be able to get a PayPal account is with a credit card (I believe there is no Aussie PayPal, so no bank accounts allowed), so that's not viable either.

So basically, I'm out in the cold. It would be really nice if there was an alternative to credit cards for international users. Even if we have to resort to something like sending off a money order to Linden Labs to credit our account, I don't know. Surely there's a way.

If you don't mind me asking, why are some people so against credit cards? I mean, do they bite or something? I don't know anyone here in Spain who doesn't have at least one credit card...

There's something I've been curious about lately, and I wonder if someone could fill me in here. How do people outside the US typically purchase stuff online? I'm curious because over time I've seen lots of people here mention that people in other countries don't tend to have credit cards, but recently it occurred to me to wonder how they pay for things other than SL over the internet. Do they use bank cards or something similar? And whatever they use, is that system not tied into the global financial sysem? For instance, how do people use Amazon or iTunes or things like that? Genuinely curious...

I can't speak for others, but personally, I don't like the idea of spending money I don't necessarily have. I would like to avoid getting one because I know myself well enough to realise that it's not exactly a good idea.

Not to mention fees, etc. It's a personal choice.

And as for how I buy other things online. For Amazon, I use money orders (slow, but still). Otherwise, phone banking, direct deposit, bank cheques, etc. For iTunes you use those little top-up cards the sell in retail stores.

Nothing personal but spending beyond your means seems to be very typical these days, and then being wrapped up in debt the rest of your life. I did the credit card thing when I was younger and then decided now, to spend when I have the money, and not spend if I don't.

I DO have paypal, and in Canada a debit card is tied to your bank account, it's issued by your bank. You go to buy something and it comes from your account as long as you have money in there. It's not tied in with Visa or another credit card company. Just a piece of plastic.

Now, becuase in Canada we use the american paypal site, there is an added step that is not necessary usually, called verification. After they have seen that you have let them know how much they deposited in your account, that is normally enough for most places accepting paypal. The only problem is that when you purchase something online iwth paypal, it takes 10 days to clear since there is currency conversion there, and they have to wait for the funds to actually come out of your account. To avoid this wait, you have the option ot verify the account, ie with a credit card to show you are who you say you are, with an address that is on that card, being the same as the one you signed up with.

SL will not accept non verified Paypal accounts, becuase the transfer of funds can't be immidiate.

But My Question still remains, what other ways can aperson purchase currencey, I realize now I can't get a full membership, but what about buying money?

I'm not sure about in canada, but around here you can pickup pre-paid visa cards from any gas station convenience store. You take the card to the cashier, and give them however much cash you want loaded onto the card (minus 5 dollars for activating the card for the first time). The actual card you buy is just an ATM card, the prepaid visa doesn't get mailed to you for a week or so.

This is how a few friends of mine got into the game without a real "credit" card.

I remember when Lindex first started and it had pretty small monthly buying limits, I was using SL Exchange to buy Lindens with an unverified paypal account. There was just a bit of a delay (a day or so I think from memory) getting my L$. Try there.

I only speak for Germany...
I can allow a company to debit my bankaccount. I use that with Amazon and Paypal (with slex). They debit my bankaccount directly without further questions. For other things like hardware or ebay I have to do a bank transfer before to get that stuff. Though paypal wants a banktransfer before... if I deal with LL directly.
Another option is to pay as I receive something. Thats usually more expensive and a service by our postal company.
I had a credit card some time ago though I hardly ever used it. I would say credit cards are only rarely used in daily life here... I use a continental european debit card (EC-Card).
Shops here often only accept credit cards if I buy more... and if I buy small things I would have to pay an annoying fee for buying with a credit card. And often others like supermarkets and such dont accept them at all.
Thats the online/offline paying situation in Germany.

I must say I find the apparent inability of people outside the USA to obtain either credit or debit cards somewhat puzzling.

You see I live outside the USA. I have resided in several other countries in the last 22 years, and have never had any problem obtaining credit/debit cards from local banks in any of the countries I have resided in.
So why are we now hearing people from relatively civilised states in North America, Europe, Australasia and other parts complaining that they don't have/can't obtain credit/debit cards?
There is NO PROBLEM for a person over the local age of majority, in employment or with substantial means, who has a decent credit history.

One can only come to three conclusions. They are:

1)underage
2)have appalling credit records
3)are total no-hopers who just can't get it together

And THESE are the people LL turned SL upside down for by removing CC verification on registration? Smart move.

I must say I find the apparent inability of people outside the USA to obtain either credit or debit cards somewhat puzzling.

You see I live outside the USA. I have resided in several other countries in the last 22 years, and have never had any problem obtaining credit/debit cards from local banks in any of the countries I have resided in.
So why are we now hearing people from relatively civilised states in North America, Europe, Australasia and other parts complaining that they don't have/can't obtain credit/debit cards?
There is NO PROBLEM for a person over the local age of majority, in employment or with substantial means, who has a decent credit history.

One can only come to three conclusions. They are:

1)underage
2)have appalling credit records
3)are total no-hopers who just can't get it together

And THESE are the people LL turned SL upside down for by removing CC verification on registration? Smart move.

I have to admit I'm a bit flummoxed by the problems with credit cards or debit cards outside the US. Especially in Europe or Canada. I don't understand what the problem is.

That said, LL has said they are looking into other means of verification which are more international. Maybe the EC-Card Leffard mentioned would be easier.

*shrug*

I've only ever seen EC cards in widespread use in Germany, where they're pretty much the only electronic cards supermarkets will take in many cases.

As for myself, I'm British and don't have a credit card. I'm not under-age, I've got a perfectly good credit rating and I'm not a no-hoper. I just don't agree with this accumulation of personal debt. Internet shopping within the UK works perfectly fine with my Maestro debit card, which in the (unlikely) event of my bank account being empty, would stop working.

I don't need a credit card in my day-to-day life, and I'm not getting one just to satisfy some American company. (I already use verified PayPal, so it's not a problem for me, but the point still stands.)

I am currently living in the UK, and i lived in Germany beforehand.
In th UK we have the oh so advertised Euro worthy Maestro card. It's a debit card, and tied to your bank account, so it's as good as a credit card for most shopping, and for a lot of online games. They are not accepted by Linden.
In Germany you got giro accounts, that come with EC cards. Similar system, but not quite the same in the details. In the end the same effect though. A card that doesn't give you credit, so it's not accepted by Linden.
Now i do have a verified UK paypal account. Everyone was happy with it so far. Except Linden. For some reason it's not taking payment from it either. Not sure why, and can't find anything on it.

Surely there must be some way to solve this problem, or does Linden expect us to take out a credit card for this game only?