How to send money with paypal for free

Wise (formerly TransferWise)

If you often find yourself waking up in one country and going to sleep in another, managing money across borders can be difficult. Repeatedly exchanging cash into foreign currencies can cost a lot in fees.

Wise, a company focusing on “borderless banking,” makes managing money in multiple currencies a breeze. It’s also possible to do regular money transfers through the platform without setting up its borderless bank account. (Disclaimer: The author of this post had a TransferWise borderless bank account.)

How it works: Setting up a borderless bank account with Wise is free, and each section of the bank account can be designated for a certain currency. For example, if you add a euro balance, the bank account comes with a SWIFT number, just as it would in Europe; if you add a GBP balance, that balance will have a sort code. The bank account can hold and manage more than 50 currencies.

The debit card tied to your Wise account is a Mastercard, and funds can be added in a variety of ways. The account has the ability to convert currencies across balances (for a small fee), and withdrawing cash from a foreign ATM is about one-sixth the cost incurred with other debit cards, according to the company.

Payment options: Direct debit, wire transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay. Fees for payment options depend upon the currency being paid or converted to.

Fees: $0 monthly account fee; converting currencies using your card is subject to a fee of at least 0.41%; ATM withdrawals of up to $100 per month are free, while anything over that is subject to a 2% fee.

Speed: The time it takes to receive funds on the debit card depends on how they’re added—some are available within seconds.

Transaction limits: There are no limits for how much you can receive and keep in all currencies other than USD. There is a $250,000 limit per transaction a day and a $1 million limit per year.

PayPal allows you to make a limited amount of transfers between accounts without incurring the normal fees. You can transfer up to $500 per month for free to family and friends, or to another PayPal account that you own. You can also transfer any amount to your bank or credit card account without charge as long as the account is linked to your PayPal account.

PayPal to PayPal

  1. Log in to your PayPal account and select the “Send Money” tab.

  2. Enter the email address of the PayPal account to which you are transferring the money.

  3. Enter the amount you wish to transfer.

  4. Select the “I’m sending money to family or friends” option.

  5. Click “Continue” to review the transaction details, and then click “Send Money” to complete the transfer.

PayPal to Bank

  1. Log in to your PayPal account and hover your mouse over the “Withdraw” option.

  2. Select “Transfer to Bank Account.”

  3. Enter the amount you want to transfer, and then choose a bank or credit card account from the drop-down list.

  4. Click “Continue” to review the transaction details, and then click “Submit” to complete the transfer.

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How to send money with paypal for free

  • PayPal is a secure, free way to send or receive money quickly.
  • To send money on PayPal, both people need (free) PayPal accounts.
  • Once you have an account, it's just a matter of using the "Send & Request" feature on the site or app.
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You might know PayPal as a secure way to pay for purchases online, but it's also a secure way to exchange money.

"Exchanging money" sounds very serious, but it's a useful service for day-to-day transactions like paying your part of a group dinner at a restaurant, giving your teenager some cash to see a movie, or even paying the babysitter (provided they agree!). PayPal is encrypted for security, and provides constant transaction monitoring to watch out for fraud.

To send money through PayPal, both parties — that is, you and the person you're sending money to, or requesting money from — will need to have PayPal accounts, which are free and easy to set up through the PayPal website.

In order to send or receive money through the PayPal system, you'll need to follow a few simple steps.

How to send money on PayPal

1. Visit PayPal.com to set up an account.

2. Click 'Sign Up' in the upper-right-hand corner to be directed to the account creation page. From there, you'll need to pick from a personal or business account.

Create your account, including picking out a password and linking your PayPal account to your checking account or credit cards. PayPal

3. Create your account, including picking out a password and linking your PayPal account to your checking account or credit cards. Once you create your account, you'll be sent to the homepage.

Click "Send & Request" from the top menu bar to send money to someone (or request it). PayPal

4. Click "Send & Request" from the top menu bar to send money to someone (or request it).

5. Type in the name, email address or phone number of the person you wish to send money to. Keep in mind that in order for a PayPal transaction to occur, the person you want to send cash to needs to have a PayPal account, as well.

Type in the name, email address or phone number of the person you wish to send money to. PayPal

6. Type the amount you wish to send in the first box, and pick from sending to a friend (which is free to use your bank or current PayPal balance to send to family or friends in the U.S.) or click "Change" to pay for an item or service (in which case the seller would pay a fee).

You can also add a note in the "add note" section, if you'd like. Click continue after filling in all of your information. 

Type the amount you wish to send in the first box. PayPal

7. Your next step will be the "How do you want to pay?" screen. You can pick from a linked checking account (which is free), or a credit card, which will come with a fee. You can also add new accounts on this page as needed. When you've picked your payment method, click next. 

8. A confirmation page will appear with your fee, who you're sending payment to and how you're sending it. Click "send payment now" to have PayPal send the money to your contact's PayPal account.

9. You will receive an email from the account with the information regarding your transaction. Keep this email in case you need it for any future reference.

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Cheryl Lock is a personal-finance writer whose work has appeared in Woman's Day and Parents as well as online at USA Today, Forbes, and MarketWatch. She lives in Denver with her husband and two daughters. Follow her on Twitter at @CMLock42 and on LinkedIn.

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Is it free to pay a friend on PayPal?

Friends and Family payments can be made to anyone in the U.S. for free (from your bank account or PayPal). If you are sending money internationally, you may be charged a transaction fee equal to 5% of the send amount (up to $4.99 USD).

Why is PayPal charging me a fee to send money to a friend?

When sending money via “friends and family”, if the person sending the money is using a credit or debit card then the payor is charged a 2.9% fee with the option to pass that fee on to the recipient of the money. If the payor is paying from their bank account, they can send money to anyone in the US for no fee.

How much does it cost to send $100 via PayPal?

PayPal's payment processing rates range from 1.9% to 3.5% of each transaction, plus a fixed fee ranging from 5 cents to 49 cents. The exact amount you pay depends on which PayPal product you use. A $100 transaction will cost between $2 and $3.99.