Paypal.me

This PayPal.Me review covers what the link is, how to create one, the fees for friends and for business, where it fits and where it falls short. PayPal.Me is not a separate app: it is a feature of every PayPal account. You pick a username, get a link such as paypal.me/yourname, and share it. The person who opens the link sees your name and photo and can send money in a few clicks, without needing your email address or mobile phone number. The money lands in your PayPal balance.

What is PayPal.Me used for?

PayPal.Me is used to receive money with a single link. Typical uses are splitting a dinner or a trip with friends, collecting a deposit, taking tips or donations on a social profile, and letting a freelance client pay a small invoice. Because the link can carry an amount, it also works as a quick way to request money: paypal.me/yourname/25 asks for 25 in your default currency, and paypal.me/yourname/25AUD asks for 25 Australian dollars.

For a small business, a PayPal.Me link is the simplest way to get paid without a checkout, a website or a payment integration. It is not a store, a subscription system or an invoicing tool, so it covers one-off sales rather than a full sales process.

Key features

• One personalized link per account: choose a username once and share the link in messages, email signatures, bios or a QR code.
• Request a specific amount: add the amount, and optionally a currency code, to the end of the link.
• Works with any PayPal account: a personal account can receive money from friends and for goods and services; a PayPal business account can only accept goods and services.
• Profile page: payers see your name and photo, so they can check they are paying the right person.
• Turn it off: you cannot delete or rename a link, but you can switch off My Link in your account settings so it stops accepting money.
• PayPal balance and app: received money goes to your PayPal balance, where you can spend it, send money on, or transfer it to your bank account from the PayPal app or website.

PayPal.Me pricing

Creating a PayPal.Me link is free. What you pay depends on who is paying and for what. The figures below come from PayPal's consumer fees page (last updated May 19, 2026) and merchant fees page (last updated September 1, 2026), for US accounts.

• Friends and family, funded by PayPal balance or bank: no fee to send, no fee to receive when no currency conversion is involved.
• Friends, funded by a debit or credit card: the sender is charged 2.90% plus a fixed fee (USD 0.30).
• Goods and services: the receiver is charged 2.99% plus 0.49 USD each time. For example, on 100 USD that is 3.48 USD.
• International payments: money sent to friends abroad costs 5.00% (minimum 0.99 USD, maximum 4.99 USD); commercial transactions add 1.50% on top of the domestic rate.
• Currency conversion: 3.00% to 4.00% on top, depending on the payment.
• Withdrawals: a standard transfer to your bank is free; an instant transfer costs 1.75% of the amount, with a minimum and maximum fee.

The cost surprise to check is who pays the fee. Money between friends is free when funded from a balance or bank, but a customer paying for a product or service should use goods and services, and then the receiver pays the fee. Sending abroad and currency conversion can add several percent more, so check the fee before you quote a price to a customer abroad.

How to create a PayPal.Me link and request money

Sign up for a free PayPal account or log in, open PayPal.Me or your account settings, and click Create. Choose a username: it becomes your link and cannot be changed later, so pick one you will keep. Add a photo, click to agree to the PayPal.Me terms and conditions, which cover personal and commercial use, and share the link. PayPal's FAQ also lists which names PayPal users may not pick for a link. To ask for a specific amount, add it to the end of the link. A payer opens the link, enters the amount and clicks Send, so the payment goes directly to your balance. To stop receiving money, turn off My Link; the link stays connected to your account but no longer accepts money.

Friends and family vs goods and services: seller protection

When someone pays through your PayPal.Me link, they click either friends and family or goods and services. The choice matters for fees and for security. Friends and family is meant for people you know and carries no fee when funded from a balance or bank. Goods and services payments cost the receiver a fee, but they are the payment type PayPal's buyer and seller protection applies to. Paying a stranger or a seller that way to avoid the fee removes that protection, and it is a common pattern in scams. A PayPal business account can only accept goods and services, so a customer paying a business is always covered by the commercial rules.

Where PayPal.Me shines — and where it falls short

Strengths:

• Free to create, and set up in minutes from an existing PayPal account.
• Easy for payers: one link, no email address or phone number needed.
• Money from friends, sent from a balance or bank, costs nothing.
• Works in many countries and currencies.

Trade-offs:

• One link per account, and the username cannot be changed.
• Goods and services cost the receiver 2.99% plus a fixed fee.
• Sending abroad and currency conversion are expensive.
• No checkout, cart, subscriptions or product catalog.

How PayPal.Me compares

• Stripe: payment links, checkout and subscriptions for a business, with developer tools.
• Gumroad: sell digital products with a storefront; the platform handles tax.
• Payhip: a shop for digital products, courses and memberships.
• Podia: courses, downloads and a community with built-in payments.
• Venmo, Zelle, Cash App and Wise cover personal and international transfers, but they have no pages on LowCodeDevs.

Is PayPal.Me worth it?

PayPal.Me is worth it if you already have a PayPal account and want the simplest way to get paid by friends or occasional clients. Between friends it is free, and for small one-off sales the goods and services fee is predictable. It is the wrong tool once you sell regularly: a store, subscriptions, tax handling and a checkout call for Stripe, Gumroad or a similar platform. If you want help building a real checkout or payment flow, the no-code agencies and developers on LowCodeDevs can take it on.

Sources

• PayPal consumer fees: personal, international, withdrawal and conversion fees (updated May 19, 2026).
• PayPal merchant fees: goods and services and international commercial rates (updated September 1, 2026).
• PayPal.Me frequently asked questions: links, usernames, amounts and account types.
• What is PayPal.Me, Wise: a guide to the link and its international fees (written by a competitor).