Important steps to take before you delete your PayPal account
If you’ve decided to close your PayPal account, here are some steps you should take. Remember — once the account has been deleted, you cannot restore it or retrieve transaction history.
- Withdraw your money. You can only close your personal PayPal account if you don’t have money in the account. Transfer your remaining balance to your other PayPal or bank account, or contact customer service to have a check issued for the remaining balance.
- Pay off balances. If you still have pending payments or other unresolved issues in your account, resolve them. PayPal customer support may help you here.
- Cancel recurring payments. If you have recurring payments or subscriptions from your PayPal account, make sure to suspend them.
- Duplicate your PayPal transaction history. Make a copy of your past PayPal transactions in case you need them in the future. The transaction history will be deleted once you close the account.
Be sure to go over these steps when closing your PayPal account to avoid inconvenience once the account is permanently closed.
How to delete PayPal account on desktop
If you’ve decided to move from PayPal to another payment platform for security reasons and to avoid PayPal scams, or you want to close an old PayPal business account, remember a few things. Once it is gone, it is gone for good, including your transaction history. When you close your old account, you can create a new PayPal account with a different or the same email address and continue running your online payments through PayPal.
Follow these simple steps to delete your personal account permanently. It will take just a few minutes.
- Head to the PayPal website.
- Click “Settings.”
- Look for “Account options” and click “Close your account.”
- Enter your PayPal account if requested.
- Click “Close account.”
That’s it — your PayPal account is closed!
How to delete a PayPal account from a mobile app
After making a copy of your transaction history and taking care of any outstanding balances and pending payments, you can also close a PayPal account from a mobile app. If you want to delete your account from your mobile PayPal app, follow these steps:
- Find the profile icon on the top left.
- Look for “Close your account.”
- Tap “Close account.”
You’ve deleted your PayPal account successfully! Create a new account or move to another platform now.
What happens when you delete a PayPal account?
After you close your PayPal account, there’s no way back. All the information associated with your account, such as transaction history and PayPal balance, will be permanently deleted from PayPal servers and you will not be able to restore it. Therefore, it is important that you make a copy of the essential information in your account before closing it.
Moreover, PayPal doesn’t automatically cancel any subscriptions or recurring payments to third parties, so make sure to contact them and balance all the agreements. Once the account is closed, you cannot send money or receive it in the account.
Can I reopen a closed PayPal account?
Once you close your PayPal account, you cannot reopen it.
Paypal alternatives
If, for whatever reason, you’ve decided to leave PayPal, you can use other ways to pay safely. Discover reliable alternative apps to use for your business or personal online transactions. Here are the most popular:
- Stripe. It is a payment gateway for businesses. It is easy to set up, offers competitive pricing, and has many features to up your banking experience.
- Square. It is a popular online payment platform for small businesses offering competitive pricing. Square allows you to make contactless and in-person payments.
- Skrill. It is a digital wallet allowing its customers to make seamless online transactions. It is available in over 200 countries and provides service at competitive prices.
- Wise. It is a payment gateway for sending and receiving money and international transactions. It offers reasonable exchange rates and low maintenance fees.
- Payoneer. It is a payment platform great for business transactions and personal use. This easy-to-set-up payment service provider is popular among online sellers and offers reasonable service fees.
- Venmo. It is a mobile payment app for sending and receiving money from friends or family. Venmo is easy to use, lets users share notes and messages with payments, and has other convenient features.
These are just a few of the most popular and reliable payment service providers. When choosing an alternative to PayPal personal or business account, look for a payment gateway that offers competitive service fees and exchange rates, has convenient features, and is easy to set up.
