In this article, I will show you a straightforward way to fund your PayPal account in Nigeria and other restricted countries.
We are all aware of the restrictions placed on Nigerian PayPal accounts, especially concerning ability to receive money from family and friends.
Well, we are still in that boat. Not only us though. Several other restricted countries are.
However, there are ways to receive money through PayPal in Nigeria without having to fund it yourself.
How to Fund Your PayPal Account in Nigeria or any Restricted Country
I will only explain the methods that will allow you to fund your PayPal account and use it for purchases online here or to pay other people.
If however, you want to create a PayPal account that can receive and send money in Nigeria, that’s different. This is a guide.
Link a Card or Local Bank Account to PayPal
I would assume you already have an account with PayPal, which you’re hoping to use for online purchases or checkout. If you don’t, create here.
But the problem is, if you’re using a Nigerian account or any restricted country account, you can’t fund it or add money to your PayPal balance.
However, you can still purchase stuffs online with your bank account through PayPal by linking your debit card or bank account directly.
When this happens, you will be able to pay for your purchases with your debit card, without exposing your card or bank details to the site or merchant you’re dealing with.
Thus, after linking your card, whatever you have in your bank balance, can be used to purchase or checkout through PayPal.
In theory, your bank account balance, now equals your PayPal balance. Meaning, you have funded your PayPal account.
How to Link a Card or Bank to PayPal
- Login to your PayPal account;
- Go to card and banks;
- Choose link a bank or card option (anyone you want);
- Put in your card or bank details, and submit;
- You will be charged about $2.95 in $1 and $1.95 parts;
- In the transaction alert of the $1.95 from your bank, you will see a 4 digit code which you will have to input to verify the card or bank;
- Enter the code to verify and start purchasing!
It is always advisable to have more than $3 in your account when linking it to PayPal so you don’t have a failed transaction or lose money.
$1.95 of the deducted money is refunded immediately you verify the bank or card, while the $1 is not, even if you have insufficient fund for the $1.95.
However, if you mistakenly add your card more that once, all the $1.95 deducted multiple times will be refunded upon successful verification.
Immediately your card or bank is linked, that means you’ve been able to fund your PayPal account. You can now use your card to fund all purchases done using PayPal.
My advice on the best cards to use is prepaid cards. This is because you have access to the transaction details. So you’ll get your code easily.
Whereas, bank debit cards are linked to your account. Transaction alerts of the cards are only available to the banks in most cases. You only see transaction alerts of transactions on your bank account.
When I linked my ALAT debit card, I had to call the bank to get the code, and it was stressful.
However, I will advise you get a UBA Africard (Prepaid Naira). Or any bank that offers a prepaid card in your local currency if you want to send your PayPal balance to yourself.
Why can’t I add money or funds directly to my PayPal account balance?
You won’t be able to add money or funds to your PayPal balance if you reside in a country where the ability to receive funds through PayPal has been turned off.
As a result, you will not have a PayPal.me link and all funds sent to you through your PayPal link or email address will be rejected or not processed.
How to transfer money from bank to PayPal app
Linking your bank account or card does not give you the ability to transfer money directly into your PayPal balance.
Your bank or card is only a source of funds for your purchases, not PayPal balance.
Your balance can only be funded through the ‘send money’ feature.
How to fund PayPal account with Bitcoin
As of today, you can’t fund your PayPal with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other cryptocurrency. However, in some countries like United States, you can use your PayPal balance to buy Bitcoin.
