I haven't tried direct deposit, but there is nothing like having extra money showing up right there in your own bank account. It's like icing on the cake! I use PayPal and it's worked great for me. I chose PayPal because I, too, do a lot of online shopping and I have a couple of subscription payments there. I am continually having to fund my PayPal account from my bank account and having extra money show up there from FC is saving me the trouble of having to fund my account more often.