Personal Finance Money transfer

How long does PayPal take to send money in the UK?

Gert Svaiko

28.06.23 (updated more than 1 year ago)

Read time 1 minute

Need to send money within the UK? One of the ways you can do it is with popular online payment platform PayPal.

But if speed is a concern, you’ll need to know exactly how long it takes to send money with PayPal. We’ll cover everything you need to know right here in this guide.

We’ll even show you an alternative, a financial services provider Wise. It’s easy, quick and secure to send money worldwide with Wise, and you’ll only pay a small, transparent fee. It’s ideal for international payments, as you’re guaranteed fair mid-market exchange rates.

Learn more about Wise

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

How long does it take to send money with PayPal in the UK?

When you make a payment to another PayPal user, it should be processed the same day. It could even arrive within minutes.¹

But if you initiate the payment on a day that isn’t a working day (such as a weekend) or after 4pm on a working day, it could take longer. According to PayPal, it’ll leave your account within two business days.²

This is the case for both domestic and international payments with PayPal.

Why do payments made via PayPal take so long to process?

All online payment platforms require some processing time, but some do it quicker than others. PayPal is still faster than most banks, especially in cases where payments arrive within minutes.

What can you do to potentially speed up the transfer process?

There isn’t much you can do to make the transfer process faster, except making sure you send on a working day before 4pm.

You should also make sure you have enough money in either your PayPal balance or linked payment method. Otherwise, there’s a risk that your payment could be delayed.

And that’s pretty much it - everything you need to know about PayPal transfer times in the UK.

Hopefully, yours is one of the payments that arrives almost instantly, but you should be prepared for it to take a little longer. This is especially the case if you’re sending money at the weekend, as your transfer won’t necessarily be processed right away.

If you want to find out more about using PayPal, take a look at our guides on how PayPal works for personal users in the UK and how to transfer money from PayPal to Wise. We’ve also got a handy PayPal fee calculator.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 26-May-2023

*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.