Paypal no longer accepted? Why?

[filmgal]

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Starting on February 23, 2023, GitHub Sponsors will no longer support PayPal as a payments processor. As such, it will no longer be possible to sponsor individuals or organizations using PayPal.

I received an email from Github saying this a few minutes ago.

Why is this happening? Some people are going to stop sponsoring because the alternative is to hand over a credit card number. Why would Github do this?

@SilentVoid13
@blacksmithgu

[jge162]

maybe PayPal charges too many fees? or too much Fraud. who really knows. I love PayPal personally myself. I used it to sponsor two people. RIP

[siodor]

I agree, GitHub has to provide an alternative! And I for sure won't use ApplePay either, never!

[forti42]

maybe PayPal charges too many fees? or too much Fraud. who really knows. I love PayPal personally myself. I used it to sponsor two people. RIP

Yep, w/o PayPal, I´m outta here.
Why? Transactions via Paypal don´t show up on my bank account. And that´s what I want. My CC is tied to my bank and registering another CC anywhere else would drop my reputation. So I will have to stop sponsoring a real great project.

[Whoeza]

maybe PayPal charges too many fees? or too much Fraud. who really knows. I love PayPal personally myself. I used it to sponsor two people. RIP

Yep, w/o PayPal, I´m outta here. Why? Transactions via Paypal don´t show up on my bank account. And that´s what I want. My CC is tied to my bank and registering another CC anywhere else would drop my reputation. So I will have to stop sponsoring a real great project.

maybe PayPal has money laundering issues (I wrote it in another comment here: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/45180#discussioncomment-4766864)

and for meditation purposes think about this: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/45180#discussioncomment-4775622
as coders we should be free to make our own path in technology, yet we suffer from monopoly, a contradiction in-and-of itself

Microsoft always does this to anything it buys, because it's business. It's the same old problem again.

[jatgm1]

I agree, GitHub has to provide an alternative! And I for sure won't use ApplePay either, never!

Dude use privacy.com and use a fake card like I do lol. I have the fake card on Paypal too so they can't charge my real one.

[NatoBoram]

Dude use privacy.com and use a fake card like I do lol. I have the fake card on Paypal too so they can't charge my real one.

Most people can't use privacy.com

[stephanecharette]

The email from Github was very poorly worded.

1. It did not specify why PayPal was removed, which is the obvious question people would have.

2. It contains the phrase "We're focused on providing the best Sponsors experience for everyone involved" which is obviously NOT true. How does removing PayPal make the sponsor experience "the best"? To me, it means people who have paid using PayPal in the past might not do so anymore, which is definitely not a better experience.

Drop the marketing twist, and give us straight answers in your communications, please.

[hmans]

This is a terrible, poorly communicated change that is going to hurt a lot of people and significantly damage the trust in this program. I find this very very disappointing.

[Whoeza]

just think about this: Microsoft bought GitHub, so GitHub removing PayPal might be an anticipation of something that Microsoft will offer in a similar scope as PayPal

[hmans]

just think about this: Microsoft bought GitHub, so GitHub removing PayPal might be an anticipation of something that Microsoft will offer in a similar scope as PayPal

I don't know what makes you think that. GitHub is not removing PayPal as a payment provider in general, just for GitHub Sponsors.

[forti42]

just think about this: Microsoft bought GitHub, so GitHub removing PayPal might be an anticipation of something that Microsoft will offer in a similar scope as PayPal

I don't know what makes you think that. GitHub is not removing PayPal as a payment provider in general, just for GitHub Sponsors.

This makes it even worse. Pure greed and bad (only) for those ppl who rely on a platform that makes it easy and accessible for the sponsors. W/o PayPal, I´m outta here.
Why? Transactions via Paypal don´t show up on my bank account. And that´s what I want. My CC is tied to my bank and registering another CC anywhere else would drop my reputation.

[Maggomann]

They all want to save money and don't want to give away any of the big pie, however. My credit card company charges a certain amount per charge. Through Paypal, I have the option to "top up" my account once and sponsor over it monthly for free. With this I want to say that it is more a disadvantage than an advantage for me to sponsor via the credit institution and therefore I will also freeze it from February for the time being.

[abstractionmage]

Good for you that you even have a credit card. I don't because I'm too concerned about the lack of security with online credit card payments, so essentially GitHub just banned me from being a sponsor.

[Whoeza]

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Starting on February 23, 2023, GitHub Sponsors will no longer support PayPal as a payments processor. As such, it will no longer be possible to sponsor individuals or organizations using PayPal.

I received an email from Github saying this a few minutes ago.

Why is this happening? Some people are going to stop sponsoring because the alternative is to hand over a credit card number. Why would Github do this?

