Get paid on PayPal from a printed code
Enter your PayPal.Me username and this builds a code that opens your PayPal.Me page in the reader's browser or app, with a preset amount already entered if you add one. It turns a market stall, a busking case or an invoice footer into a scan-and-pay point without you reading out a link.
It rides on your public PayPal.Me link, so you need that set up on your PayPal account first — the username is the last part of paypal.me/yourname. The code doesn't move money on its own; it lands the payer on your page where they confirm the amount and send.
Set up PayPal.Me before you generate
PayPal.Me isn't automatic — you claim your link once inside your PayPal account and pick the username. Enter only that username here (the bit after paypal.me/), not the whole URL and not your email. If you haven't claimed a link yet, the code will point at a page that doesn't exist.
Type the username exactly as you registered it, including any capitalisation, so the page resolves cleanly.
How the amount and currency behave
Add an optional amount and the payer's PayPal.Me page opens with that figure pre-filled — they can still edit it. The currency shown generally follows your PayPal account's primary currency, and PayPal converts for a payer paying in another one, applying its own exchange rate and any conversion fee.
So a preset amount is a suggestion in your currency, not a locked cross-border price. For international payers, expect the final figure they see to reflect conversion.
- Amount is pre-filled but editable by the payer.
- Currency tracks your account's default currency.
- Cross-currency payers see PayPal's conversion applied on top.
Friends and family versus goods and services
This is the choice that decides who pays the fee and who's protected. Friends-and-family transfers usually carry no fee (domestically) but give the buyer no purchase protection. Goods-and-services charges the seller a fee but protects the buyer, and it's the correct, compliant choice for actual sales.
The PayPal.Me link itself doesn't hard-set which type is used — the payer often selects it on PayPal's screen. If you're selling, tell buyers to choose goods and services, and never ask a customer to send as friends and family to dodge the fee: it strips their protection and breaches PayPal's rules.
How to make a PayPal payment QR code
- Claim your PayPal.Me link first. Set the link up in your PayPal account if you haven't. Without a claimed username, the code points nowhere.
- Enter the username only. Type the part after paypal.me/, matching your registered capitalisation. Don't paste the full URL or your email into the field.
- Add a preset amount if fixed. Optional. Enter the figure for a set price; leave it blank for tips or donations so the payer chooses. Remember it's shown in your account currency.
- Scan and confirm the page. Open it on a phone and check your PayPal.Me page loads with the right name and amount before you print or publish.
Technical details
- Maximum characters: 2953
- Recommended error correction: M (medium) — a PayPal.Me link is short, so a balanced level already yields a bold, dependable code.
- Payload format: https://www.paypal.me/<username>/<amount> — the amount segment is added only when you set one.
- The link doesn't hard-set friends-and-family versus goods-and-services; the payer usually chooses that on PayPal's own screen.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a PayPal.Me link before making the code?
- Yes. The code opens your public PayPal.Me page, which you claim once inside your PayPal account. Enter only the username — the part after paypal.me/ — not the full URL or your email. Without a claimed link, the code leads to a page that doesn't exist.
- Should payers send as friends and family or goods and services?
- Goods and services for any actual sale — it protects the buyer and is PayPal-compliant, though the seller pays a fee. Friends and family is fee-free domestically but offers no protection and must not be used to dodge fees on a purchase, which breaks PayPal's rules.
- What currency does the amount use?
- Generally your PayPal account's primary currency. A payer in another currency sees PayPal convert the figure at its own rate, with a conversion fee applied. So a preset amount is a suggestion in your currency, not a fixed cross-border price, and the payer can edit it anyway.
- Does scanning the code complete the payment?
- No. It only opens your PayPal.Me page, with the amount pre-filled if you set one. The payer logs in, confirms or edits the figure, and sends. Nothing is charged until they approve it in PayPal, so the code is safe to display in public.
- Can the payer change the amount I preset?
- Yes. The preset figure is a starting suggestion on your PayPal.Me page, not a locked charge — the payer can adjust it before sending. For a strict fixed price, state it clearly on your sign and confirm the received amount rather than relying on the preset.
- Can I update the link or amount after printing?
- No. Both are fixed in the printed pattern, so a new username or price means generating a fresh code. There's no redirect layer behind it to edit — which is also why the scan resolves instantly without any special app.