Get an E-mail Receipt for Every Purchase

NOTE: This article has absolutely nothing to do with genealogy. However, I think some readers may find it useful.

I exchanged e-mail messages this week with a newsletter reader. The first message started off as a comment on the recent "Automatic Home Library Software for Windows, Macintosh and iPhone" article but soon drifted off into one topic only briefly mentioned in that article: how to transcribe data from printed receipts into a computer-readable format.

The article mentioned scanning ISBN barcodes from books so as to avoid the tedious task of entering title/author/publisher/ISBN/date every time when creating a card catalog of the books you own. The program described in the article will scan each book's barcode and  retrieve all the related information from online databases, and automatically entering that information into the program's database.

That's a great use of barcode scanning. but there are many more uses as well. Some of them can save even more time. My correspondent wrote, "If the developers of cash registers would program to include printing 2-3 codes of info on each receipt, Total $, Date, and perhaps a store ID."

I agree. Scanning of information on printed receipts could be a great time-saver, especially if that information was to be entered into a checkbook program, an income tax program, or similar applications. In fact, I do scan my receipts into an income tax program every year.

HOWEVER, I think there is an even better solution, and it is available today. I don't even need a scanner.

I like the idea of the merchant or the credit card company sending receipts via e-mail. The Apple stores all do this for every purchase made in person or online. Also, the PayPal debit card does this for every purchase that is paid with the PayPal debit card. If I use a PayPal debit card to pay for groceries, gasoline, computer parts, flowers, or hardware, I always find a receipt in my e-mail within minutes. The receipt gives the date, time, amount, store name, and at least a brief description of the items purchased. (Sometimes it details every item; on other purchases it may only state, "Total of all items purchased.")

I love the concept: make a purchase in a store, and the information is available to you in electronic format by the time you get home. I can print the e-mail receipt, save it to my hard drive, or copy-and-paste information from that receipt into my tax program, checkbook program, or any other program I use.

One of the reasons I use my PayPal debit card most of the time in lieu of other debit cards or credit cards is that I appreciate the great convenience. I have the PayPal debit card set up to directly withdraw funds from my bank's checking account. I use it in the same manner that I would use a bank debit card. In fact, I can use either my bank's debit card or the PayPal debit card: in my case, they both withdraw money from the same checking account, and both have no fees for normal transactions. The only significant difference is that one sends me e-mail receipts within minutes while the other does not.

I prefer to use the PayPal debit card instead of other credit cards or debit cards for these reasons:

1. I receive an immediate e-mail confirmation within minutes when I make any purchase, online or in a store. I can save, print, or copy-and-paste that information into any other program I use, such as income tax programs. Very handy!
2. There is no fee to use the PayPal Debit Card to make purchases from any merchants that accept MasterCard.
3. PayPal debit card purchases may (or may not) be eligible under MasterCard's Premier Business Card program for a variety of protections, including rental car insurance, travel assistance, and protection against lost or damaged items. The details will vary from merchant to merchant. Please see the MasterCard Guide to Benefits for more details. (https://www.paypal.com/en_US/pdf/BusinessCardBenefits.pdf)
4. When making online purchases, you can pay with a temporary number assigned to your PayPal debit card. The merchant never sees your real debit card or credit card number, thereby greatly reducing the opportunity to re-use that number without your knowledge. PayPal temporary numbers are "one-time" numbers; they can only be used to make one purchase. If you want to make a second purchase, you can obtain a new temporary number at any time. This is a great way to fight “phishing” and other scams. Details may be found at http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/cps/account/VDCFrequentlyAskedQuestions-outside. 
5. Earn 1% cash back whenever you sign for a purchase. 1% isn't much, but it is more than what my bank pays.
6. Best of all, PayPal provides 100% protection against unauthorized purchases made with a PayPal debit card. I like the higher level of security when using a PayPal debit card. Credit cards are also protected against online fraud but may or may not have the same level of protection for in-person use. Many banks also do not offer fraud insurance on their bank-issued debit cards; however, all PayPal debit cards are fully insured. PayPal insures ALL purchases, both online and in-person, against fraud. Even better, if someone ever did use my PayPal debit card fraudulently, I would know about it within minutes when I receive the e-mail receipt of the purchase. Prompt action resolves many problems.

It seems to me that too few people know about the advantages of PayPal debit cards.

The PayPal account is free. The PayPal debit card is free. Making purchases in the United States is free of fees although making purchases overseas may incur a fee for currency conversion, the same as most other credit cards and debit cards. Details may be found at https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=p/acc/dc_intro-outside.

And, no, I don't get a commission for writing this article. I am simply a satisfied PayPal customer. While I have used other PayPal services for nine years, I didn't obtain a PayPal debit card until four or five years ago. I have used it hundreds of times since then. It always has worked well.

I even selected PayPal to handle the subscription payments for this newsletter because (1.) I appreciate the higher level of security, and (2.) the company has served me well without a single problem for nine years.