@SilentVoid13 @blacksmithgu

Money laundering through GitHub, through PayPal, maybe?

[emmaviolet]

Hi folks - Emma from GitHub here.
I completely understand PayPal is the payment provider of choice for some people (in fact that’s how many of us made our own sponsorship payments until very recently), but we’re making this change now so that we can ensure that as much investment as possible goes directly to the maintainers of the open source projects you want to support as well as help us scale GitHub Sponsors so it can support the growing number of maintainers that are now depending on it.
As pointed out, we are actively reaching out to the people who currently use PayPal to invest in open source with instructions on how to switch if they want to. We hope you do as the Sponsors community really relies on your investments.

[robertsLando]

but we’re making this change now so that we can ensure that as much investment as possible goes directly to the maintainers of the open source projects you want to support as well as help us scale GitHub Sponsors so it can support the growing number of maintainers that are now depending on it.

@emmaviolet I think this has been a bad move for both devs and supporters, I lost more then 50% of my sponsors in a month, sponsors that I gained in years of open source development, I never earned so much but for me that was a way to feel the appreciation and the gratitude of my users for what I do. You could at least have asked the opinion on this to devs/supporters with a pool or else sent via email for example, not so difficult to do. Also if fees are the problem, like most people are pointing out here, the easier option would have been to just inform PayPal supporters to decide if adding the cost of the fee or deducing it from their actual sponsorship, for sure this would have caused much less problems to everyone.

I want PayPal back, please 🙏🏼

[JamesMcGhee]

@emmaviolet
Another fun little side effect of the pore decision making here

PayPal while annoying as hell for a merchant I agree and share that pain.
Is fast for the user, now that users are paying with CC/Debit we have had several get the "Congratz" thing with a link saying its all good ... but the link doesn't work. The Emails are not sent, etc.

We think what is happening is that there is a delay due to payment processing seems to effect users from particular areas more than others.

Just wanted to share that more degradation in the quality of service offered by the decisions made.

[trickyearlobe]

Sorry GitHub, no credit cards for me.

• Updating them across multiple merchants when they expire is a pain
• I don't trust you with my CC details

How hard is it really to deal with Paypal and other e-Money platforms?
How much of a slice do they really take... I can tell you its pennies.

[rahizzle]

Hey what have people switched to? What is the best alternative to GitHub sponsors that also supports PayPal?

[JamesMcGhee]

Hey what have people switched to? What is the best alternative to GitHub sponsors that also supports PayPal?

GitHub Sponsor now integrated with Patreon
Patreon does support PayPal

While this is not the ideal solution ... it is a solution that works for some
This is not ideal since many like you for example, dont realise this is the case. We have users ask how they can pay with PayPal and we have to tell them to click the Patreon option on the GitHub Sponsor ... Patreon integrates with GitHub so they will get the sub and Patreon allows PayPal

Its a bit of a circle jerk that could be solved by the implementation of more payment options if not PayPal then Amazon, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.

But being CC only is not a solution for many
They currently use strype I think it is which does do bank draft but for some reason they chose the express version which only does CC and Debit

[NVNV0624]

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Starting on February 23, 2023, GitHub Sponsors will no longer support PayPal as a payments processor. As such, it will no longer be possible to sponsor individuals or organizations using PayPal.

I received an email from Github saying this a few minutes ago.

Why is this happening? Some people are going to stop sponsoring because the alternative is to hand over a credit card number. Why would Github do this?

@SilentVoid13
@blacksmithgu

[Whoeza]

People of GitHub, aren't we coders? Don't we have the power in our hands to do as we want? Can't we make a web platform for sponsoring users on GitHub that relies on PayPal (and only PayPal for extra giggles)?

[robertsLando]

This is an alternative but none of my sponsors actually like this, and it's open source

https://liberapay.com/

[smolinari]

Some interesting possible theories:

• It's because of the latest reported security breach.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2023/01/19/thousands-of-paypal-accounts-hacked-is-yours-one-of-them/?sh=3c00fbe13a6b

• It's because Github's sponsor program actually breaks the ToS of Paypal, where donations can only go to charitable orgs, and of course, Github (as a proxy to all the devs) isn't one. No reference, just someone's conjecture.

Either one of these could also be part of the public explanation. The latter could have been negotiated for sure.

Scott

[siodor]

• It's because of the latest reported security breach.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2023/01/19/thousands-of-paypal-accounts-hacked-is-yours-one-of-them/?sh=3c00fbe13a6b

I doubt that it's because of such credential stuffing security breach => users were using the same passwords on multiple sites, they are to blame here for their own ignorance.

