Credit Cards Can You Use PayPal on Amazon? There are some workaround options for PayPal users By Dawn Papandrea Updated on March 30, 2023 Reviewed by Khadija Khartit Reviewed by Khadija Khartit Khadija Khartit is a strategy, investment, and funding expert, and an educator of fintech and strategic finance in top universities. She has been an investor, entrepreneur, and advisor for more than 25 years. She is a FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 license holder. learn about our financial review board Fact checked by Kiran Aditham In This Article View All In This Article How To Use PayPal on Amazon Which Option Is Best? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Photo: blackCAT/ Getty Images People love to shop on Amazon, and they love to pay with PayPal. However, because Amazon doesn’t directly accept PayPal at checkout, you can't necessarily combine two of your favorite online shopping activities—at least not directly. There are a few loopholes that allow you to pay for Amazon purchases with PayPal, Learn more about four workarounds that let you use your PayPal account for spending on Amazon. Key Takeaways Amazon does not offer PayPal as a payment method at checkout for shoppers.If you want to use your PayPal account to buy items on Amazon, there are a few ways to do it indirectly.PayPal Cash Card, PayPal Key, PayPal credit cards, and purchasing Amazon gift cards using your PayPal account are all options for getting around the no-PayPal-on-Amazon policy. Amazon accepts payments made with Venmo (owned by PayPal). How To Use PayPal on Amazon As mentioned, If you love shopping on Amazon, but haven't been able to make payments using PayPal, there are workarounds. Here are a few options to explore. PayPal Cash Card The PayPal Cash Card is a debit card that allows you to make payments that draw from your PayPal balance. With this card, you can shop online and in stores, as long as the merchant accepts Mastercard payments. (When you apply for the PayPal Cash Card, your regular PayPal account becomes a Cash Plus account, which offers a few additional features.) Note If you’re shopping on Amazon and want to use your PayPal balance for the items, just key in your PayPal Cash Card number (as you would with any credit or debit card), and complete the purchase. PayPal Key Getting PayPal Key is even easier than requesting a PayPal Cash Card in that you don’t have to wait for a plastic card to arrive in the mail. You’ll get a virtual card number that can be used online (again, as long as the merchant accepts Mastercard). The downside is that PayPal Key is not yet available to all PayPal account holders. You can check whether you’re eligible by logging in to your account and seeing whether the PayPal Key option pops up. If so, once you sign up, you’ll get your virtual card details (including the card number, expiration date, and security code), which you can then use when you shop on Amazon. PayPal Credit Cards PayPal offers two co-branded credit cards: the PayPal Cashback Mastercard and the PayPal Extras Mastercard. These are exclusive offers to PayPal account holders and work like any other credit card: You can use them for purchases online or in a store. However, you aren’t actually using your PayPal balance to fund your purchases. Amazon Gift Cards If you purchase Amazon gift cards at a retailer that accepts PayPal and then load the gift card value into your Amazon account, it’s like using PayPal to buy on Amazon (just in a roundabout way). For example, you can go online to BestBuy.com and purchase an Amazon card using your PayPal credit and choose the “pick up in store” option to get the card the same day. You can then redeem the gift card on Amazon and spend it at your leisure. Venmo Venmo is an accepted payment method on Amazon's website and within its app. While Venmo is owned by PayPal, there is no direct method of transferring your PayPal balance to your Venmo balance. One workaround is to link both services to the same checking account, and transfer funds from one service to the other via the account. Which Option Is Best? Although each of the above options provides a way to use PayPal to shop on Amazon, PayPal Key may be the optimal way to go—if you have access to it. PayPal Key This may be the most convenient workaround option because it only requires a couple of clicks, and you can shop just about anywhere and pay with your PayPal balance. Pros You’re getting a virtual card number as a stand-in for your PayPal balance. There is no credit application involved. Cons Not everyone is eligible for PayPal Key. Getting a PayPal Credit Card You’re not paying with your PayPal balance—you’re really just opening up a new credit card. Pros The card offers rewards so you can earn cash back on your Amazon (and other) purchases. Cons Opening a new line of credit may not be ideal for everyone. There could be other rewards cards that better suit your spending style. You’re not actually paying with your PayPal balance. PayPal Cash Card PayPal Cash Card draws from your PayPal account and can be used as a debit card at retailers like Amazon or brick-and-mortar locations that wouldn’t otherwise offer PayPal as a payment option. Pros It’s easy and convenient to apply for and use a PayPal Cash Card. There is no credit check involved. Cons PayPal charges fees to reload cash to the account as well as to make withdrawals from out-of-network ATMs. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What other payment methods does Amazon accept? If none of these options appeals to you, the good news is that Amazon accepts a wide range of payment methods. These include:All major credit cardsAmazon gift cardsJCBNYCESTARChina UnionPay (credit card only)Visa, MasterCard, or American Express prepaid credit or gift cardsFlexible spending accounts (FSA) or health care savings accounts (HSA) for FSA- or HSA-approved itemsSNAP EBT cards from participating statesVenmo Why doesn’t Amazon accept PayPal directly? Although there’s been no official explanation, one can surmise that Amazon doesn’t accept PayPal because the two companies are in some ways competitors. PayPal used to be owned by eBay, which is an Amazon competitor. These days, even though PayPal has split from eBay, Amazon has dipped its toes into the online-payment waters with its Amazon Pay service. How do you transfer money from Amazon to PayPal? Although there is no direct way to transfer money from Amazon Pay to your PayPal account, you could accomplish this in a few steps. Start by withdrawing money from your Amazon Pay account balance into your linked bank account. Next, as long as you link that same bank account to your PayPal one, you can transfer the amount to your PayPal balance. Note that this only applies to funds in an Amazon Pay account—a regular Amazon credit or gift card balance cannot be redeemed for cash. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Venmo. "Bank Accounts & Cards - FAQ: Can I add my PayPal card or PayPal account to Venmo?" Amazon. "Accepted Payment Methods."