The new PayPal plugin in genius. With this web browser plugin, you are now able to use the money in your account on any site that currently does not accept PayPal as a form of payment. Now you can buy stuff from Amazon, Target, WalMart, and others without needed to use your credit card or checking account information. It is a non-intrusive plugin that sits on your browser's toolbar with that familiar ‘P' PayPal symbol.

If you have a PayPal account, you should have received an e-mail with a link for a direct download. If not, then log in to your account. Under My Account, looking under the tools and there is a link for the PayPal Plugin. It's a 1.6 mb download, so you should have it in no time at all. You must have Internet Explorer or Firefox 1.5 or later to use this feature.

Whenever you enter the payment process of a website, the PayPal plugin takes action. A window appears at the top of the browser asking if you'd like to use your PayPal account for this transaction. For added security, you picked an avatar that shows up. If there is no avatar shown or it's a different avatar, you stop everything because something's been compromised. After you agree, the next window asks if you want to generate what's called a Secure Card Number for one-time use for multi-use. Click the multi-use if you use sites to pay your bills or other sites you frequent. What happens now is that PayPal will generate a credit card number that associates itself with your account, complete with expiration date and a three digit code. This is all displayed in the plugin's window. PayPal will fill in the credit card number for you, so make note of the expiration date and the code. Even if you forget there is a menu option on the plugin where you can view past Secure Cards you have created. The first time I used it, I couldn't remember the expiration date and code, but luckily, it's saved in your account.

Seconds later, my transaction was complete and my bill was paid.

You need this plugin, plain and simple. If you have a PayPal account and you spend a good amount of time online shopping, then you can be even more secure by using the PayPal plugin. It's easy to use and you don't have to send crucial personal information over the Internet. The best part is that you can use it anywhere online.

Next stop, all those sites.