In today's cyber security threat environment it's really bad practice to use any password more than once and at the same time also not having 2FA setup.

• It's because Github's sponsor program actually breaks the ToS of Paypal, where donations can only go to charitable orgs, and of course, Github (as a proxy to all the devs) isn't one. No reference, just someone's conjecture.

That's one possibility or maybe Microsoft is launching their own payment service like Apple, Google, Samsung have their own and they now already cut ties to the competition.

[forti42]

If one of these reasons led to that decision, Github could be honest and straight and stop using PayPal at all. But it only targets sponsored accounts and that is just... well... muted

[JamesMcGhee]

I wouldn't be surprised if MS where to release a payment option but I would expect them to release it first then axe the others ... then bring them back when they release no one uses theirs :)

I think its more likely PayPal being a pain to work with in various ways makes it not worth doing for GitHub Sponsor

As I recall GitHub is using Stripe at the moment which is capable of more than just Debit/CC and is widely used at least in my experience.

But it only targets sponsored accounts and that is just... well... muted

I think it being focused on GitHub Sponsor is because of the legal categorization of the GitHub Sponsorship thing. Its not a simple donation at least according to our accountants and the revenue service here and the way GitHub runs it is odd compared to others like Patreon, etc.

GitHub doesn't want to act like the Merchant of Record ... but they absolutely are, this ties into what they are doing or rather no doing RE-sales tax and other related obligations leaving that to us to deal with. Considering how absolutely trash PayPal is to work with as a merchant (my opinion) I am guessing its uniquely the terms, conditions and or costs and liabilities around PayPal + Sponsor program that is the problem

[JamesMcGhee]

PayPal is a pain in the arse, we have had to move away from it in our other areas of business as well.

High fees, data issues, ZERO support for small merchants stupid conversion rates, no ability to choose the currency transfers go as even when using multi-currency accounts ... so I get why PayPal is getting the boot I would do the same

That said ya we will lose sponsors over this, hope they introduce other payment processing options plenty of users are hesitant to use credit/debit directly ... under the mistaken notion that PayPal is somehow more secure than other options but never the less it will impact.

[JamesMcGhee]

*reality check, NAM is not the world.

I am not in North America but thanks for the assumption
I was not saying it didn't suck to lose options ... it always sucks to lose options
I agree reasoning would be nice,
I would also like some transparency in the general plan for GitHub Sponsor, any plans to add other payment options (Google, Apple Pay, etc.) any more work on the tax processing side or the bare minimal they have done gona be it?

But that is all well beyond the topic, the topic is/was

Why is this happening?

I of course don't know because they haven't said but I would assume its similar to the reasons we see in other areas as I noted in my post. Just my guess and just my opinion nothing more.

For me it´s simple: No PayPal, no payment.

I get that, we have quite a few German community members that feel the same and as I said that does suck in so many ways.

1. That PayPal is a lynch pin in this relationship that sucks that 1 company/service makes or breaks
2. That this change is happening so quickly and with so little info ... just a "its gone K-tnks-bye"
3. That their is no real alternative e.g. methods for users other than CC/Debit available in this situation

[Edit]

PP with USD whenever I want, i.e. at good exchange rates.

You find PayPal's Euro to USD Exchange rates favourable? They where the worst I found when I was looking around recently and Ireland is known for crap banking options really feel for you now if PayPal has favourable exchange rates in your case.

If merchant has a data breach, my PP account is not compromised.

PayPal is not the only secure payment processing option out there I wouldn't trust a mom and pop option at some random merchant either,
and I have had a PayPal account highjacked fortunately I have never trusted PayPal so it wasn't tied to my bank or anything silly like that just pointing out PayPal is not some superman in security its as vulnerable as other major processing options at best.

[siodor]

@JamesMcGhee

*reality check, NAM is not the world.

I am not in North America but thanks for the assumption

Sorry, I apologize, this wasn't meant to be directed at you. Guess I shouldn't write when I'm overworked, exhausted and tired.

I was rephrasing my post multiple times and had it planned to be worded that GitHub is a NAM owned company and over there credit cards are everywhere. People literally have multiple credit cards, even digital ones and I guess for the GitHub upper management it's probably puzzling why they face such a backlash at the withdrawal of PayPal for GitHub sponsoring.

Finished for today, sorry again.

[smolinari]

If Github were dropping Paypal for all of their services, like for the reasoning you mentioned, then that would be a more acceptable condition. But, they're not. They are dropping it only for the sponsorship program.

