If you’re looking to set up a PayPal account in South Africa, we have all the information that you need here. You can open a Personal or Business Account with PayPal and use it to pay online, send and receive money, shop online and much more!
STEP 1: Go to www.paypal.com
- Go to paypal.com
- You can also go to paypal.com from a search engine or an email link, but you should always make sure you’re on the correct site before sharing your personal information with anyone.
STEP 2: Click “Sign Up”
You should be taken to a new page where you have to choose between a Personal or Business Account. Click on the button that applies to you and you will be taken further through the signup process.
STEP 3: Choose your account (Personal or Business Account) and then click “Continue”
Once you’ve registered, PayPal will ask you to choose your account type. This will be either Personal or Business. Choosing a personal account is free, but there are some limitations: you can’t accept payments online and will have to wait for people to send money via e-mail or phone transfer.
Choosing a business account gives you access to extra features: the ability to accept payments online, as well as having a branded website where clients can send their orders directly (and this branded website has no monthly fee). However, there’s one catch—in order to open a business account and get these features, they’ll charge you R25 per month!
STEP 4: Enter your mobile number and click “Continue”
You will be asked to enter your mobile number and click “Continue”. Make sure you enter the correct number, as you will receive a text message containing an activation code. Enter this code into PayPal and continue with the verification process by clicking “Continue” again. You may now choose how often you want to receive notifications from PayPal by selecting one of two options: either on my device or via email (we recommend setting this up so that they are sent directly to your phone). The service also offers two other methods of verification: sending a photo of yourself holding up your ID document or entering bank account information into their system so they can verify it’s legit—both options require uploading photos as proof that these things have been done correctly; however, we recommend using your mobile number instead!
STEP 5: Enter the code sent to your mobile phone number via SMS, and then click “Submit Code” to verify it
The 5th step is to enter the code sent to your mobile phone number via SMS, and then click “Submit Code” to verify it. You can find this code in the SMS message that PayPal sends you on your mobile phone number.
If you do not get an SMS message with the verification code, please contact support@paypal.com or call them at +1-888-221-1161 (available 24 hours a day).
If you do not get an SMS message with a verification code but still want to open a new account, go ahead and fill out all information above again except for cell phone number – leave it blank!
STEP 6: Fill in your personal details,
Fill in your personal details, including first name, last name and email address. The password you choose should be at least 8 characters long, and contain at least one uppercase letter and one number. Tick the box to agree to the terms and conditions and then click “Agree and Create Account”
PayPal South Africa only has a Personal Account option
PayPal South Africa only has a Personal Account option. You can open this account by following the steps below.
- Go to https://www.paypal.com/za/.
- Click Sign Up at the top of the page, then select ‘Personal’ from the dropdown menu and click Continue.
- Enter your personal details: name, email address and password, phone number (optional), birthdate (optional), country/region where you live, verify your mobile number and agree to PayPal’s terms and conditions (which are basically just legal mumbo jumbo).
