• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

PayPal And Visa Make Nice

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 21, 2016, 5:19 PM ET
EBay Plans To Split Off PayPal As Mobile Payments Gain Momentum
PayPal signage is displayed in front of eBay Inc. headquarters in San Jose, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014. EBay Inc. is spinning off its PayPal division, heeding demands by activist shareholder Carl Icahn and giving the business independence it can use to contend with rising competition from Apple Inc. and Google Inc. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by David Paul Morris—Getty Images

PayPal and Visa, longtime frenemies, looked more like friends on Thursday afternoon after announcing a new partnership.

The deal calls for PayPal to start sharing data with Visa about transactions that are funded using Visa cards. The deal also tries to resolve Visa’s complaints that PayPal encouraged its users to tap their bank accounts rather than their credit cards as a way to avoid paying Visa’s credit card fees.

Visa has long been frustrated with PayPal because the payments giant encourages its 188 million users to use their bank accounts to fund their PayPal digital wallets through what is known as ACH. It saves PayPal on every transaction because Visa and MasterCard charge higher fees.

In turn, Visa has wanted to PayPal to stop encouraging its users to use bank accounts, and start pushing them to use credit cards, so it can collect fees.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Visa’s CEO Charlie Scharf criticized PayPal for the practice in May, according to Recode:

I’ve been very, very clear on this one which is if you are a foe, you’re not a friend. And PayPal’s historic model, on the one hand, 50% of the volume is ACH, the other 50 percent is general purpose cards of which we’re half of it. So, they drive a lot of business our way. That’s supposedly the friend part of it.

The foe part is where they then use historically those transactions to do everything they can to get those to ACH where we and our clients get disintermediated from the transaction, the entire experience, and it causes tremendous customer service problems for the bank specifically.

The other bone Visa has to pick is that when Visa cardholders pay using their PayPal wallets, Visa doesn’t get any of the transaction data.

For more on PayPal, watch:

With Thursday’s deal, PayPal said it would no longer encourage Visa cardholders to link their bank accounts instead of their credit cards. PayPal will also start sharing data about Visa-funded transactions with the credit card company, which the company says will be similar to the data collected when a Visa card is swiped at a store or used online. Additionally, PayPal will be able to be used as a payment option at any retail location that accepts contactless payments for Visa cardholders.

In turn, Visa promises to not increase fees for PayPal, and is offering undisclosed “economic incentives” for increased volume of payments through Visa cards. It doesn’t appear that PayPal has a similar relationship with MasterCard or American Express.

Meanwhile, PayPal continues to grow, after spinning out of eBay last year. In the second quarter, PayPal processed $86 billion in payments volume, up 29% from the same quarter in 2015. It also processed $24 billion in mobile payment volume, up 56% from the second quarter in 2015. And Venmo, a PayPal-owned payments app that is popular among Millennials, processed $3.9 billion of payments volume, up 141%.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

dario
AIWhite House
White House chief of staff to meet with Anthropic CEO about dangerous new Mythos model, official says
By Josh Boak, Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressApril 17, 2026
4 hours ago
Exclusive: Adam Silver on winning the Edison Achievement Award: ‘Sports remind us that some of the most important forms of innovation are human’
Arts & EntertainmentSports
Exclusive: Adam Silver on winning the Edison Achievement Award: ‘Sports remind us that some of the most important forms of innovation are human’
By Catherina GioinoApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago
chris lehane
AIOpenAI
OpenAI policy chief says AI companies ‘need to do a much better job’ talking about AI as industry leaders face personal attacks
By Jake AngeloApril 17, 2026
8 hours ago
ranch
North AmericaFood and drink
Ranch dressing’s secret history literally includes a Hidden Valley
By Holly Meyer and The Associated PressApril 17, 2026
9 hours ago
From left to right: Narendra Modi, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei
AIOpenAI
Illinois is OpenAI and Anthropic’s latest battleground as the state tries to assess liability for catastrophes caused by AI
By Jacqueline MunisApril 17, 2026
9 hours ago
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Block
SuccessLayoffs
Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey breaks down his thought process when he laid off 40% of his Block staff because of AI
By Emma BurleighApril 17, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
15 hours ago
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
Politics
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
By Sydney LakeApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz—but experts say it now holds a card that works ‘almost like a nuclear deterrent’
Energy
Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz—but experts say it now holds a card that works ‘almost like a nuclear deterrent’
By Eva RoytburgApril 17, 2026
9 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.