PayPal has rolled out a new way to move money that lives right inside your conversations. Instead of hunting for someone’s username or email, you create a single, one-time PayPal Link and drop it into a text, chat, or email. The other person taps it to pay you or to collect money you’re sending. Announced on September 15, 2025, the feature launched first in the United States, with the U.K., Italy, and other markets following soon after.
Here’s the full rundown on how PayPal Links work, what they cost, when they expire, and what the upcoming crypto support (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and PayPal USD) will add.
What Is a PayPal Link?
A PayPal Link is a unique, private web link tied to one specific transaction. You decide the amount and whether you’re sending money or requesting it, and PayPal generates a link you can paste anywhere. Because it’s built for a single payment, the link isn’t a permanent profile page — it does its job once and then goes away.
That’s the key difference from PayPal.Me, the older feature many people already know. A PayPal.Me link is a reusable profile (paypal.me/yourname) that anyone can use to send you any amount at any time. A PayPal Link, by contrast, is generated fresh for each exchange and carries the exact amount and purpose you set. One is a permanent address; the other is a one-time ticket.
PayPal Link vs. PayPal.Me at a Glance
| Feature | PayPal Link | PayPal.Me |
|---|---|---|
| Reusable? | No — one transaction per link | Yes — permanent link |
| Amount set in advance? | Yes | Optional |
| Can send or request? | Both | Mainly receive |
| Expires? | Yes — 10 days if unclaimed | No |
| Best for | Splitting a bill, a quick one-off | A standing “pay me here” link |
How to Create and Share a PayPal Link
The whole flow happens inside the PayPal app. The general steps:
- Open the PayPal app and choose to send or request money.
- Enter the dollar amount and, if you like, a short note describing what it’s for.
- Select the option to create a shareable PayPal Link instead of picking a specific contact.
- Copy the generated link, or share it straight into Messages, WhatsApp, email, or any chat app.
- The other person taps the link, reviews the amount, and completes the payment or claims the money.
Because the link already contains the amount and your details, your contact doesn’t have to type anything in — they just confirm. PayPal describes it as money that “follows your conversations,” which is a fair way to picture it.
A Worked Example
Say you covered a $120 dinner for four friends and want $30 back from each. You open the app, create a request link for $30 with the note “Taco night 🌮,” and paste the same link into your group chat. Each friend taps it, lands on a PayPal page pre-filled with $30, and pays. No usernames, no “what’s your PayPal?” back-and-forth. If one friend forgets, you can send a reminder or cancel that request right from the app.
When Do PayPal Links Expire?
This is the detail that trips people up: a PayPal Link expires 10 days after it’s created if it goes unclaimed. PayPal built in that window as a security measure — a stale link floating around in an old text thread can’t be used indefinitely.
You’re not locked in for those 10 days, either. From the PayPal app you can:
- Send a reminder if someone hasn’t acted on your request yet.
- Cancel the payment or request before it’s claimed.
Once a link is claimed, the money moves and becomes available right away. If 10 days pass with no action, the link simply stops working and any pending send is returned — you’d create a new link to try again.
What Does It Cost?
PayPal Links ride on PayPal’s existing peer-to-peer fee structure rather than adding a new charge. For U.S. personal (friends and family) payments, the long-standing rules apply:
| How the payment is funded | Typical U.S. fee |
|---|---|
| PayPal balance or linked bank account (friends & family) | $0 — free |
| Credit or debit card (friends & family) | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Goods & Services (buying/selling) | 3.49% + $0.49, paid by the seller |
So if a friend sends you $30 from their bank balance, you both pay nothing. If they pay that $30 with a credit card as friends and family, roughly $1.17 in fees applies. Payments marked as Goods & Services cost the receiver more but come with PayPal Purchase Protection — worth it when buying from someone you don’t know. Always confirm current rates in the app, since fee schedules change.
Crypto Support Is Coming: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and PYUSD
The headline-grabbing part is still on the way. PayPal has said it will let users send cryptocurrency — including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), PayPal USD (PYUSD), and other stablecoins — through the same one-to-one payment flow, at least to start in the U.S. The goal is to fold crypto into everyday peer-to-peer transfers so sending digital assets feels as simple as sending dollars through a link.
As of now, that crypto capability is described as coming “soon” and had not fully rolled out at launch. If you hold crypto in PayPal today, keep an eye on the app for when sending it via Links becomes available in your region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the person receiving a PayPal Link need a PayPal account?
You can share a link with anyone who has a device that can open it. To actually claim money or complete a payment, the recipient is guided through PayPal — in practice that usually means signing in to an existing account or setting one up during the process. The link itself works across text, chat, and email regardless of whether they’ve used PayPal before.
Can I cancel a PayPal Link after I send it?
Yes. As long as the link hasn’t been claimed, you can cancel the payment or request directly in the PayPal app. You can also send a reminder if someone’s sitting on your request. After a link is claimed, the transfer is complete and follows PayPal’s normal transaction rules.
What happens if nobody uses the link?
If a PayPal Link goes unclaimed for 10 days, it expires automatically and can no longer be used. Any money you were sending is returned to you, and you’d simply generate a fresh link if you still want to complete the transfer.
How is a PayPal Link different from just sending money the usual way?
Normally you’d search for a person by name, email, or phone number inside PayPal. A Link skips that step — the amount and purpose are baked in, and you share it wherever your conversation already is. It’s especially handy for splitting bills, collecting from people whose contact info you don’t have saved, or one-off requests.
The Bottom Line
PayPal Links turn a payment into something you can paste into any chat — set the amount, share the link, and let your contact tap to pay or collect. The two numbers to remember: there’s no new fee beyond PayPal’s standard P2P rates, and every link expires in 10 days if it isn’t claimed. With Bitcoin, Ethereum, and PYUSD support on the roadmap, the same simple link may soon carry crypto as easily as cash. For quick, conversational money transfers, it’s one of the more genuinely useful additions PayPal has shipped in a while.
WalletWisp is informational and not financial advice. Always confirm current fees, limits, and feature availability directly in the PayPal app before you send money.
