PayPal has announced new rates for their services starting on August 2nd. The most noteworthy of their new rates are 2.59% + 49 cents per transaction for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and debit online transactions. They will institute a 2.99% + 49 cents per transaction for chargeback protection if desired. Given their usual markup for American Express we anticipate the rate will be 2.89% + 49 cents per transaction. Lastly, they will charge what seems to be an exorbitant 3.49% + 49 cents per transaction to accept payments using their digital wallet. On the whole, these rate changes put them out of step with the rest of the industry where the trend has been to hold rates/costs steady. The last big increase from a well known brand was Square, which occurred more than two years ago.