Scott

[JamesMcGhee]

@smolinari
I think that has to do with the legality around "sponsorship" or "donation" ... GitHub Sponsorhisp is not a charity, the people paying do get something for it so there is a tax liability and the merchant of record ... which rather GitHub likes it or not is GitHub and they are responsible for accounting for tax ... just ask Patreon and OnlyFans how not doing this worked out for them

So I think GitHub is trying to keep it as simple as possible and leave us in the wind to deal with our own tax ... which is fine for Heathen we already have accountants doing that but I bet a lot of you don't realise your supposed to be accounting for tax in each reagion you have sponsors according to GitHub ... of course according to the EU no GitHub is the merchant of record its their reasonability ... I bet PayPal makes this more complicated for them because that crappy little service is a bit of a prick with things like this and so I think PayPal for the sponsor program has a TOS issue or some other complexity GitHub doesn't want to deal with

[JamesMcGhee]

@siodor

No worries I was just clarifying that I am not speaking from a NAM skew
And that while I understand that CC/Debit is not something that is universal, I also understand why PayPal is a problem for this use case ... not this specific use case (international subscription service) not every usecase

GitHub is frankly in the wrong with how they are handling GitHub Sponsor ... they pretend they are not the merchant of record and that they have no responsibility to handle the sales tax situation and tax invoicing ... that is wrong, they do, this argument has already been had by similar systems like Patreon and OnlyFans ... and make no mistake we few offering people to sponsor us ... we are the code monkey version of OnlyFans content creators ;)

Point is GitHub (I assume) is bouncing off PayPal's TOS or other requirements introduced by them. PayPal is expensive to work with, has HORIBLE customer service for merchants and has ZERO flexibility at all so I get not just wanting but having to drop them ... we had to drop them ... didn't want to ... want to offer all options but they are not fit for some purposes ... full stop.

Now GitHub is handling this poorly, they should be more open with what is going on and they should be looking for alternatives e.g. Google Pay, Apple Pay, more fully using Stripe which does handle bank draft and similar non CC/Debit payment methods ... but it is what it is I was only adding to the convo RE: the OP question of (paraphrase) ... "Why though"

[njdjacobs]

Possibly because Paypal sucks? Google for: paypal sucks , and you will find that Paypal specializes in screwing the little guys. In my book that's the ultimate crime.

They're also exploiting their near-monopoly. When somebody tries to break away from a monopoly, the responsible thing to do is to support the breakaway, not complain that it makes your life a little bit less convenient. Paypal is not the only way to pay people.

[siodor]

If you ask shop owners then you'll get to learn that credit card companies suck as well and cost the shop owners a lot of money to accept payment in the form of credit cards. Some shop owners or restaurants here in Europe flat out don't accept payments with credit cards or only when the amount is really high to make it worth their while.

Actually, credit card companies charge multiple times:

• For owning a credit card

  • monthly or yearly fees
  • fees for transactions in foreign currencies
  • sometimes just out of the blue some other additional transaction fees

• Shop owners for accepting credit card payments

  • Payment terminal, has to be either bought, rented or leased
  • Cost for maintenance of payment terminal (even when rented or leased)
  • Monthly or yearly fees for the services of processing credit card payments
  • Processing fees
  • Sometimes extra bank account at a specific bank because credit card company doesn't payout to any bank

• Similarly like above for accepting credit cards in online shops

So, in summary, credit cards suck and cost much more than PayPal does.

However I agree that PayPal has a near monopoly which they're exploiting, but then again, which company with a monopoly doesn't?

[gregsyoung]

yet another who went to sponsor and recieved the same response.

and i will NEVER give github my credit card details … full STOP.
the developer looses out 100% of what i wanted to give, rather than loosing a small% for the paypal fee,
which frankly i doubt is much different to the exorbitant fees the credit card companies charge anyway.

if its about the fees, give the developers and sponsors the option to know that they will not get all of the sponsored $.

and if its nit about the fees … GITHUB “person up”. and be transparent … give us all the TRUTH in an open and collaborative way .
… oh gee.. yes GUTHUB is about collaboration…. well not a good demonstration at the moment

[JamesMcGhee]

We lost at least 12 all at once as a result as well

At least here GitHub uses Stripe as its payment processor so no one is giving GitHub a credit card or bank info, you are giving Stripe that info. Not sure if your sponsor will care or not its just a bit of info that might be of some use to some one.

Stripe is a fairly commonly used payment processor that might give them some confidence course they may just be pissed at the loss of option which fair enough nothing can help that it does suck to lose options.

[JamesMcGhee]

O as to why

I don't know but I think the issue has to do with how GitHub is not handling tax properly

Rather they want to admit it or not they are the "merchant of record" and are supposed to be handling appropriate taxes ... they have pushed that off onto us ... hope you have an accountant dealing with that for you .,.. but I wonder if that is why they aren't/cant use PayPal.

