Sometimes you have a Paypal balance and would rather spend it somewhere other than Ebay. You’d also rather spend it without having to bounce the money into a bank account first. Here’s how to pay with Paypal on Amazon. Or anywhere else that doesn’t directly take Paypal.
A surprising number of merchants, including brick-and-mortar shops, take Paypal. And that number is increasing. But some regard Paypal as a competitor. Some competitors, such as Google, accept Paypal anyway, either out of antitrust concerns or concern that not taking Paypal is bad for their business. Amazon did not make the same decision. So in those cases like Amazon, you have to use a trick to spend money out of your Paypal balance there without taking intermediate steps. So I’ll tell you the trick, and how to set it up.
Use a Paypal debit card to pay with Paypal on Amazon
You can usually find what you want on Ebay, but not always. Sometimes the prices are better somewhere else. And while I can get a lot of the same things in both places, I can buy digital music on Amazon. I can’t do that on Ebay. Your reason may be different from mine. I’m sure there’s more than one legitimate reason to want to pay with Paypal on Amazon instead of spending your money from your Paypal balance at Ebay.
Amazon doesn’t take Paypal directly. But Amazon takes credit and debit cards. Paypal happens to offer a debit card. That’s the loophole you can use to pay with Paypal on Amazon.
Getting a Paypal debit card
To apply for a Paypal debit card, visit https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/debit-card and fill out the forms. The card may take a couple of weeks to arrive, and will arrive in a discrete, plain-looking envelope. Don’t look for an envelope with Paypal branding splashed all over it. Pay close attention to the stuff that looks like junk mail for a couple of weeks.
The catch is that you have to be a high-enough roller. If you brought in $500 worth of Paypal payments last year, approval seems to be automatic. It was for me, making the process easier than getting a library card. If you didn’t, Paypal asks you some more questions.
I suppose I could use a credit card, but I’d rather not run up my credit card balance while I have money tied up in Paypal. It’s doable, but I think you’ll agree it’s less convenient.
Entering your new Paypal debit card in Amazon
Once your card arrives, all you have to do is enter it so Amazon knows it. Log in to Amazon, then from Accounts & Lists at the top of the screen, click Your Account.
Navigate to Payment options. Scroll down to Add a new payment method, and under the option Credit or Debit Cards, click Add a Card. Enter the name on the card, the card number and expiration date. But before you click the option to add your card, you have one decision to make. If you want this to be the default payment method, check the box use this card across all of Amazon. That’s the default.If you don’t want that to be the default, don’t check that box. No, I don’t know why they can’t just say “default payment method” next to that box. It would be clearer. Whether you want Paypal to be your default method probably depends on how much money you keep in your account. If you only occasionally have a balance, you probably don’t want it to be your default.
At any rate, click Add your card when you’re finished. And that’s it. Now you can use Paypal to buy things on Amazon, and you have your choice whether it’s the default option or a backup option.
Advantages of using Paypal on Amazon
I prefer to use Paypal directly when I can, partly because it lets me buy online without keeping an account at so many retailers. Paying with Paypal on Amazon is a lot less convenient than paying with Paypal on, say, Newegg. Or even at Home Depot.
But at least there’s a way to do it, without a lot of inconvenience. You only have to set it up once, after all. One good thing about our connected world is that it brings so many things together. Including competitors, sometimes. And that’s how to pay with Paypal on Amazon.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
An additional benefit of the Business Debit card is that you get a 1% rebate on all credit card purchases (no PIN) that you make with it. The rebate gets added to your PayPal balance once a month.
You can also buy on Amazon with Paypal with the website https://payzon.eu ! Your order will be shipped directly from Amazon to these countries: United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy and France ! 🙂