Personal Finance Money transfer

How to add money to PayPal from debit card

Zorica Lončar

18.11.22 (updated more than 1 year ago)

Read time 2 minutes

Want to top up your PayPal balance? Read on, as we’ve put together a handy guide on how it works, including whether or not you can add money to PayPal from a debit card.

Before we get stuck in though, a quick thing to note. You don’t actually need to top up your balance when using PayPal. As long as you have a bank account and/or card linked to your PayPal account, you can set one of these as your preferred payment method. PayPal will automatically use this when making payments online.

And remember that PayPal isn’t the only game in town when it comes to making online payments. Open a Wise multi-currency account online and you can send money all over the world for low fees and the mid-market exchange rate. You can even get a Wise debit card for low-cost online shopping in multiple currencies.

But for now, let’s get back to PayPal.

Is it possible to add money to PayPal from a debit card?

You can’t top up your PayPal balance directly from a debit card. Instead, you’ll need to use your linked bank account to add money to your PayPal balance. The good news is that this is pretty easy to do.

How to add money to PayPal via a linked bank account

Simply follow these steps to transfer money from your bank account to your PayPal balance¹:

Login to your PayPal account
Make sure you have a linked bank account - if not, here’s how to add one.
Go to Wallet and click ‘Transfer Money’
Select ‘Add money to your balance’
Follow the on-screen instructions, which include PayPal’s sort code, account number and your own individual customer reference/ID number
Now you’ll need to separately login to your online banking. Use the details provided by PayPal to set up a payment transfer. Make sure you use and double check your customer reference/ID number. This enables the payment to be assigned to your PayPal account.
Look out for a confirmation email from PayPal.

It should take no more than three working days¹ for the payment to show in your PayPal balance.

Are there any fees to top up your PayPal balance?

No, it’s completely free² to add money to your PayPal balance from a linked bank account.

You just need to make sure that your bank account and PayPal balance are in the same currency. Otherwise, currency conversion fees may apply².

Wise - an alternative to PayPal which could save you money

Need to send money abroad, or shop online in a different currency? You can do both for less with Wise.

Open a Wise multi-currency account online and you’ll be able to send money all over the world in just a few clicks. There’s only a small transparent transfer fee to pay, and you’ll always get the fair exchange rate.³

You can also get an international debit card with Wise. This is perfect for online shopping, especially if you’re buying from retailers in different countries. You can even use it for spending in person in 175+ countries, where your money is automatically converted to the local currency at the mid-market exchange rate.

Join Wise today

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 16-Nov-2022

*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.