Uber hails PayPal for in-app taxi payments

Uber hails PayPal for in-app taxi payments

Uber, the US start-up behind an app that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire, has added PayPal as a payment option.

Until now, passengers have only been able to pay for their Uber journeys using credit cards. However, as the start-up has moved in to new cities around the world, it has found that plastic is not always as popular as it is in the US.

To help pick up business, the firm is updating its iOS and Android apps, taking advantage of the PayPal mobile SDK. This means that users can link their PayPal accounts to Uber to make payments in-app, without having to verify themselves every time.

Initially, the PayPal option will be available in Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and the US, with passengers getting a $15 discount on their ride the first time they use the option.

PayPal has been working hard to grab a share of the fast-growing mobile commerce market, recently spending $800 million on Braintree - which processes payments from Uber.

However, president David Marcus admitted to Bloomberg that "our experiences inside mobile apps were not meeting the bar a year ago".

On the deal with San Fransisco darling Uber, he says: "It's important to be where disruption occurs. You want to partner with the companies creating an amazing consumer experience."

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