PayPal launched Zettle for small businesses in the United States on June 30, 2021, offering a first card reader for $29 and card processing at 2.29% plus $0.09 per transaction. The point-of-sale service brings in-person payments into a PayPal business account alongside online sales. The $29 price is an entry offer, not the cost of equipping every checkout. [S1][S2]

The $29 offer applies to a business’s first reader; additional readers are listed at $79 each. At those posted prices, a first reader and two additional units come to $187 for the readers alone. That calculation covers the listed readers only, not a complete installation. [S1]

PayPal named BigCommerce, Lightspeed, QuickBooks Online and SalesVu as integrations already in place at launch. More partners were expected in the following weeks and months, rather than included in the day-one list. A shop choosing whether to keep its store or accounting software could start with that named list. The announcement does not establish that every feature of every merchant’s existing setup will transfer unchanged. [S1]

The company said merchants could view and manage in-person and online sales through their PayPal business account, with funds typically accessible within one day. “Typically” is a qualification, not a guaranteed settlement deadline. A combined view of payments does not establish that a shop’s catalogue or accounting workflow has been connected successfully. [S1]

A separate June 18 PayPal announcement set out rates due to apply to a portion of its U.S. merchant customers beginning August 2, 2021. For online PayPal payment products such as PayPal Checkout and Pay with Venmo, it listed 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction. That was a scheduled online rate, not the June 30 Zettle card-processing price or a single rate for every online card service. PayPal said custom, non-standard pricing would remain unchanged for the services covered by those agreements. [S2][S3]

The announced August schedule also separated PayPal and Venmo QR-code payments by transaction size: 1.90% plus $0.10 above $10, and 2.40% plus $0.05 at $10 or below. Applying the latter formula to a $10 sale gives a $0.29 fee. The fixed charge matters on a small purchase. These were the published terms of the forthcoming schedule for affected accounts, not a claim that its $10 threshold was already the Zettle launch tariff. [S2]

Source documents

  1. PayPal brings PayPal Zettle to the U.S.https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-06-30-PayPal-Brings-PayPal-Zettle-to-the-U-S-Its-Digital-In-Person-and-Omnichannel-Solution
  2. Upcoming Changes for Some US Businesseshttps://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-06-18-Upcoming-Changes-for-Some-US-Businesses
  3. PayPal to increase merchant fees in Augusthttps://www.paymentsdive.com/news/paypal-to-increase-merchant-fees-in-august/602116/