PayPal simplifies online checkouts -- no more redirects

Screenshot of what PayPal's new online payment system looks like.

(Credit: PayPal)

Paying for stuff with PayPal can sometimes be a pain. When users click to buy an item on third-party Web sites, they are usually redirected to PayPal's site, have to sign in there and then carry out the process. This is something the online payments company is now changing.
Paypal announced on Monday that it is redesigning its online checkout system so that those annoying redirects are no longer part of the payment process. Now, customers should be able to do the whole checkout within a merchant's Web site and in fewer steps.

PayPal's vice president of retail services Don Kingsborough said in a statement that the company's overarching goal is to "deliver shopping experiences that are more convenient, more personal, and more fun for consumers, and more profitable for merchants by making it easier to shop and pay from anywhere and at any time." The redesign is rolling out to a few PayPal partners first and then will become available to larger merchants within the next few months. The company said that mid-size and smaller merchants will also be able to get the new checkout system "very soon." Additionally, merchants can choose to put the simplified process on their mobile apps.
Over the past year, PayPal has been working to make payments easier. In October, the company said it was introducing a payment QR code or four-digit short code that users could pay with using their smartphone in brick-and-mortar business. On Monday, PayPal said merchants that accept Discover cards or use Micros payments systems can get this feature as soon as February.