I switched from PayPal to a local credit union for my freelance payments

I was using PayPal for years to get paid for my side graphic design work, but the fees were eating up like 3% each time. Last month I opened an account at First Community Credit Union here in Austin, and now clients send payments through Zelle for free. It's saved me about $40 so far on just six jobs - wish I'd done it sooner. Anyone else ditch the big payment processors for a local bank?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.charles1mo ago

That's a fair concern, but I've had the opposite experience. My clients actually prefer Zelle over PayPal because they don't have to create another account or remember a separate login. Fees aren't the only thing that matter either, local credit unions often have way better customer service when something goes wrong. Last time PayPal froze my account for a week over a random "security review", my credit union had the issue sorted in an hour.

margareth481mo ago

Used to think Zelle was only for small personal stuff, but your point about customer service changing things makes me rethink that completely.

davis.noah1mo ago

Clients trust Zelle enough to just send payments that way? I've had people freak out about using it for business stuff.