While true, there is an annoying edge case: If you have (at some point) linked your credit card to a PayPal, then PayPal forces you to log in to pay. You simply can't use the non-login path if the card has a PayPal account.
Some reasons why this is annoying, that I can think of: (1) It makes the process more complex. Some people just close their window when forced to log into something. (2) It makes writing tutorials/documentation harder. 'Just fill in your credit card details' becomes a long sentence listing the different things that can happen. (3) I have had some customers who complained that they had forgotten about their PayPal account and had to go through the "forgot password" sequence in order to pay. I imagine that the percentage of people who didn't complain but simply closed the tab is higher.
> If you have (at some point) linked your credit card to a PayPal, then PayPal forces you to log in to pay.
This is not true. I have a long unused PayPal account that hasn't been canceled, and on the occasion that I do end up buying something from someplace that only accepts PayPal, upon entering my information they ask if I would like to sign in and pay with a large "YES" button, or a very small "No, continue without signing in" link which acts the same as not having an account with them at all.
Edit: see Colin's child remark to the parent comment of yours. this may only happen in non-high-risk countries that allow payment without accounts.
Thanks. It is entirely possible that my information is out of date.
If you know of a site where I can trivially test this (ie., small amount, no signup or shipping required), I would be happy to test. I am not in a position to test my own stuff as it is currently all based on recurring payments (which requires a PayPal account).
Some reasons why this is annoying, that I can think of: (1) It makes the process more complex. Some people just close their window when forced to log into something. (2) It makes writing tutorials/documentation harder. 'Just fill in your credit card details' becomes a long sentence listing the different things that can happen. (3) I have had some customers who complained that they had forgotten about their PayPal account and had to go through the "forgot password" sequence in order to pay. I imagine that the percentage of people who didn't complain but simply closed the tab is higher.