If you use PayPal a lot, chances are good that you usually have some funds in your PayPal account. Wouldn’t it be convenient to use PayPal directly on Amazon?
Unfortunately, Amazon has never integrated PayPal into its payment system. This may be due to the fact that eBay owns PayPal and is a direct competitor. Or it could be because Amazon wants people to use their own payment system called Amazon Pay instead.
Whatever the reason, you cannot make direct payments to Amazon through PayPal. However, there are several creative ways to solve this problem.
How to use PayPal on Amazon
The fact that you cannot pay for anything directly on Amazon using PayPal does not mean that you cannot use your PayPal funds to shop.
Using third-party gift cards, credit cards, or money orders, you can still use PayPal on Amazon.
Use a PayPal cash card
One of the best ways to use PayPal on Amazon is with a PayPal Cash Card.
Basically, this is a Mastercard debit card that works just like any other credit card you can use on Amazon. On the plus side, it is no different from the debit card you might have at your bank for purchases with funds from your checking account.
To Amazon, it looks like you are using a regular bank debit card. However, when you make payments for your purchases, funds come directly from your PayPal account.
Benefits of using a PayPal Mastercard debit card include:
- No credit check is required to receive the card.
- Money comes directly from your PayPal account without the need for a bank account
- You receive a route and account number so your employer can transfer checks directly to your PayPal account.
- Can be used at any mall that accepts Mastercard, not just Amazon.
You can register for your PayPal Cash Card for free and get your debit Mastercard to start shopping on Amazon.
There is a catch here. When you register for a PayPal Cash Card, you also need to apply to open a PayPal Cash Plus account. There is no additional charge for this, but you will need to verify your identity with PayPal:
- Name
- Physical Address
- Birthday
- Taxpayer identification number
Once you confirm you have a PayPal Cash Plus account, it will be directly linked to your personal Paypal account and used to fund all card purchases.
Add your PayPal cash card to Amazon
To add your PayPal Cash Card as a payment method to Amazon, sign in to Amazon and hover your mouse over “Account & Lists” in the menu. Select your account.
In the Order and Purchase Settings window, select Payment Options.
On the payment options page, scroll down to Add a New Payment Method and select Add Card.
Fields will appear where you can enter your Paypal Cash Card details and then select Add your card.
After that, your Paypal money card will appear in the “Your Credit and Debit Cards” section. You will be able to choose PayPal Cash Card as your payment method anytime you make a purchase on Amazon.
Use a PayPal Mastercard
Unlike PayPal Cash Card, PayPal Mastercard is nothing more than a real credit card. The card is actually issued by Synchrony Bank and will require a credit check to be approved.
Like PayPal Cash Card, PayPal Mastercard is accepted in any online or offline store that accepts PayPal or Mastercard.
There are two types of PayPal Mastercard:
- PayPal Cashback Mastercard: Earn 2% cash rewards whenever you make certain purchases that qualify. The money earned can be transferred to your PayPal account.
- PayPal Extras Mastercard: You will earn points by making eligible purchases and can redeem those points with select sellers on the PayPal Extras Reward Redemption Servicing website.
You can subscribe to PayPal Cashback Mastercard or Paypal Extras Mastercard Approval happens fairly quickly if you have good credit.
So why buy a PayPal Mastercard over a PayPal Cash Card? There are several additional benefits.
- You can pay your PayPal Mastercard balance using either your PayPal account or any other bank account.
- The more you accumulate, the more credit you get use the card.
- You are not limited to your PayPal Cash Plus account balance.
The most important benefit is that having a PayPal Mastercard allows you to use PayPal on Amazon even if Amazon does not accept PayPal payments directly.
It’s also dangerous because you could potentially spend more than your PayPal account has, so use it with caution! Make sure PayPal credit is right for you
You can add a new PayPal Mastercard as a payment method to your Amazon account using the same procedure as in the last section above.
Buy Amazon Gift Cards
Another trick many people use to shop on Amazon with a PayPal account balance is buying Amazon gift cards from online merchants that accept PayPal payments.
This is a useful loophole, but it requires an extra step – buying gift cards. The advantage is that all of the gift card providers listed below offer digital Amazon gift card codes that you can immediately use to shop on Amazon.
Several Amazon digital gift card providers that accept PayPal include:
You can also buy a Visa or Mastercard gift card from GiftCards.com using your PayPal account and use it to shop on Amazon. And if you only want to buy Audible audiobooks on Amazon, you can buy Audible Gift Card directly from Paypal.
Transfer money to your bank account
While it may seem obvious, one of the easiest ways to use PayPal on Amazon is to simply transfer funds to an account that Amazon accepts.
You might think that it will take too long to transfer money from PayPal to your bank account. When you want to do it for free, it’s true. This process can be tedious and includes:
- linking your bank account (checking or savings)
- Waiting for PayPal funds to verify your account
- Waiting until 10 days of money transfer from your PayPal account
Nobody wants to wait 10 days to buy something on Amazon. But what if you could do it instantly?
You can if you are willing to pay the commission. The commission for an instant balance transfer is 1% of the transfer amount, but not more than $ 10. But if you only transfer $ 100, that’s only $ 1 for an instant transfer. And if you’re using a debit card, you don’t have to wait for account confirmation.
This is how it works. Log into your PayPal account and select “Transfer Moneyâ€.
On the next page, select Transfer to your bank. On this page, you have two options. You can choose a standard (free) translation, which can take several days, or use the instant option.
If you haven’t linked a debit card for free use yet, select Link a suitable debit card or bank.
On the next screen, select “Link a suitable debit card”. Do not select a bank account as a deposit will be required to confirm this. On the Link Card page, simply enter your debit card details and select Link Card.
Once your debit card is linked, you can return to the money transfer screen again and instantly transfer the amount required to make an Amazon purchase. Then go to Amazon and buy the item you want!
As you can see, there are many ways to use PayPal on Amazon. Do you know of any other workarounds? Share your ideas in the comment section below.
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