What a PayPal QR code does
A PayPal QR code opens your PayPal.Me page in one scan. The payer sees your name and photo, the amount if you set one, and pays from their PayPal balance, bank or card on their own phone. You don’t need a card reader, and they don’t have to type an email address correctly.
Freelancers put them on invoices, musicians on gig flyers, charities on donation posters, and small sellers on market stalls and order slips.
How to make a PayPal QR code
- Check that Payment and PayPal are selected. This page loads the Payment type with PayPal chosen.
- Enter your PayPal.Me name. Type the part after paypal.me/, or paste the whole link.
- Add an amount, or leave it open. A fixed amount suits a set price; an open one suits tips, donations and invoices that vary.
- Make it yours. The PayPal logo is already in the middle. Pick colours and add a frame such as “Pay with PayPal”.
- Scan it, then download or save. Scan the code with your own phone and check your name appears. Then download it, or save it as a dynamic code to your free account.
Design and print tips
- Print your name beside the code. Payers can match it with the name PayPal shows before they pay.
- Say what the payment is for. “Pay for your order” or “Support the band” gets more scans than a bare code.
- Make tampering obvious. Print the code into the sign or invoice, or put it behind a clear cover, so nobody can stick their own code on top.
- Size it for the distance. 2.5 cm suits an invoice or card, 3 to 4 cm a counter sign, and 20 cm or more a poster read from 2 metres away.
Static or dynamic?
Either works
A static code holds your PayPal.Me link directly and works with nothing in between. Choose dynamic if the amount or the account might change, or to see how many people scan each sign; you can change it later without reprinting, and it never expires.