Can I have more than one PayPal account?

Caroline Wire

With over 426 million consumer and global accounts worldwide and serving more than 200 markets around the world¹, PayPal has been a frontrunner in digital commerce for over 25 years. One question many account holders ask is “can I have multiple PayPal accounts?”

In this guide, we will explore the rules around having more than one account, as well as outline the fees and the different types of PayPal accounts available. We will also explain how Wise Business could be an alternative if you’re trading internationally.

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Can I have multiple PayPal accounts?

In short, the answer is “Yes”. You can have more than one PayPal account if it’ll be one Personal account and one Business account. However, each account must have a separate email address and financial information. You can also upgrade your Personal account to a Business account.

Can I have a joint PayPal account?

Rather than having a joint PayPal account in two names, with a PayPal Business account, you have one single account. However, you have the facility to give multiple users within your organisation access.

Who can open a PayPal account?

A PayPal Business account is recommended for serious merchants who operate under a company or group name.

It has additional features which are not available to Personal accounts, including:

  • Allows up to 200 employees² limited access to your account

  • Customer service email alias to enable you to respond easily to queries and issues

  • Receive online payments for sales or donations

  • Track your business with charts, graphs and customer data

One important point to note is that PayPal Business accounts may be subject to [fees (https://wise.com/us/blog/paypal-withdrawal-fee-for-merchant-accounts) which may be different from fees applicable to Personal accounts.

You can calculate PayPal fees for merchants with this free PayPal fee calculator.

What is PayPal Pro?

PayPal Website Payments Pro³ is a customisable payments system to accept payments from major credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal. Account holders can accept payments by phone, fax and even email with the use of a virtual terminal. As it’s fully customisable, you can make it match the branding of your business.

How much do PayPal accounts cost?

It's free to sign up for a PayPal account, even when you make purchases and when you send money to family and friends from your bank account. If you can hold a balance with PayPal, you can also use it to send money to family and friends for free.

However, if you’re sending or receiving international payments in different currencies, charges do apply⁴. Why not consider trying an alternative like Wise Business?

  • Buying with PayPal – Free (unless it involves a currency conversion)

  • Selling with PayPal – with fee for commercial transactions

  • Sending and Receiving Money – sending domestic personal transactions has no fee when no currency conversion is involved. It’s also free to receive money provided there is no currency conversion.al terminal. As it’s fully customisable, you can make it match the branding of your business.

-Buying with PayPal – Free (unless it involves a currency conversion)

-Selling with PayPal – with fee for commercial transactions

-Sending and Receiving Money – sending domestic personal transactions has no fee when no currency conversion is involved. It’s also free to receive money provided there is no currency conversion.

Sending international personal transactions - Consumer fees

RateMinimum/Maximum
5% of the transaction amountThe minimum fee is GBP 0.99 and the maximum fee is GBP 2.99

Additional percentage-based fee for international commercial transactions - Merchant fees

Where sender’s market/region isFee
EEA1.29%
All other markets1.99%

Converting balance for a business account and transactions for which a receiver has agreed to bear the currency conversion

Rate
3% above the base rate

Merchant Fees - Fixed fee for commercial transactions based on currency received

CurrencyFeeCurrencyFee
Australian dollarAUD 0.30New Taiwan dollarTWD 10.00
Brazilian realBRL 0.60New Zealand dollarNZD 0.45
Canadian dollarCAD 0.30Norwegian kroneNOK 2.80
Czech korunaCZK 10.00Philippine pesoPHP 15.00
Danish kroneDKK 2.60Polish zlotyPLN 1.35
EuroEUR 0.35Russian rubleRUB 10.00
Hong Kong dollarHKD 2.35Singapore dollarSGD 0.50
Hungarian forintHUF 90.00Swedish kronaSEK 3.25
Israeli new shekelILS 1.20Swiss francCHF 0.55
Japanese yenJPY 40.00Thai bahtTHB 11.00
Malaysian ringgitMYR 2.00UK pounds sterlingGBP 0.30
Mexican pesoMXN 4.00US dollarUSD 0.30

Wise Business - an alternative to PayPal for international business

With a Wise Business account you can hold and exchange 40+ currencies with the mid-market exchange rate and low fees from 0.41%⁵. You’ll also get local account details for 9 currencies to get paid by customers around the world conveniently. Add these details to invoices, or use them to get paid through PSPs like Stripe and platforms like Amazon, from over 30 countries.

Wise also offers business friendly perks like expense and debit cards, batch payment solutions, low cost transfers to 80+ countries, an API to automate workflow, and cloud accounting integrations to save admin time. That can make a Wise Business account the perfect way to focus on connecting with global customers, and to grow your business across borders.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Sources used in this article

  1. About PayPal (https://about.pypl.com/who-we-are/history-and-facts/default.aspx)

  2. PayPal Business Account (https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/business-updates/business-account)

  3. PayPal Website Payments Pro (https://www.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/article/whats-website-payments-pro-help189)

  4. PayPal merchant fees (https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees)

  5. Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Sources last updated Apr 11, 2024


*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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