PayPal can be a pain in the arse to work with as a company and they may just not have a relationship that can work for them ... not justifying it just speculating as it is something I have ran into before in other areas as well.

[JamesMcGhee]

Just updating for the history of it in hopes @emmaviolet or someone from GitHub might pipe up or do something helpful.

At this point we have lost around 50% of our sponsors and the feedback we see in our community is related, again I am no fan of PayPal either but you need to give more options that are not dependent on credit card or debit card.

The community wants us to move to PayPal subscription or back to Patreon the issue there is we depend at the moment anyway on GitHub's ability to grant access to our private repos based on sponsorship level. Yes we could do this manually and its quickly approaching that point but that is more maintenance for us and we are small so that

1. is not scalable while sponsor counts are small sure maybe but
2. is not secure again we are a small human team and adding management of sponsorship perks is not really something we can afford time wise to do

Its a HUGE shame that GitHub took a feature away without replacing it with some alternative, there are many many ways this could have been done so much better and as a product of Microsoft you defiantly have access to the tech and resources to do so ... so what gives?

[Adorfer]

the issue is that there are organizations (ngo, clubs) who have a bank account and even paypal. But no credit card. if they like to sponsor other projects, there is no way.

[JamesMcGhee]

@emmaviolet
Getting more and more people trying to find a way to sponsor us that do not have a CC/Debit
Are you ever going to offer a solution to sponsor other than CC/Debit or no?

[ghost]

I have used Paypal even when eBay owed it and I can say from experience that Paypal supports IT'S commuity base NOT others like say Github. So, if I say github screwed me out of a particilar payment I will get my money back while paypal researches the issue. Now I would never complain about such things unless I truly felt screwed and I have given plenty of money to open source projects but a couple did not live up to what they said and I did get my money back - it was called a charge back and it hurts the business being charged ... in this case Github would be damaged by the charge back.

Github does not want to have any path for recourse or resolution >< enuf said :/

Bill

[Ummagummbo]

You know that it's the people using GitHub that would have the charge back, not GitHub the company, right?

…

On Tue, 25 July 2023, 11:36 forsakensingularity, ***@***.***> wrote: I have used Paypal even when eBay owed it and I can say from experience that Paypal supports IT'S commuity base NOT others like say Github. So, if I say github screwed me out of a particilar payment I will get my money back while paypal researches the issue. Now I would never complain about such things unless I truly felt screwed and I have given plenty of money to open source projects but a couple did not live up to what they said and I did get my money back - it was called a charge back and it hurts the business being charged ... in this case Github would be damaged by the charge back. Github does not want to have any path for recourse or resolution >< enuf said :/ Bill — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#45180 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AUQZQGRBWV77H3ZOAYDAJD3XR4PI7ANCNFSM6AAAAAAUEQP4DM> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[raelgc]

Interesting that in the last month, GitHub is reporting that my monthly payment (to GitHub itself) throw Paypal is failing. Wondering if this is related to their move away from PayPal, as I can use it normally in other sites.

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Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

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[tjkirch]

Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

[d9j]

so people about to give up now lol. barely any upvotes and activity

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[tjkirch]

Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

[JamesMcGhee]

No one is going to let this rest

But Microsoft (GitHub) isn't going to support PayPal and I get why, PayPal is increasingly becomign problematic

I also understand why users want it ... the right answer from GitHub would be to offer more options, which I guess from there POV they integration with Patreon whcih does take PayPal so there is a work around but ya PayPal does sorta need to die in a hole

[Sturmlocke86]

I just wanted to sponsor a Linux port of an app, and tried to do this via Paypal, and it didn't work with Github Sponsors. Not going to add my credit card number, I require PP or an alternative similar to that. Thanks.

[JamesMcGhee]

Not saying its the best solution

But, the project you want to sponsor can add support for Patreon, which would let you use PayPal.

I do also understand why they think they have an alternative, SWIPE or whatever it is they are using is an alternative to PayPal. PayPal is not a bank its a payment processor, SWIPE can do all the same things ... except 1 thing, SWIPE doesn't hold a balance, PayPal does, so you can load PayPal and pull off its balance, but SWIPE is a simpler payment processor it pulls from your bank or debit card or credit card directly at the time of sale

I will say PayPal is a horrible system with incredibly predatory exchange rates that you cannot get around. So as a merchant I loath PayPal, just saying I get why many stores are removing support for it. I also understand why many are bound to it, a deeper integration with SWIPE or whatever would be a IMO a better solution but at the moment the best we can do is also integrate with Patreon which does handle PayPal (and all its ungodly fees)

[stephanecharette]

Part of the problem is SWIPE requires a cell phone. I don't own a cell phone.

