PayPal makes it easy for Canadians to settle the bill with their smartphone

Torontonians can now pay with the PayPal mobile app at more than 50 cafés and restaurants

TORONTO, March 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadians crave convenience when it comes to settling the bill. In fact, a survey* conducted by PayPal revealed that almost nine in ten (87%) Canadians wished they could be wallet-free. In a first for Canada, Torontonians can now leave their wallet at home and pay with the PayPal mobile app** at more than 50 of the city's most popular cafés, restaurants and food trucks. Diners get notified of exclusive offers and can tip easily with the PayPal mobile app. 

Paying for a latte, lunch or drinks with friends is now easy and personalized with the PayPal mobile app. With a simple swipe, people can check in to pay and let the barista or server know that that they are paying with PayPal. Once they check in to pay, the customer's name and profile photo appears on the restaurant's payment system. This makes it easy for the server to identify them, take their order, confirm the amount to be paid, and charge them just by clicking their photo. The customer gets an alert on their phone informing them of the amount paid and an email confirmation from PayPal, which removes the hassle of storing paper receipts.

"We're thrilled to bring our innovation in mobile payments to Canada and help diners get a fast and secure bill payment experience on their smartphone," said Kerry Reynolds, head of consumer marketing, PayPal Canada. "People don't have to look for exact change to pay for their lunch, wait in line to punch in their card details, or print out coupons for a restaurant deal. With the PayPal app on their phone, Torontonians can now search for nearby restaurants, redeem exclusive offers and pay the bill securely at some of their favourite food places in the city."

People who pay with the PayPal mobile app help shorten the lines at peak times as the barista or restaurant staff just has to tap the customer's profile photo to process the payment. Cafés and food trucks, that previously only accepted cash, no longer have to turn away customers who do not have enough cash with them to pay at the point of sale. Restaurant owners can also drive brand engagement and customer loyalty by offering incentives that can be redeemed within the PayPal mobile app.

"Diners are already using their smartphones to make reservations. It makes sense that they can also use their smartphone to pay for their meals," said Paul Boehmer, Executive Chef and Owner of Boehmer restaurant. "Now that we accept mobile payments with PayPal, we can offer exceptional service to our guests – greet them by name and reduce any unnecessary wait time to settle their bill."

Where can Torontonians check in with PayPal to check out?

From the best cappuccino to poutine, fresh oysters and cocktails, Torontonians can now pay with the PayPal mobile app at some of the city's most popular cafés and restaurants.

• Coffee-lovers no longer have to fumble for change to satisfy a caffeine craving when grabbing a latte at Jimmy's Coffee on Portland Street and Baldwin Street, Thor Espresso Bar on Bathurst Street and Cafe Novo on Bloor Street West.
• For a quick bite, the lunch crowd can grab a salad to-go from Zoë's, a sub from Belly Busters on King Street West or a wrap from Come and Get It on Queen Street West.
• Spare hands for spare change are no longer needed at Lil' Bean N' Green in Leslieville. Moms no longer have to dig into their handbags to look for their wallet. They can check in with the PayPal app even before they arrive at the location, leaving more time to play with their toddlers.
• People can use their phone to pick up the tab for after-work drinks or dinner with friends at Boehmer on Ossington Avenue and SpiritHouse on Adelaide Street West.
• Torontonians can name their game and use the PayPal mobile app to pay for games, snacks and drinks at the newly opened Snakes and Lagers on College Street West.

To hear from café and restaurant owners about their experience with PayPal, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R32jME-N5eA.

A flexible and secure digital wallet
To buy a coffee or pay for lunch, people have the flexibility to pay from their bank account, credit card or the balance in their PayPal account on the wallet tab on the PayPal app. Sensitive financial information like bank account or credit card details are not stored on the phone so people do not have to worry about losing their phone and their financial information. PayPal does not share financial information of customers with merchants, including cafés and restaurants.  

For more information on the PayPal mobile app, visit: www.PayPal.ca/mobileapp. Restaurant owners can find more details on accepting mobile payments with PayPal at www.PayPal.ca/mobilepayments.                                                                                                                             

* The PayPal Survey was an online survey conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 debit and credit card holders who were 18 years or older in Canada between April 26th and May 13th, 2013.
**The PayPal mobile app is free and available for iPhone® and Android™ smartphone users.

About PayPal 
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online, via a mobile device and in store. The service gives people simpler ways to send money without sharing financial information, and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts or credit cards. With 143 million active accounts in 193 markets and 26 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global commerce, processing more than 9 million payments every day. Because PayPal helps people transact anytime, anywhere and in any way, the company is a driving force behind the growth of mobile commerce and processed $27 billion in mobile payments in 2013. PayPal is an eBay (Nasdaq:EBAY) company and contributed 41 percent of eBay Inc.'s revenues in 2013. PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and its international headquarters is located in Singapore. More information about the company can be found at www.PayPal.ca.

SOURCE: PayPal

PayPal Media Contacts: Malini Mitra, PayPal Canada, T: 416-969-2277, E: [email protected]; Matt Roth, MSLGROUP, T: 416-847-1305, E: [email protected]