What is PayPal

A simpler way to pay

Credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts. With so many payment methods, it can be a challenge to keep everything straight.
Think of PayPal as a digital wallet – one convenient, secure spot to keep all your ways to pay. However, you don't need a balance in your account to shop.
With PayPal, you have the freedom and flexibility to pay the way you want, all while keeping your financial information secure.

Pay however you want

You should be able to pay on your terms. That's why PayPal gives you the flexibility to choose the best payment method for you. You can link your bank account, debit, and credit cards to your PayPal account (and still earn your reward points). That way, you can choose how you want to pay, and never have to worry about keeping a balance in your PayPal account. If you don't have any money in your PayPal account balance, we'll use a linked bank account, debit card or credit card to fund your purchases. If you have a bank account on file we typically use it first (after your PayPal balance is gone), but during the checkout process you can also choose to fund a purchase with a linked debit or credit card.

Easy to use

Using PayPal is simple. Shop for the things you love, send money to friends and family, and receive payments for items you sell online. You can also use PayPal at millions of online stores – just look for the PayPal button when you check out.

More secure

So why use PayPal? Because PayPal provides an extra level of security for your payments. Sellers and merchants never see your sensitive financial details.

We use the industry's most secure data encryption technologies and physically secure servers that aren't connected directly to the Internet. Our dedicated team of anti-fraud experts works around the clock to ensure the highest level of security.