PayPal FAQ

How do I link my PayPal account?

  1. Complete all identity document verification steps and confirm that your country of residence is correct.

  2.  From your account Settings, select Payment Methods, then Add a Payment Method.

  3. Select PayPal and you'll be prompted to sign in to PayPal.

Important:

  • If your PayPal email does not match your Coinbase email, you'll need to complete two-factor authentication on Coinbase for security purposes. 

  • Your PayPal account’s country must match your Coinbase account’s country. 

  • You can only link your PayPal account to one Coinbase account at a time.    

  • To add a different PayPal account, you must first unlink your previous one on file. 

For US customers, you'll need to have a valid payment method (like a bank account or debit card) linked to your PayPal account to buy cryptocurrency, or add cash through your PayPal account. Prepaid cards, business cards, and credit cards linked to your PayPal account are not currently supported by Coinbase.

If you’d like to change your payment method, you'll first need to unlink your PayPal account from Coinbase.

To unlink your PayPal:

Computer

  1. Settings > Payment Methods > Delete

  2. Log in to PayPal to select another payment method.  

Mobile

  1. Settings > tap on PayPal account > Remove.

  2. Log in to PayPal to select another payment method.  

Can I buy cryptocurrency or add cash using PayPal?

To review the amount limits for PayPal on your account, please visit https://www.coinbase.com/settings/account-levels

The following table lists all supported PayPal transactions by region:

Local Currency

Buy

Add Cash

Cash Out*

Sell*

US

USD

Cryptocurrency

USD

USD

None

EU***

EUR

Cryptocurrency

None

EUR

None

UK**

EUR, GBP

Cryptocurrency

None

EUR, GBP

None

CA

None

None

None

None

CAD

*Cash out refers to a direct cash movement from your cash balance to an external source. Sell refers to an indirect cash movement from a crypto balance to cash, then to an external source.

**Cash out may not be available for all UK customers; Sell will be offered in instances where Cash out is unavailable.

***Not available in all EU countries. We're rolling out PayPal options over the coming weeks.

Why don't I see the option to link my PayPal account?

If you don't see the option to add PayPal as a payment method, this feature is not yet available for your region. As soon as it's ready, you'll receive an email with instructions on how to link your PayPal account.

What if PayPal is declining my transaction?

PayPal may decline the transaction for reasons including, but not limited to, insufficient funds, bank errors, or fraud.  If your payment was not successful, you may try again with a different funding source linked to your PayPal account (instructions are here), or choose another method of payment. You may also reach PayPal support to investigate further here.

Why do I see two transactions in my cash balance?

PayPal only allows cash-to-cash transfers, so the amount of your purchase was added to your Coinbase balance, then immediately used to purchase the same amount’s worth of cryptocurrency. While this happens instantaneously, our goal is to transparently display the movement of your funds.