The solution
PayPal already had a large online merchant network, but its wallet was harder to use for people who preferred cash. TechCrunch reported that PayPal launched My Cash Card in December 2012 to let users load PayPal accounts using cash rather than bank transfers.
The distribution trick was to borrow the prepaid-card aisle. The card launched in pharmacies and discount stores including CVS, Rite Aid, Dollar General and Family Dollar; TechCrunch reported 30,000 launch locations and a plan to reach 60,000 retailers in 2013.
InComm's launch release described variable denominations from $20 to $500 and direct loading to PayPal accounts with a PIN. PayPal turned a low-tech plastic card and an existing retail network into a cash API for online commerce.
What it achieved
Use prepaid racks as cash-in points
Why it worked
Retail prepaid distribution already solved cash collection, fraud controls and cashier workflows.
The PIN model separated cash handling from PayPal's online checkout experience.
It widened PayPal beyond bank-linked users without forcing a new merchant integration.
The card was familiar to cash-preferred customers who already bought prepaid products.
What can be applied
A digital wallet can grow faster by accepting old retail payment rituals as on-ramps instead of treating them as obsolete.
Aftermath
The product sat between Walmart's retailer-specific cash checkout and later barcode-based account loading. It showed PayPal's advantage: once cash was converted into wallet balance, it could be spent across PayPal's merchant network rather than at one retailer.
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