Setting up a PayPal account is a piece of cake. However, there’s more to it than just filling out a form with your name and email address. There are a few steps and requirements you should be aware of, which we’ve outlined in this in-depth guide.
Read also: What is PayPal? How do you use it?
You’ll need a few things to set up a PayPal account, including a credit or debit card for making payments, your credit card/bank statement for verification purposes, and, in some cases, even a form of ID like a passport.
Types of PayPal accounts
Before we get into how to set up a PayPal account, you need to decide which kind of PayPal account you want to make. There are two types: personal and business, and they each have certain benefits and ideal uses.
If you just want to send money to friends or do some online shopping, a personal PayPal account is all you need. This is the easiest type of account to set up, and for the vast majority of people it’s the one you want to pick.
Read also: Venmo vs PayPal: Key differences, advantages, and disadvantages
The other type of PayPal account is specifically for businesses. Choose this option if you want to sell products online and accept debit and credit card payments for a small fee. A business account also allows up to 200 employees to access the account and offers some other special benefits.
For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be focusing on how to create a personal PayPal account, but the process is very similar for both types of accounts.
How to set up a PayPal account
Let’s start with the basics. To set up a PayPal account, visit Paypal’s website and click the Sign Up button in the top-right corner of the screen. The next step is to choose the account type you want: Personal or Business.
The next step is to fill out the form that shows up with your name, email address, and password. You also have to select the country you live in. Hit Continue and then fill out the second form by selecting your nationality and typing in your address, phone number, and any other info that’s required. Once you hit Continue, your account will be created. But you’re far from done yet.
To start using PayPal, you need to add in your debit or credit card. This will link your PayPal account to a bank account so you can deposit or withdraw money from PayPal. You can do that by clicking the blue Get started button and filling out the form that pops up. This is technically optional, but without it your PayPal account will be severely limited.
The last step in this process is to verify your email address, if you haven’t already, by clicking the link in the email sent to you by PayPal.
Below we’ve listed the full list of steps in brief for your reference.
How to set up a PayPal account:
- Visit PayPal’s website and click the Sign Up button in the top-right corner.
- Select the account type you want — Personal or Business — and click Continue.
- Add in your name, email address, and password, and then click Continue.
- Add in your address and other required info, and then click Continue.
- Optional: Click the blue Get started button, add in your credit card info, and click Add card.
- Verify your email address by clicking the link in the email sent to you by PayPal.
How to verify a PayPal account
For safety reasons, before you start using your credit/debit card or bank account you will need to verify your PayPal account. To verify a card on PayPal, log into your account, click Wallet, and select the card you want to verify. Then click the Confirm card link followed by OK, after which PayPal will charge a small amount of money to your card. Don’t worry, you’ll get the money back a few days after the card is verified.
To properly set up a PayPal account, you have to verify your credit card.
The next step is to check PayPal’s charge on your credit card statement — it’s a four-digit code — and use it to verify the card. Just click the Wallet tab in your PayPal account, select the card you want to verify, enter the four-digit code, and then click Confirm. That’s it: you can now use PayPal to send and receive money.
The process for bank accounts is more or less the same, with the biggest exception being that PayPal will make two deposits on your bank account in random amounts between $0.01 and $0.99. Once that happens, you have to enter these two amounts to verify your bank account, the same as you entered the four-digit code to verify your credit card. And to answer your next question, no, you will not be able to keep the money deposited by PayPal — sorry about that.
Once again, below we’ve listed the step-by-step instructions in brief.
How to verify a PayPal account:
- Click the Wallet tab and select the card you want to verify.
- Click the Confirm card link followed by OK, after which PayPal will charge a small amount to your card.
- Check PayPal’s charge on your credit card statement and write down the four-digit code.
- Click the Wallet tab in PayPal again.
- Select the card you want to verify.
- Enter the four-digit code and then click Confirm.
If you another card or bank account to your PayPal account later on, you’ll have to verify that as well. Another thing to note is that PayPal may request a form of identification from you at any given time. This frequently happens once a certain amount of money passes through your account. It varies depending on the country you live in, but it’s mostly a way to avoid fraud and tax evasion — which is a good thing.
There you have it, folks — that’s all you need to know about how to set up a PayPal account. As you can see, the process is free, easy, and doesn’t take a whole lot of time. Check out some of our other guides in the links below!
Via Phandroid