PayPal lets you pay credit card bills from participating card issuers directly through your PayPal account

If your credit card issuer works with PayPal, you can set up a bill payment through PayPal's payment system instead of logging into your card's website or calling the issuer's phone line. PayPal acts as an intermediary — it receives your payment instruction, processes the money from your PayPal balance or linked bank account, and sends it to your card issuer on your behalf. This works only if your specific card issuer has partnered with PayPal; not all do.

The payment still goes to your card issuer's account, not to PayPal. PayPal does not hold the money or decide when it arrives. Your card issuer controls the posting date, which typically takes one to three business days from when PayPal sends it, depending on the issuer's processing speed.

Key Takeaways

  • You can only pay a credit card bill through PayPal if your card issuer has partnered with PayPal — check your card issuer's website or call their customer service to confirm.
  • PayPal pulls the payment amount from your PayPal balance first, then from a linked bank account if your balance is too low.
  • The payment reaches your card issuer in one to three business days, but posting to your account may take longer depending on the issuer.
  • You set up the payment once and can schedule it to repeat monthly, or you can make one-time payments whenever you choose.

Which credit card issuers accept PayPal bill payments

Major card issuers including Chase, Bank of America, Citi, Discover, and American Express have PayPal partnerships, but the partnership does not always include bill payment. Some issuers allow it; others do not. The only way to know for certain is to check your card issuer's website or call their customer service line and ask whether they accept bill payments through PayPal.

If your issuer does not currently support PayPal bill payments, you can still pay your bill through the issuer's own website, mobile app, or by phone. PayPal is one option among several, not the only way to pay.

How to set up a credit card payment through PayPal

Log into your PayPal account and navigate to the Bills section, usually found under the Money or Wallet menu depending on whether you use the website or mobile app. Select the option to add a bill or pay a bill. PayPal will ask you to enter your credit card account number and the card issuer's name.

PayPal will then verify that your card issuer participates in bill payments. If the issuer is not found or does not support this service, PayPal will tell you at this step. If verification succeeds, you can enter the payment amount and choose a payment date. You can schedule the payment to go out when ready or on a specific date you select.

For recurring payments, PayPal lets you set up a monthly schedule. You choose the day of the month and the amount, and PayPal will send that payment on that schedule unless you cancel it. You can change or stop a recurring payment at any time through your PayPal account settings.

Where PayPal pulls the money from

When you authorize a credit card payment through PayPal, the money comes from your PayPal balance first. If your PayPal balance is not large enough to cover the full payment, PayPal will pull the remaining amount from your linked bank account or debit card, whichever you have set as your default funding source.

You can change your funding source before you make the payment. In your PayPal account settings, you can choose which bank account or card PayPal should use. This is useful if you want to pay from a specific account or if one account has insufficient funds.

How long it takes for the payment to reach your card issuer

PayPal typically sends the payment to your card issuer within one business day of when you authorize it. However, your card issuer may take an additional one to two business days to receive and post the payment to your account. The total time from authorization to posting is usually one to three business days, though some issuers are slower.

If you schedule a payment for a future date, PayPal sends it on that date, not before. If you schedule a payment for a weekend or holiday, PayPal sends it on the next business day. Check your card issuer's website or statement to confirm when the payment posted to your account, since that is the date that matters for your billing cycle and due date.

Fees and costs

PayPal does not charge a fee to pay your credit card bill through their system. The payment is free. Your card issuer also does not charge a fee for receiving a PayPal payment, since it is treated like any other bill payment.

However, if PayPal pulls the payment from a linked credit card rather than from your bank account or PayPal balance, your credit card issuer may charge a cash advance fee or treat it as a cash advance, which can carry a higher interest rate. To avoid this, make sure your PayPal funding source is set to your bank account or debit card, not a credit card.

What to do if your card issuer does not support PayPal bill payments

If your card issuer does not work with PayPal, you have other ways to pay your bill. You can pay directly through your card issuer's website or mobile app, which is usually the fastest and most direct route. Most issuers let you set up recurring payments this way as well.

You can also pay by phone by calling your card issuer's customer service number, which is printed on your statement. Some issuers allow automatic payments from your bank account, which you can set up through their website. If you prefer to use PayPal for other reasons, you could transfer money from PayPal to your bank account and then pay your card issuer from that account, but this adds an extra step and may take longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does paying my credit card through PayPal affect my credit score?

No. Your credit score is based on your payment history with your card issuer, not on how you send the payment. Whether you pay through PayPal, your issuer's website, or by check, the issuer records it the same way. What matters is that the payment reaches your issuer by the due date.

Can I pay multiple credit cards through one PayPal account?

Yes. You can add multiple bills to your PayPal account, including credit cards from different issuers. Each bill is tracked separately, and you can set different payment amounts and schedules for each one.

What happens if I schedule a payment but then cancel it?

If you cancel before PayPal sends the payment, the payment does not go through and no money leaves your account. If you cancel after PayPal has already sent it to your card issuer, the payment cannot be stopped — it will reach your issuer as scheduled. Contact your card issuer if you need to reverse a payment that has already been sent.

Is it safe to give PayPal my credit card account number?

PayPal uses encryption and security measures to protect your account information. Your card account number is stored securely and is only used to route payments to your card issuer. However, if you are uncomfortable storing your card details in PayPal, you can pay your card bill directly through your issuer's website instead.

Can I use PayPal to pay a credit card bill if I do not have a PayPal balance?

Yes. PayPal will pull the payment from your linked bank account or debit card if your PayPal balance is too low. You do not need to keep money in PayPal to make a bill payment — the funding source is flexible.