A PayPal.Me link is a personal payment link in the form paypal.me/yourname. Anyone with the link can open it, type an amount and pay you, without knowing your email address or phone number. You create it from PayPal.Me or find it in the Profile section of your PayPal account settings, and PayPal does not charge to set one up.
This guide covers how to create the link, how to ask for a set amount, when a fixed-price payment link suits a seller better, and how to put either one in your bio. The PayPal details come from PayPal's UK Help Centre, checked on 18 October 2026.
How do I create a PayPal.Me link?
- Go to PayPal.Me and log in to your PayPal account. If you do not have one, PayPal says sign-up is free.
- Follow the steps to choose your name and generate your link.
- Copy the link. If you already have one, it is in the Profile section of your account settings.
Choose the name carefully. PayPal says that once your PayPal.Me link is created you cannot delete or change it yourself, and you would need to contact PayPal to ask. A business name or the name customers know you by works better than a nickname.
From PayPal Help Centre, What is PayPal.Me?
How do I request a specific amount?
Add the amount to the end of your link. PayPal's own example is PayPal.Me/DiaRusso/25, which asks for 25 in your default currency. To ask for a particular currency, add its code after the amount, so a UK seller could use paypal.me/yourname/18GBP for £18. The person paying can still see what they are sending before they confirm.
This suits one-off payments such as a deposit, a ticket or splitting a bill, because you send one link and the amount is already filled in. PayPal notes that some countries limit which currencies can be sent, so check the sender can pay in GBP.
Personal or business account, does it matter?
PayPal.Me is open to all account types, but PayPal states that business accounts can only accept Goods and Services payments through it. PayPal's PayPal.Me terms also separate personal use from commercial use, so if you are taking money from customers, set the link up for commercial use and read the PayPal.Me terms. Payments go into your PayPal balance, and you can transfer them to a linked bank account.
Fees depend on the type of payment and where it comes from, and they change. Check PayPal's UK merchant fees if you sell, and its UK consumer fees for personal payments, rather than relying on a figure in a blog post, including this one.
PayPal.Me or a payment link with a fixed price?
PayPal.Me suits "pay me" situations. If you are selling an £18 candle, a checkout link that already shows the product and the price means the buyer does not type anything. PayPal's current tool for this is Payment Links and Buttons, available from a PayPal business account. You can add a product name, description and image, set a fixed price, and share the link on social media, by email or as a QR code, without needing a website.
You may also come across generators that build a PayPal checkout address from your email, a title and a price, including our own free PayPal link generator. Be aware that these use PayPal's older Payments Standard format, which PayPal now lists among its legacy integrations. For a new shop, we recommend PayPal's own Payment Links, and if you do use an older-style link, make a small test purchase with a friend before you rely on it.
| PayPal.Me link | PayPal Payment Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | The payer enters it, or you add a requested amount to the link | A fixed price you set, or an amount the customer enters |
| Product details | No, it is a payment profile | Product name, description and image |
| Best for | Deposits, tips, invoices, splitting costs | Selling one item or a donation with a set amount |
| Where to make it | PayPal.Me | A PayPal business account |
Whichever you use, test the link on your phone before you share it, and check that PayPal shows the right name, amount and currency.
How do I put a PayPal link in my bio?
Instagram lets you add up to five websites to your profile without a Meta One subscription, and TikTok only shows the website link field once an account has 1,000 followers or a Verified Business Account. With limits like these, one link to a link in bio page is usually the neatest way to include a payment option alongside your shop, bookings and contact details. Add a button labelled with what people are paying for, such as "Pay your deposit" or "Buy the candle", and point it at your PayPal link.
Two tips make it work better.
- Shorten the PayPal link first. A short link such as digily.uk/pay-deposit is easier to read in a message, and you can change the PayPal address behind it later without editing every place you shared it.
- Make a QR code that opens your payment link for counters and invoices. Digily Link has a PayPal QR code type on the free plan, which is useful for a market stall or a printed invoice.
The dedicated PayPal block on a link in bio page is a paid feature on Digily Link. On the free plan, an ordinary button linking to your PayPal.Me or payment link does the same job.
Is it safe to share a PayPal.Me link?
Anyone who opens your PayPal.Me link sees your PayPal.Me profile, which can include your name or business name, a photo or logo and the town or city linked to your account. Check those details before sharing the link widely. The link lets people send you money. It does not give anyone access to your account. Before you hand over goods, log in to PayPal directly and confirm the payment appears in your account activity, rather than trusting an email or a screenshot.
Frequently asked questions
Is PayPal.Me free?
PayPal says it does not charge to open an account or to set up a PayPal.Me link. Fees can apply when you receive some types of payment, so check PayPal's UK fees page.
Does the person paying need a PayPal account?
PayPal.Me payments go through PayPal, so the sender pays from a PayPal account, but they do not need the app or your email address. PayPal says they can set up an account if they need one. If customers want to pay by card without an account, PayPal's Payment Links are the better fit.
Can I change my PayPal.Me name?
Not yourself. PayPal says a PayPal.Me link cannot be deleted or changed once created, and you would need to contact PayPal. Sharing a short link that points to it means you can switch to a different payment link later without changing what you printed.
Can I add an amount in pounds?
Yes. Add the amount and the currency code to the end of the link, for example paypal.me/yourname/18GBP.
Want a payment button on your bio page? See how a Digily Link link in bio page works.
