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If you no longer use, want or need your PayPal account, you can close it. But just how easy is it, and what do you need to do?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of how to close a PayPal account, for both personal and business accounts. This includes the steps you need to take, whether you can close a PayPal account with a balance and anything else you need to know.
We’ll even throw in a handy tip at the end about an alternative payment solution which could fit your needs a little better - the Wise multi-currency account.
But first, let’s focus on getting that PayPal account closed down for you.
You can close a personal PayPal account in just a few simple steps. Before you do though, you might want to withdraw any money held in your PayPal account to your bank.
Here’s what you need to do to close your account¹:
And that’s pretty much all there is to it. Bear in mind though that once you’ve closed your account, any unpaid money requests will be automatically cancelled. You’ll also lose any coupons or redemption codes you haven’t yet been able to use.
There’s a slightly different process to follow if you close your PayPal account using the mobile app, but we’ll cover that in more detail later.
You might be considering just not using your PayPal account, rather than going to the effort of closing it down. After all, there’s a chance you might need it again for a purchase or payment at some point in the future.
If so, it’s important for you to be aware of PayPal’s inactivity fee. This is a fee of £9 and is charged to accounts that haven’t been active for at least 12 months².
So to avoid this charge, it could be a smart idea to close down your PayPal account rather than leave it open. This is unless of course you plan to use it within the next year, or are able to log in or make a transaction within the 12 months to avoid the inactivity fee.
The process for closing a PayPal business account is pretty much the same as closing a personal account.
You’ll need to withdraw any balance to your bank account first. An additional step is to make sure that any unconfirmed email addresses are removed from your account³.
Then, follow these steps³:
You may also be able to change your account type from business to personal⁴, instead of closing the account altogether. You’ll need to contact PayPal to see if this is an option for your account, and if so, a customer service representative will guide you through the process.
If you’d like to close your PayPal account using the mobile app, simply follow these steps:¹
For business accounts, the process is similar. You’ll find the option to close your account in the PayPal app under ‘Settings’ and ‘Account info’³.
If your PayPal account has a balance, unfortunately you won’t be able to close it¹. You’ll need to withdraw the money to your bank account first. Once the balance is down to £0, you can request the closure of the account.
The same goes for any unresolved issues or limitations on your PayPal account¹. These will need to be sorted before you can start the process of closing the account.
Once you’ve closed down your PayPal account, you might be looking for alternative ways to manage your money.
If you regularly send or receive international payments, shop in different currencies or travel a lot, Wise could be the ideal solution.
Open a Wise multi-currency account and you can send money worldwide for low, transparent fees and the mid-market exchange rate. You can even receive money from other countries for free in 10 major currencies. There’s even an international Wise debit card for low-fee contactless spending in 200+ countries worldwide.
If you run a business across borders or are a freelancer getting paid by international clients, there’s even a dedicated Wise business account offering loads of extra features.
Sources used for this article:
Sources checked on 27-04-2022.
This publication is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to cover every aspect of the topics with which it deals. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content in this publication. The information in this publication does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from TransferWise Limited or its affiliates. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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