Friends and Family

[Zuppa2020]

Hi,

Why Can't I find the "Friends and Family" category for when I want to send a payment? It is not under the "send" button or anywhere.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @RMcMurtry,

Thank you for your reply! Sorry to hear about the frustration you've experienced. I'm happy to answer your questions.

The information given included information regarding the country in case it turned out that their country was the issue. Only general information can be provided in the public forum, and sometimes that means a little guesswork to drill down to the nature of the problem when answering. Apologies if that information caused any confusion because it does not apply to your specific situation. 

You do not need to add money to your PayPal account prior to sending a payment. When you set up the selections in the payment, the payment options that you've linked/confirmed in your Wallet will be visible as payment methods and you can choose the one that you want.

When you are setting up the payment, there may only be the one option if the recipient has a Business account, because Business accounts may not receive Friends and Family payments. If there are two options, the one that offers Purchase Protection is the Goods and Services option, and the one that states that the payment does not have protection is the Family and Friends option. Again, as @PayPal_JonK described, if the recipient is unable to receive Friends and Family payments due to their account settings or requirements, there will not be a Friends and Family option.

To determine if you have a Personal or Business account, check your settings in your PayPal account by clicking the gear in the upper right hand corner after logging in. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and check to see if there's an option to upgrade your account. If there is, you have a Personal account. However, the type of account you have is not the factor that will matter for this question, only the recipient's account.

I hope this helps clarify!

Olivia

[RMcMurtry]

I just tried to send $5.00 to Frank [removed].   The page shows his name, the $5,00, the USD, and a note "+ What's this payment for" with a gift box to the right.    There is no option for Friends and Family.  I just received money from his account.

I clicked on the gear icon.  I see no message about upgrading and no option to downgrade.   How do I request downgrading to personal?

my account is linked to my debit card.  Is that a problem?

Richard

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @RMcMurtry, welcome back! I'm sorry to hear there's still some confusion on sending a Friends and Family payment. 

You're on the right track! You should see the option to choose Friends & Family OR Goods & Services after you enter in the amount you're going to send and click Continue.

If you do not see the option to choose Friends and Family at that point, it is normally not because of your PayPal account, but the receiver's PayPal account. 

Only having a debit card linked to your account should not be a problem. You should still see both options when sending the payment if the receiver can accept them.

If you're still unsure which PayPal account you have, please reach out to our Customer Support teams for assistance. However, just to reiterate, both US Business and Personal accounts have the option to SEND Friends & Family payments. 

Thanks again for your time and good luck!

 - Jon K

[Turbo0522]

Yes, I agree, I cannot find a single answer that helps.  Everything is about another country when we are all in the US and sending within the US.  Does anyone have a dang answer?!!!!

[DBradley]

Thank you. I was looking all over for it. I guess I'll be going to Venmo. 😛

[sandy65illinois]

Why cant I find the friends and family option?

[kernowlass]

@sandy65illinois 

If you take the time to actually read the thread you will see its no longer available on business accounts.

[sandy65illinois]

It is not a business account, it is my personal account

[kernowlass]

@sandy65illinois 

Then it would be helpful to post with your personal account and not your business account if you want accurate advice.

We always click on your name to check the country you are in as paypal is country specific and check account type as the answer often depends on knowing those 2 things. You are posting with a business account hence my answer.

[skadizzle]

I am having the same issue. I have sent money to a friend every month with no issue before, but now it is automatically charging it as a Goods and Services. Both him and I have personal accounts and we are both in the US so there should be no reason it doesnt work. It also only does it for this one person.