Want to reimburse a friend, offer money to a loved one, or pay someone? No need to go through a complicated bank transfer: PayPal offers a simple, convenient and free function to transfer money.
“I’ll reimburse you tomorrow!” This phrase, we have all heard or spoken without the promise always being kept. When you don’t have cash or a checkbook, it’s difficult to give a small amount to a friend or loved one to compensate them for a shared bill at the restaurant or an express loan. As for making a bank transfer, the operation can be complex and take a little time before the money is actually transferred to the desired account.
On the other hand, if you have a PayPal account, everything can be sorted out quickly. The famous payment service, which allows you to make online purchases without providing your credit card number, has a function to easily send money to anyone who also has a PayPal account. The transfer is immediate and, above all, free of charge for sums of up to 10,000 euros. Practice !
PayPal similarly allows you to send money to give a gift to wish a birthday, graduation or any other event that is close to your heart. Also ideal for donating money to a loved one abroad. Or to pay for a transaction – a second-hand purchase between individuals, for example – without having to handle cash. Finally, if you are the one to whom money is owed, you can ask your debtors to send it to your PayPal account using the easy-to-use PayPal.me service. In this case, they don’t need the PayPal app to transfer money to you (a PayPal account is still required) and can go through a simple web browser.
Note that all these operations can be done from the PayPal app for Android or iOS smartphones or through any web browser on a computer, visa the PayPal site, fully secure. Before you get started, you will of course have to create a PayPal account. A free operation that only takes a few minutes. To do this, follow the advice in our practical sheet.
Do you want to reimburse a loved one or simply give them a little gift? If the latter also has a PayPal account, it will only take a minute to complete it, whether you are using the PayPal app on your mobile or using a web browser on your computer.
With a smartphone
► Download the PayPal app on your mobile then set up your account if you haven’t already done so.
► The home page displays your account balance. Tap the link Send of the section Send money.
► In the new page that appears, enter the name or email address used by your contact for their PayPal account, then press Send to.
► Now enter the amount you want to send.
► You can also write a small message to indicate what it is or even add a sticker (sticker) to personalize your message if it is a gift for example. Press on Following.
► PayPal allows you to choose between sending money to a loved one and paying for a good or service. Press on Between relatives then on Following.
► Define the payment method. If you have registered several bank cards in your PayPal account, choose the one that suits you and press Following.
► All that remains is to validate the transaction after having verified that all the information provided is correct. Press on Send.
► It’s done. You money is shipped. After a few minutes, your contact is informed of your donation. He finds traces of it in the Activity section of his PayPal application.
With a web browser
► You don’t want to use the PayPal app on mobile? No worries. You can send money from your PayPal account from any web browser on a Mac or PC. Connect to the site of PayPal and identify yourself to access your account. Your PayPal balance is displayed. Click on the button Send, placed at the top right.
► Enter the name or email address used by your contact for their PayPal account, then click on Following.
► Indicate the amount you wish to send.
► You can also write a little message to signify what it is and even personalize it if it is a gift. Click the icon in the shape of a gift and choose a card theme. Enter your message and click on Save.
► Then click on To continue in the page that appears. Opt for Sending money to a loved one. Then choose whether you want to use your PayPal balance for payment or one of the bank cards associated with your account. Click on Following.
► Finally, check the accuracy of the information entered and click on Send payment.
► PayPal confirms the smooth running of the operation.
► After a few minutes, your contact receives a notification of the payment you have just made.
Do your loved ones have a PayPal account but do not use the mobile app? They are not required to do so to send you money. You just need to use the PayPal.me system set up by the payment service. It allows you to directly join your account. A method that avoids transmitting the email address used for this account to your loved ones or allows them to avoid typing errors when entering your address, for example.
Activate the PayPal.me service
► PayPal.me is completely free. To activate it, open a web browser on your computer, connect to the PayPal and identify yourself to access your account. Then click on the toothed wheel, at the top right of the interface. In the page that appears, click on the link PayPal.me placed in the section Preferences, on the left of the page.
► In the new page that appears, click on the button Create a PayPal.me profile. You are then invited to add a profile picture (so that your contacts can identify you). If you wish to do so, click on Add a picture then choose a photo saved on your computer. Otherwise, click Not now.
► Then complete the PayPal.me link which will be used by your contacts to send you money. For example, indicate your name or an abbreviated version of it. Click on Following.
► Accept the general conditions of use of the service and click on Validate and create. The PayPal.me service is now activated.
Receive money with PayPal.me
► You now have a PayPal.me link. To use it, nothing could be simpler. Send the created link as paypal.me/username to your loved ones by email or instant messaging.
► Your contacts must then click on this link. The default web browser will then display a page corresponding to your account. You must then click on the button Send.
► You must then enter the credentials of the debit PayPal account (the one from which your contacts wish to send money).
► Once the identity has been confirmed, all that remains is to define the amount to be paid. The process is identical to the method described above.
