Difference between revisions of "Payment methods"

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(Add entry for Moneybookers)
(Clarify that Dwolla now supports chargebacks. Add ING Person2Person payment method.)
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| Paypal - masspay || Most world currencies || 7 || Mass pay requires funding from paypal balance. Generally much harder to reverse, but not impossible. Probably your biggest worry here is an actual stolen account.
 
| Paypal - masspay || Most world currencies || 7 || Mass pay requires funding from paypal balance. Generally much harder to reverse, but not impossible. Probably your biggest worry here is an actual stolen account.
 
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| [[Dwolla]] || USD || 7? || There hasn't been much experience trying to chargeback, but since it is funded via ACH, it should be possible to dispute from the side of the funding bank.  Dwolla will investigate the dispute but there have not yet been any reports of any disputes<ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/MtGox/status/75829234349768705 @MtGox 4,401 Dwolla transactions. Not a single problem!]</ref>.
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| [[Dwolla]] || USD || 3? || Since Dwolla amounts are funded via ACH, Dwolla will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraudAdditionally, Dwolla's Terms and Conditions now state that peyments received are subject to chargebacks as the result of their internal dispute resolution processK<ref>[http://www.bitcoinmoney.com/post/8067352221 Dwolla's New Terms: "receiving party may be subject to chargebacks"]</ref>.
 
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| [[Serve]]|| USD || 0 || Extremely easy to charge back.
 
| [[Serve]]|| USD || 0 || Extremely easy to charge back.
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| Personal check || Any currency || 5 || At least in the USA, once a check clears, it is hard to claw back except when fraud is alleged.
 
| Personal check || Any currency || 5 || At least in the USA, once a check clears, it is hard to claw back except when fraud is alleged.
 
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| Bank ACH || USD || 8 || Though not very easily, ACH can actually be clawed back.
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| Bank ACH || USD || 5 || Though not very easily, ACH can actually be clawed back if the transaction was the result of fraud.
 
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| Euro SEPA transfer || || ||
 
| Euro SEPA transfer || || ||
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| Intra-bank transfer || || ||
 
| Intra-bank transfer || || ||
 
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| [[Popmoney]] ACH || || ||
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| [[Popmoney]] ACH || USD || 5 || Since Popmoney transfers occur via ACH, Popmoney will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraud.
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| [[ING Person2Person]] || USD || 5 || Since Person2Person transfers occur via ACH, ING will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraud.
 
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| Chase QuickPay || USD || 3 || Chase has reversed legitimate transactions as the result of anti-fraud measures<ref>[http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=11494.0 Chase QuickPay NOT RECOMMENDED]</ref> requiring the sender to be trusted to re-pay.  The sender can also request a reversal after submitting an affidavit alleging that fraud occurred.
 
| Chase QuickPay || USD || 3 || Chase has reversed legitimate transactions as the result of anti-fraud measures<ref>[http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=11494.0 Chase QuickPay NOT RECOMMENDED]</ref> requiring the sender to be trusted to re-pay.  The sender can also request a reversal after submitting an affidavit alleging that fraud occurred.

Revision as of 20:20, 26 July 2011

When trading bitcoins for national fiat currencies, one issue that frequently comes up is the mismatch between the hardness (non-reversibility) of bitcoin, and the softness (reversibility) of many of the fiat-currency payment methods. This page lists a number of payment methods, hardness ratings, and more detailed info in the notes field.

Hardness goes from 0 (extremely soft) to 10 (completely non-reversible).

Method Currencies Hardness Notes
Liberty Reserve EUR, USD 10 Very good match for trading bitcoin. However, it is difficult to get LR funded - it is only possible through third-party exchangers.
Webmoney USD, RUB, BYR, EUR, XAU 10 Very good match for trading bitcoin. Requires funding by bank wire though, which may be expensive for small amounts.
PayPal - regular Most world currencies 0 Extremely easy to charge back. Also, since trading bitcoin is against their ToS, good luck disputing the chargeback. Do not use.
Paypal - personal Most world currencies 1-5 If funded via bank, requires person to dispute the ACH, which may be more arduous. If funded via credit card, requires person to dispute the CC charge, which is pretty easy. Since there's no way to tell what the funding source was... it's a gamble. Also, if paypal account is reported stolen, paypal will probably attempt to claw back the money.
Paypal - masspay Most world currencies 7 Mass pay requires funding from paypal balance. Generally much harder to reverse, but not impossible. Probably your biggest worry here is an actual stolen account.
Dwolla USD 3? Since Dwolla amounts are funded via ACH, Dwolla will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraud. Additionally, Dwolla's Terms and Conditions now state that peyments received are subject to chargebacks as the result of their internal dispute resolution processK[1].
Serve USD 0 Extremely easy to charge back.
AlertPay Many currencies 1 Because payment may be made using a credit card a charge back is easy. Doing so hoewver will cause the account to be closed.
Moneybookers 0 Chargebacks are possible.
Neteller
Western Union Money Transfer 9 A money transfer can be stopped but once funds are withdrawn as cash there's little risk[2].
Money Order 5 A money order can be lost or stolen and there are procedures for reporting that. Losses could occur even weeks after the check has cleared[3].
MoneyPak USD 10 MoneyPaks are irrevocable.
Personal check Any currency 5 At least in the USA, once a check clears, it is hard to claw back except when fraud is alleged.
Bank ACH USD 5 Though not very easily, ACH can actually be clawed back if the transaction was the result of fraud.
Euro SEPA transfer
Cash in mail Any currency 10 No chargebacks, obviously. Just check for counterfeit paper.
Credit card Any currency 0 Dead easy to charge back. Do not use.
TransferWise GBP to EUR
Intra-bank transfer
Popmoney ACH USD 5 Since Popmoney transfers occur via ACH, Popmoney will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraud.
ING Person2Person USD 5 Since Person2Person transfers occur via ACH, ING will reverse payments if the funds were the result of fraud.
Chase QuickPay USD 3 Chase has reversed legitimate transactions as the result of anti-fraud measures[4] requiring the sender to be trusted to re-pay. The sender can also request a reversal after submitting an affidavit alleging that fraud occurred.

See Also

References