Hi Caitlyn1231,
Thank you for contacting the PayPal Community Forum and welcome as a new member!
An eCheque is an electronic money transfer that moves money directly from your bank account, through your PayPal account, into another user's PayPal account. It's just like writing a cheque, only it’s done electronically.
An eCheque payment will always take the full payment amount from your bank account and doesn't use any money from your PayPal balance. eCheque is the only way to send a payment while maintaining your PayPal balance. When you're making a payment we'll show you, under the heading of 'Funding Options', if eCheque is the selected payment method for that transaction. If you want to have the option to send instant payments, you'll need to add a credit or debit card to your account. We'll need a card as a back-up funding source if we can’t get the money from your bank.
eCheques differ from Instant Bank Transfers, as they are not instant payments. With eCheque payments, your bank account will be debited when you begin the transaction. However, the transaction status will remain pending until the recipient receives the money, up to 7 business days later.
- Siobhan
