PayPal Sign Up - How to Set up a PayPal Account

PayPal is an online payment system that lets users pay for items, and transfer money to friends, family, and business associates. It's free and easy to set up a PayPal account and link to a bank account to send money and make payments. In this article, you will learn the basics of PayPal and find out how to set up a PayPal account for both personal and business use.  

What is PayPal?

PayPal is an online payment system that has been around since 1998. It makes it easy to send and receive money from people anywhere in the world for a small fee, or for free if the money is going to or coming from a friend or family member in the US.

The service has made it safe and easy to buy and sell things online, and eBay and other e-commerce businesses use it a lot.

If you don't have a PayPal account but want to get one, it's free and shouldn't take you more than a few minutes. Once you're set up, you can add your banking information to make it easier than ever to send and receive money. Here's what you need to do.

Types of PayPal accounts

You have to decide what kind of PayPal account you want to make before you can set one up. There are two kinds of accounts including Personal and Business. Each has its own advantages and best uses.

You only need a Personal PayPal account to send money to friends or buy things online. This is the easiest type of account to set up, and most people should choose it.

The second kind of PayPal account is for Businesses. Choose this option if you want to sell things online and receive payments via debit or credit card for a small fee. Accounts for businesses also let up to 200 employees access the account and have other special features. 

PayPal Sign Up - How to set up a Personal PayPal account

1. Open a web browser and go to https://www.paypal.com.

2. Click Sign up in the top right corner of the screen.

3. Select Personal Account then click Next.

4. Enter your mobile phone number then click Next.

5. PayPal will send a confirmation code to your phone number via SMS. Enter the confirmation code then click Next.

6. Enter additional information including:

• Legal first name
• Legal last name
• Your email address
• Password

7. Click Next.

8. Click Agree and Create Account.

PayPal Sign Up - How to set up a Business PayPal account

1. Open a web browser and go to https://www.paypal.com.

2. Click Sign up in the top right corner of the screen.

3. Select Business Account then click Next.

4. Provide some required information including:

• Legal first name
• Legal last name
• Your email address
• Password

5. Click Agree and Create Account.

6. When you make a business account, you'll be asked for more information about your business, like what kind of business you have, the address of your business all the required details.

7. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your business account.

RELATED: PayPal Login.

How to add a bank account or credit card to your PayPal account

You'll need to link a bank account and/or credit card to your PayPal account so that you can send and receive money. 

1. Go to https://www.paypal.com and click Log In.

2. Enter your email address or mobile number then click Next.

3. Enter your password then click Next.

4. Click on the Wallet tab at the top of the page.

If you made a business account, click the Pay & Get Paid tab and then select Money.

5. Click Link a card or bank.

6. Select the account type you want to link.

Click Link a debit or credit card if you want to link a payment card.  This option is for people who want to buy things online. You can also use this option to add a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover gift card that has already been paid for. 

Click Link a bank account to link a bank account. With this option, you can move money from your PayPal account to your personal or business bank account.

7. Select your bank if listed.

8. Type in the details of your account. If you could choose your bank from the list, follow the instructions on the screen to log in and confirm. If your bank isn't on the list, you'll have to type in the information yourself.

9. Click Agree and Link or Link Card to link your bank account or credit or debit card. Your payment method is now linked to PayPal if you were able to sign in to your online banking system to link a bank account or if you linked a credit or debit card.

If your bank wasn't on the list and you had to type in your bank account number by hand, check your bank account in 24 to 48 business hours. PayPal will put less than a dollar into your account in two small amounts. You will need to type in these two numbers to prove that you own the bank account.

After 2 business days, log back into PayPal, click the Wallet tab, select your bank, choose Link your bank another way, and enter the two amounts as they appear on your bank statement. Then click Submit to confirm.

Conclusion

Setting up a PayPal account is easy. All you have to do is to provide some basic information and verify your email address and phone number. After that, you will have a fully active account. The process is straightforward. With PayPal, you can manage finances and make transactions much easier.