And I'm not creating and maintaining a Patreon account for people to make a single donation to my projects.

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[tjkirch]

Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

[itzcheh1ru]

Hi @SilentVoid13 and @blacksmithgu 👋,

GitHub announced the removal of PayPal as a payment processor for GitHub Sponsors starting February 23, 2023. The main reasons are:
1. Payment Processing Limitations
• PayPal had restrictions and higher operational costs that made it harder to scale for a global sponsorship program.
• Credit/debit card processors (via Stripe and similar systems) offer GitHub more flexibility, broader compliance coverage, and smoother integration with their existing infrastructure.
2. Regulatory & Compliance Requirements
• GitHub Sponsors operates across many countries, and compliance rules (KYC, AML, tax reporting, etc.) are stricter for platforms that handle recurring payments.
• Stripe and direct card payments allow GitHub to better meet these requirements than PayPal.
3. Consistency Across Regions
• Some countries had limited or no PayPal availability for payouts.
• By consolidating payment processing, GitHub ensures a more consistent and reliable system worldwide.

💡 Alternatives for sponsors:
• GitHub currently supports credit/debit cards through Stripe.
• For organizations, GitHub also supports invoicing for larger sponsorships.

I completely understand your concern about some sponsors preferring PayPal. While this change may create friction for certain users, it allows GitHub Sponsors to provide a more stable, compliant, and scalable platform in the long run.

[stephanecharette]

Stripe does not support users like myself without a cell phone. I've lost almost all sponsors since this change was implemented.

[JamesMcGhee]

PayPal is a clear problem, as are most payment processors in the current era, where Mastercard and Visa are grossly overreaching. However, that is a poor excuse. Ideally, GitHub, owned by Microsoft, a truly massive entity, would offer multiple solutions, not reduce them. Microsoft absolutely could payout directly bank-to-bank transfer using multiple intermediaries or even directly bank as it does in other partner programs.

As to end user payment processing again, Microsoft has multiple options available on other services ... why is GitHub Sponsor a 3rd class citizen here?

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[tjkirch]

Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

[njdjacobs]

There isn't a problem. There is nothing to "fix".

[JamesMcGhee]

Sorry there is

GitHub removed the ability to pay via bank transfer, which was previously done via PayPal for those who do not have or are not willing to use a bank card.

As that is a removal of features and a removal of features required by many users, there is a "problem" that Microsoft, which owns GitHub, is well able to "fix" and is simply choosing not to.

So while its clear Microsoft/GitHub has no interest in fixing the issue, it is an issue
What is so frustrating is that they are using Strip ... which has a bank transfer option, but they have chosen to use "Strip Express" which is just a card payment processing solution so the fix is literally right there, they just refuse to do it.

Will they ever ... if Microsoft can find a way to cram AI into it sure ... if not expect half the staff at GitHub to get laid off

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[tjkirch]

Not dormant. The problem hasn't been fixed.

[JamesMcGhee]

GitHub your going to have to realise that this will remain an issue until you expand payment options.

I am not a supporter of PayPal at all, I find them an abusive and disgusting company that similar to Visa and Mastercard abuse absolute control causing great harm to companies and consumers.

That said the reason your community wants/needs PayPal (or a similar option) is a means to pay without the use of a Debit or Credit card.

You currently use Stripe ... a major payment processor that has bank to bank transfer options meaning you could switch to use the full service version of Stripe and at least for a block of your customers solve the lack of PayPal. But you haven't done that, you have done nothing.

You really don't have an excuse here, you are owned by Microsoft a massive corporation that already has existing agreements and deals with a wide range of payment processors so why is it your not addressing this issue?

Its a low hanging fruit, that is it should be trivial for you to address this even if your stance is strictly no PayPal you have other tools at hand.

[Tamanna-Sharma8]

GitHub discontinued PayPal support for GitHub Sponsors as part of changes to their payment processing infrastructure, likely to simplify operations and standardize payments through fewer providers. Managing multiple payment processors increases operational complexity, compliance requirements, and support overhead.

While PayPal was convenient for many users, GitHub has shifted focus toward card-based payments and other supported methods to maintain consistent global payment handling and improve reliability across regions.

Users who prefer not to use credit cards may need to explore alternative payment methods supported in their region or adjust their sponsorship setup accordingly.

[forti42]

And that´s why I use an alternative to a Microsoft product whenever possible.
Same for my customers who I helped to drop Exchange Servers, Office (from Home&Business up to E5) and so on.

