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How to use PayPal on Amazon? 4 Actionable Ways

Written and researched by experts at AvadaLearn more about our methodology

By Sam Nguyen

CEO Avada Commerce

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Whereas PayPal and Amazon are among the biggest companies in the world just next to Alibaba and its online payment AliPay, there are no opportunities for both to integrate. Amazon seems to regard Paypal as a competitor instead of a partner. Amazon has long used its payment processing system called Amazon Payments. However, customers around the world get used to PayPal due to its flexibility and convenience, the demand for using PayPal on Amazon has arisen currently.

In this article, we will answer the question of whether we can use PayPal directly on Amazon or not. If no, are there any alternatives and how to do it step by step.

Can you use Paypal on Amazon?

Unfortunately, the answer is NO. Amazon and PayPal have no business relationship now. There have been talks about the integration between two companies, but Amazon has not accepted PayPal for years.

Amazon allows customers to choose from several different payment means including credit cards, bank accounts, and even reward points. Then why don’t Amazon add PayPal to the mix? It is probably due to its payment system Amazon Payments from which Amazon is earning money. On the other hand, it is not as flexible as Paypal which the entire world has used for a long time. For that reason, allowing PayPal in the system doesn’t make business sense. The fact that users tend to sign up for PayPal instead of Amazon Payments will kill its payment processing system.

Amazon's payment processing system - Amazon Payments
Amazon's payment processing system - Amazon Payments

Amazon doesn’t need and can survive well without PayPal for more years. Hence, it is not likely that these two companies are going to work together. Customers cannot use PayPal on Amazon directly. However, there are still actionable and creative ways to work around that issue which we will mention more below.

How to pay with PayPal on Amazon?

Use PayPal cash card

Signing up for a PayPal Cash Card is the best way to use PayPal on Amazon. PayPal Cash Mastercard is similar to any other credit card you can use on Amazon. Once you have adequate funds in your PayPal account, this debit card will be linked to your money remaining and can be used during the Amazon checkout process.

It is no different than a regular bank debit card. Still, when you purchase on Amazon using PayPal Cash Mastercard as payment, the funds be withdrawn directly from your PayPal account. This method is widely accessible to almost PayPal users free of charge and also does not require a credit check. You can sign up for a PayPal Cash Card for free and immediately get debit Mastercard to start an Amazon purchase but you also need to pay for Plus account and verify your identity. In this way, it will be linked directly to your Paypal personal account and used to fund all card purchases.

Use PayPal Cash Card for Amazon purchases
Use PayPal Cash Card for Amazon purchases

To add your PayPal Cash Card to Amazon, you need to do the following steps:

  • After signing into Amazon and scroll down to Account & Lists in the menu, select Your Account
  • In the Ordering and shopping preferences box, select Payment options
  • On the payment options page, scroll down to Add a New Payment Method and select Add a card
  • Here you can fill in the card details from your Paypal Cash Card, then select Add your card

Now, your Paypal Cash Card will then appear right under the Your credit and debit cards section. You’ll be able to use PayPal to purchase on Amazon anytime you want.

Use PayPal business debit card

Having the same way to use with PayPal Cash Mastercard, this method is essentially suitable for PayPal business account holders. They can apply for PayPal Business Debit Mastercard to purchase anything from Amazon. This debit card will draw funds directly from your PayPal balance. The only difference is that this business card is connected with a business account instead of a normal personal one.

Not providing member benefits like PayPal Cash Mastercard, this business debit card gets some additional perks including an unlimited cashback program on eligible purchases.

Purchase Amazon Gift cards with PayPal

If you don’t want to buy debit cards to purchase items on Amazon, there is still a way by receiving Amazon gift cards. It is not a card that is not linked to Visa and Mastercard. It only works in the Amazon system.

It is originally used as a present for someone so that receivers can choose what to buy on Amazon. Therefore, to use it as an alternative to some methods mentioned earlier, just Buy an Amazon Gift Card, send it to yourself, and then use that card to shop on the Amazon platform.

Buy an Amazon Gift Card, send it to yourself
Buy an Amazon Gift Card, send it to yourself

It seems to be a trick because Amazon Gift card is a product that is not sold as your regular item on the Amazon site, you can pay for using PayPal if it is sold by a 3rd-party seller. This is an easy and creative way but it does involve a middle man of sorts and extra steps. The Amazon Gift Card comes in many denominations ranged from $20 to $150 no matter how many you use when purchasing on Amazon.

Be careful and research fully about the company’s background before paying because not every 3rd-party sellers are legit. Amazon gift cards are available on eBay, Dundle, Giftcards.com,… Among them, eBay which is fully integrated with PayPal is used by most shoppers who want to buy these gift cards

Transfer money to your bank account

One of the simplest ways to buy items on Amazon using PayPal is by moving the funds to any account Amazon accepts. If you are going to transfer money from PayPal to your bank account for free, it takes about 10 days for account verification. This process involves some basic steps below:

  • Linking your bank account (checking or savings account)
  • Waiting for PayPal to deposit some funds for account verification
  • Waiting up to 10 days for a money transfer out of your PayPal account

However, this will not take that long if you are willing to pay the fee. Such fee is 1% of the transferred amount with a maximum of $10.

You have to pay for an instant transfer
You have to pay for an instant transfer

To transfer money to your bank account, follow these steps:

  • Log into your PayPal account and click on Transfer Money.
  • On the next page, select Transfer to your bank. Here, you have two options to choose which are the standard (free) transfer that can take several days, or go with the instant transfer.
  • For the free option, choose Link an eligible debit card or bank (if you haven’t linked)
  • Next, select Link an eligible debit card. On the Link a card page, just fill out your debit card details and select Link Card. It is recommended not to choose the bank account because that will require deposits for verification.
  • The final step is going back to the money transfer screen again and make an instant transfer of your money to purchase items on Amazon.

Summary

As you can see, though there is no business partnership between two giants, there are plenty of ways to use PayPal to make an Amazon purchase. We hope that you find something useful from this post! Visit our website AVADA for more information, updates, and useful links.

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Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.