How to Add Funds to a Prepaid Card With PayPal

You can transfer funds from your PayPal account to your prepaid card using a variety of methods. Which one you choose depends on how soon you need the funds and how much you are willing to pay in fees. Sending funds using direct deposit is free. However, if you withdraw funds using your PayPal Debit MasterCard, you may encounter ATM or cash advance fees. PayPal charges $1.50 to send you a check, as of publication. These fees are in addition to any your prepaid card may charge you to load your prepaid card.

PayPal lets you link bank accounts to your PayPal account. Although your prepaid card is not technically a bank account, it comes with a routing number and account number. These numbers allow you to set up direct deposit on your card. For example, you would provide the routing and account numbers to your employer to have your paycheck deposited onto your prepaid card each pay day. Similarly, provide these numbers to PayPal to link your prepaid card as a bank account. After it is linked, you can withdraw funds from your PayPal balance to your card.

If PayPal issued you a PayPal Debit MasterCard, you can use this card to withdraw funds from your PayPal account. You can do this at an ATM or as a cash advance at your bank. Take the withdrawn cash and load your prepaid card through one of the deposit methods allowed by your card issuer. Although deposit methods vary between prepaid cards, common ones include loading the card at an approved retailer, through MoneyGram or Western Union, or using a reload pack.

You can also withdraw funds from your PayPal account by requesting a check from PayPal. Cash the check and load the funds onto your card through one of the allowed deposit methods.

The quickest way to load funds onto your prepaid card is through the PayPal Debit MasterCard since it gives you instant access to your PayPal balance. You can load your prepaid card immediately after withdrawing the funds using an ATM or cash advance. In contrast, it can take up to four business days to receive the funds if you withdraw them using direct deposit. A check withdrawal takes longest since you may end up waiting two or more weeks for the check to arrive in the mail.