Even federal entities plan to or already have found non-MS products on a larger scale (but for other reasons than payment methods, of course).

Looks like MS faces rough seas in Europe. And they don´t seem to get it. That´s a real pity.

[Ummagummbo]

Wow, that's complete bullshit haha, good luck with the Microsoft promotion however

…

On Wed, 4 Feb 2026, 19:25 Tamanna Sharma, ***@***.***> wrote: GitHub discontinued PayPal support for GitHub Sponsors as part of changes to their payment processing infrastructure, likely to simplify operations and standardize payments through fewer providers. Managing multiple payment processors increases operational complexity, compliance requirements, and support overhead. While PayPal was convenient for many users, GitHub has shifted focus toward card-based payments and other supported methods to maintain consistent global payment handling and improve reliability across regions. Users who prefer not to use credit cards may need to explore alternative payment methods supported in their region or adjust their sponsorship setup accordingly. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#45180 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AUQZQGQLPQ3BEMCHTSFCCV34KGUF5AVCNFSM6AAAAAAUEQP4DOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNRZGE2DQMY> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[forti42]

Oh c´mon...
a) I know all that or at least the relevant parts
b) My brain feels humiliated when someone puts some AI re-generated sludge all over my face without any obvious necessity.
c) I could ask an AI for information I already have (and which I am able to proofread), but not for anything factual without links to source of information.
Rant over.

So, besides all that: Yes, whatever... You and I do know all that, okay. But most people don´t as they don´t care and they won´t as they consider the easiest product only. And Paypal is. And als there is Klarna - at least after they went to ingest "Sofort" (an instant payment service based on full disclosure of your bank account incl. login data to check your financial status and to process your payment by doing irreversible wire transfers from your account the first few years.). This preference won´t change over the next months or even years.
German banks tried to establish "Paydirekt" which suffered from low acceptance on banks´ side.
Now they try to establish Wero all over Europe (EEA countries, I assume). But this is likely to fail - it´s just a kind of app-only (!) workaround to do wire transfers w/o caring for IBAN and stuff. Nothing innovative and most important: At least in Germany, we are used to pay by direct debit (which can be revoked by the account holder w/o giving a reason - think of it as the strongest buyer protection you can get. And as PayPal also allows direct debit when you pay via PayPal, you are (on a short-term basis) even protected against PayPal erratics. :-)

Stripe: To my knowledge, they don´t have a full-blown GUI where you can manage all your settings, payments and stuff. They also don´t seem to offer a FinTS-API (for banking software). Whenever I tried to use it, they only allowed Visa/MC and no SEPA direct debit. Never seen the option, so it´s CTRL+W only.
I would LOVE to work with Stripe. I´d even appreciate that they do NOT run some kind of bank account for me. BUT as long as they don´t allow me to just give them my IBAN for direct debit (only!) and as long as I cannot save my preferences, I don´t care.
And IF they do, they do something wrong: Why has it to be you to be the first to tell me news? I am sure that if they presented their product as being as comfortable as PP, then everybody would at least give them a try.

No bad feelings, just a matter of fact: Nothing is as easy to use as PayPal is (until they mess with you the first time, of course). And THAT ease of use is the only and winning formula they can build on. BTW: Most users didn´t need a credit check when starting with Paypal. Just like Klarna does. Any by now Klarna is even easier than PP (but do a credit check with your account login data AFAIR). :)

[forti42]

P.S.: At least in Germany, card-based payments are still not first choice. Many customers are not used to a CC, and it´s the most expensive option you can find in Germany. We have a long tradition of direct debit cards (which were "upgraded" to Girocard when cheques were phased out in the early 1990s). They are available to anyone with low fees (for both sides!), easy to use.

And the current political situation is a major reason for Master/Visa to be avoided (for some or a lot of people).
Heading towards card-based transactions (in this case: MC/Visa/AMEX only) is not the wisest of a decision.

[JamesMcGhee]

I have had this conversation recently in our company and yes Strip has numerous packages including Strip Billing which can handle subscriptions or recurring, EFT which is bank to bank no card used at all, I'm not a stripe salesman but you can just hit there site and click Products and there you go full details

PayPal is a scam company always has been, that crap they pulled with Honey isn't there first or last scame never mind the funds they have frozen, the insane fees ... there is good reason to avoid PayPal

My point however has always been that there are options, and I blame GitHub/Microsoft for not using them

Strip isn't the only option but I know GitHub uses Strip Express or some none since like that ... that is about useless its a very bare bones option, they could trivially upgrade either with Strip for a more full service solution or use any of the other processors Microsoft has existing relationships with

And yes I know Germany is way behind the times, most banks have connected with Visa or Mastercard to run direct debit over that payment processor so your debit card would work as any other Visa/Mastercard ... not that I am a fan of Visa or Mastercard they are also a pile of a company ... not as bad as PayPal but no PayPal is trash, plane and simple I get why they need to go

that agian was never my point though
My point is there are many options, quality options that Microsoft owners of GitHub can absolutely use

[forti42]

And yes I know Germany is way behind the times, most banks have connected with Visa or Mastercard to run direct debit over that payment processor so your debit card would work as any other Visa/Mastercard ...

