Venmo, CashApp, Paypal, etc

[MrMattBig]

How many clients request or prefer to pay electronically?

How many have been first time clients?

Have you had any problems accepting app payments?

[Kevin Slater]

PayPal allows them to reverse payments, and is a horrible operation for myriad reasons. Avoid.

 

Venmo (despite being owned by PayPal) and CashApp do not allow transactions to be reversed, but may bar you if they find you're using the app for commercial purposes (not necessarily anti-escorting, just anti anything commercial). But that's rare, and not using an app for fear that you won't be allowed to use it makes no sense, so go for it.

 

I keep an empty checking account that I transfer funds from these apps into, and then from there into my real account. The terms of service say they have the right to go into your checking account and yank funds back, so the intermediary step protects me from that.

 

When a new client asks to use an app, I say fine, but we process that transaction before the session starts. More than once in the past someone was shocked, shocked! to find that his app wasn't working after the session was over.

 

Do not put the words PayPal, Venmo, CashApp in your ad.

 

Make sure your Venmo account is all set to private. (For some reason they view themselves as a social platform and the default is to publicize every fucking transaction.)

 

You can get a debit card which draws funds from any of these apps and allows you to shop online, at stores, etc.

 

Kevin Slater

Edited August 27, 2019 by Kevin Slater

[+ VictorPowers]

Giving you really rough estimates here but 10%? I have experienced the PayPal reversal firsthand. Despite our contact forming via registered PayPal emails and disputing the reversal with Paypal with this fact, I lost. Venmo is ok but I dislike it since I’m sure a certain frequency makes them watch you closely.

Cash will always be king and my primary choice. When asked about electronic, my answer is “For a first time client, I always accept cash”. This answer seems to be received well.

[opentoideas]

What about Zelle? I prefer using that. I’m a regular to one guy and that’s how we’ve always done it.

[Guest]

How many clients request or prefer to pay electronically?

How many have been first time clients?

Have you had any problems accepting app payments?

 

I would say, for me, it's gone up from around 5% a few years ago to close to 20 or 25% now. Mind you, I make it known to my repeat clients that I am happy with electronic payments, and I live in a relatively sex work-friendly jurisdiction (Vancouver, Canada).

 

I actually don't use venmo, cashapp, or paypal, but directly charge cards (DM me for deets), or accept "e-transfers", a Canada-only email-based irreversible transfer, that can be anonymous on the receiver's end but not the sender's.

[The Phoenix]

I’ve never had a client ask to pay electronically. I suppose they don’t want anything that leads back to them.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Going fully electronic also makes it much more simple for the IRS to have a complete picture of your finances in the event you're audited.

 

I've said it before: Cash is king for good reason. Venmo might be convenient, but it's got more holes than Swiss cheese.

 

It's one thing to send small amounts of cash through these apps (airfare, tips, etc), but to run $10k+ a month is just damned foolish.

[+ IronMaus]

1/2 of my clients pay electronically and I prefer this method for 3 reasons:

I'm less vulnerable to physical theft.

My earnings are easier to monitor/declare/save/invest.

Sharing info like actual names helps create a foundation for a trusting and continued connection.

[marylander1940]

 

Make sure your Venmo account is all set to private. (For some reason they view themselves as a social platform and the default is to publicize every fucking transaction.)

 

 

Great advice! Btw it’s also use as a dating app and a way for millennials to promote themselves and the cool places they go to.

[Vistas]

I pretty much always pay by Venmo. It's easier. It's safer. It allows me to have a spur of the moment longer session, too.

[+ Pensant]

Others have pointed out the pitfalls of Venmo, CashApp and PayPal. For trusted companions on overnight or weekend excursions, Zelle has proven to be immediate and safest.

[jawjateck]

I have used Google Pay for all or a portion of the fee, or to advance a small amount to cover travel expenses or a gift item. I like the option of retrieving and carrying less cash, especially when going somewhere like Vegas where I have been known to burn through a wad of cash.....for one reason or another or another.

[+ Pensant]

And who wants to hand over a wad of ATM twenties?

[DallasClient]

I have used every form of payment for my guys (even a check! but he was a regular escort). I often ask if I don't have the cash on hand as it saves me a trip to the ATM. I As a client, I have no real preference but it is nice to have options.