How to Pay With PayPal: A Step by Step Guide
PayPal is one of the most popular online payment options in the world, and one of the frontrunners in the financial technology industry. They are one of the oldest online payment service providers available, and have been keeping online purchases moving smoothly for nearly 20 years. That being said, PayPal is one of the most invaluable tools for any small business owner in the world, and one of the preferred payment methods available for both users and businesses.
PayPal allows you to send or receive both business and personal payments, send invoices, as well as keep track of all of these transactions in one convenient place. If youāve been wondering how to pay others with PayPal, then youāre in luck. Today, weāre going to go over all about making payments with PayPal.
Hereās What Weāll Cover:
Step 1 – Make Sure a Bank Account or Credit/Debit Card Is Linked to PayPal
Step 1 – Make Sure a Bank Account or Credit/Debit Card Is Linked to PayPal
Before you can make any payments with your PayPal account, youāll need to make sure that you have a verified payment method attached to the account, as this will be your funding source. This can be either a bank account, credit card, or debit card. To find out if you have an account linked, follow the steps below:
- Log into your PayPal account
- In the top right corner, hover your mouse over your account name
- From the dropdown menu, select āAccount Settingsā
- Once on the Account Settings page, locate the option on the left that says āMoney, banks and cardsā
- A list of any attached bank accounts or cards will populate, check the information to make sure it is correct
- You can also choose your preferred funding source while in this menu
If youāve made sure that the information is correct, then continue moving forward to begin making your payments! If it isnāt correct, then youāll need to add or edit it from the same settings menu.
Step 2 – Making a Payment
Thankfully, PayPal makes paying others easy, and allows you to send money as a payment, or allows you to pay an invoice sent to you by another entity. Weāre going to cover how to do both here!
Step 2A – Sending a Payment
If youāre sending a payment to a client who has not invoiced you for goods or services, youāll be sending the payment on your own rather than responding to an invoice. To do that, follow these steps:
- Click Send & Request at the top of the page when logged into PayPal (if in a small business account, it may appear as Pay & Get Paid)
- Enter your recipientās name, email address, or phone number and click āNextā
- On the next page, enter the amount that youāll be paying the recipient
- Underneath the amount entered, youāll have an option to add a note, this should be utilized to keep track of what you are paying the recipient for
- Sometimes, youāll be asked to provide the recipientās name, as well as their country of origin
- Once all information is entered, click āContinueā
- A box will ask if youāre paying a friend or family, or for an item or service; select āPaying for an item or serviceā and continue
- Confirm the two-factor authentication, if enabled
- Confirm details, then click the button labeled āSend Payment Nowā
Once this has been completed, verify that your payment shows up in your Transactions log in PayPal. Youāve just sent a payment using PayPal!
Step 2B – Paying an Invoice
PayPal allows small businesses and sole proprietors to generate invoices for clients. When youāre paying someone who has an active PayPal account, itās likely that youāll receive an invoice from them. If you have an existing PayPal account, you can follow the steps below to pay an invoice with ease:
- Check your email for the invoice, PayPal will send one each time a client invoices you
- In the email, click the button labeled āPay Nowā
- Youāll be prompted to log in to your PayPal account to review the invoice
- Review the invoice, as well as the payment method youāll be using
- If everything looks correct, click āPay Nowā
Itās just that easy! PayPal makes paying others easy, as it should be.
Also Read: How to Send Money to PayPal from Bank Account
Key Takeaways
When paying with a PayPal account, there are a few things that need to be done before you can truly utilize the platform the way itās meant to be used. Youāll need to have an active PayPal account, as well as have linked payment methods, like a bank account, credit card or debit card. If those things are in place, then making payments is easy! Just be sure to check each payment before itās sent so that youāre always paying the right amount.
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