Partly disagree: Though "Maestro" is being phased out and replaced by some "Mastercard behind the scenes" type of processing (without card numbers and stuff), this applies to non-domestic use (i.e. ATM or POS outside of Germany). It does not replace our good old "Girocard" (bound to bank account only w/o MC/VISA).

[JamesMcGhee]

again I am no fan of Visa/Mastercard
And I am not trying to champion Strip ... there are tons of other options

EFT is quite simple these days and Strip and others offer that as an option
Microsoft uses these systems else where

Thus

If Git/MS doesn't want to use PayPal ... fine ... accepted
That doesn't mean they cant give us an EFT option with a trusted provider now does it? no it doesn't PayPal hasn't been the only kid on the block with those features in decades.

So no I dont support the notion that PayPal is a must
And no I dont support the notion that we just have to accept CC/Debit as the only option

I am championing for common since, actually using the numerous services that Microsoft already makes use of in virtually every other service it provides

[Ummagummbo]

It has nothing to do with streamlining AND you sold it to us as giving us more choices, it's not frustrating it's anti consumer to benefit the company

…

On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 at 20:15, Tamanna Sharma ***@***.***> wrote: Yeah, it’s frustrating for users who relied on PayPal. I guess GitHub wants to streamline things, but it definitely limits flexibility for some sponsors. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#45180 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AUQZQGT6YS7ONQPSSIV2TED4KG2EZAVCNFSM6AAAAAAUEQP4DOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNRZGIYDINY> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Ummagummbo]

Got it, PayPal = literally the devil, stripe = the saviour of humanity/mother Theresa's good parts reincarnated Therefore GitHub totally justified in making this decision on behalf of all users. ~James McGhee

[JamesMcGhee]

I repeatedly said Strip isn't the only option I only named it because GitHub already uses it

there are dozens of reliable payment processing options out there but sure invalidate me with hyperbole if it makes you feel better there kid

I also said repeatedly GitHub is failing us here because its not offering any other options despite there being tons of options

GitHub wants to be done with PayPal ... fine ... accepted
There are other options, GitHub could offer other options they are right there

But no ... I didn't agree with your POV that PayPal is a must have thus I am the enemy that about right child

And no I don't think your actually a child I am doing to you what you did to me as a joke calling out the absurdity of it, obviously your not a child, and obviously I am not championing GitHub or Strip but I didn't support the PayPal is the only option so you attacked where you could.

[d9j]

this discussion has become spam . shills of stripe and cursers of paypal. the problems they report with paypal affects very small percent of LEGIT users. have to report this topic and get it closed

[supervoidcoder]

i mean yeah, paypal sucks but this is from 3 years ago so it is just spam

[tjkirch]

The issue itself isn't spam and shouldn't be closed - we still need PayPal support. It'd be nice to clean up all the unhelpful comments, but GitHub is unlikely to acknowledge this issue exists in order to do that.

[JamesMcGhee]

Its not spam

I am not shilling for Strip if you actually read my original posts
My point is GitHub/Microsoft could use any number of non-PayPal options to provide EFT, Sub management, etc. basically everything others are saying only PayPal can provide

So my point if you stop the Us vs Them for a second

Is that if Git/MS doesn't want PayPal fine, accepted ... there are TONs of other options for EFT, sub management that Microsoft a truly massive company does use in loads of other places so there is no excuse to not have a full feature payment system that doesn't require Credit/Debit and isn't PayPal

[JamesMcGhee]

https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/45180#discussioncomment-15684029

Link to my original post for those of you that seem to think I am a Strip shill ... yes PayPal is a turd of a service that I refuse to use personally or allow anywhere near my company. But sure if Git wants to use it fine

Clearly it doesn't though, I am not against the removal of PayPal

I am against taking away features, our sponsors should have the means to sponsor us via EFT, they should have full subscription management where they can start and cancel at will easily

And NUMEROUS other providers provide exactly that PayPal is not the only kid on the block with those features and Microsoft ... owners of GitHub know that because they use those features else where.

I am calling MS and Git out for not providing features when they could. Yet because I don't suckle upon the PayPal teat I am shill and to be ignored