Paypal Inc. SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Paypal Inc.

PPALUS61 and PPALUS61XXX are two ways of writing the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Paypal Inc. in San Jose,ca. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. You will need it mainly for transfers between countries.

On this page you can read what the code is put together, when you need it and what else a transfer to or from Paypal Inc. requires. Remember that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Is PPALUS61 still correct? How to check

Ask the recipient to copy their account details directly from a recent statement. When the code you were given does not match PPALUS61 or PPALUS61XXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Paypal Inc..

If the code is wrong, the payment may be delayed, bounce back or end up costing more, and tracing it can take weeks. Remember the account number: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check in your banking app only tells you that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Some banks now check the payee name against the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. For a first payment, some people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Stay wary when a contact suddenly wants you to send money to another account or a bank in another country. A valid SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account – scammers simply use real codes.

Always confirm a change of bank details by phone. Urgency and requests to keep it quiet tend to be warning signs. Acted too fast? Contact your bank without delay and have them start a recall and report the fraud.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to refund the difference abroad. Do not act before the money has really arrived and check with Paypal Inc. if anything seems off.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and update our list from time to time. Banks reorganise, close branches and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Figures such as the number of codes are from our own dataset and are not confirmed by Paypal Inc..

Treat this page as a starting point, rather than as the last word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay has no connection to Paypal Inc.; we are a comparison site for money transfers. If you notice a mistake, we appreciate a short note via the contact page.

Paying someone abroad from your Paypal Inc. account

The price of a payment abroad has several parts. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can take a cut, and when the money changes currency the bank usually applies a rate below the real market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, not in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate with a margin built in. An easy check: put the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. Before your next transfer, take a minute comparing what arrives on GoldexPay. You can always use your account at Paypal Inc. to fund the transfer.

Paypal Inc.: head office code versus branch codes

Paypal Inc. has 2 separate SWIFT/BIC codes. One of them is the head office code, PPALUS61XXX; the rest belong to branches.

In most cases you do not need to pick a branch: payments sent to PPALUS61XXX are routed within Paypal Inc. without problems. Just use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code.

If you are not sure, check with the recipient which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are more prone to change than the head office code.

What the XXX in PPALUS61XXX means

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with an 8-character core: four letters for the bank, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. The result is PPALUS61 for Paypal Inc..

Many payment forms work with either length. If a form requires eleven characters, use PPALUS61XXX; if it wants eight, use PPALUS61.

Enter the code in one piece, in upper case and without separators. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Tracking a transfer to or from Paypal Inc.

How fast a transfer reaches Paypal Inc. is determined by several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Keep the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it for any trace request.

A delayed transfer is traced from the sending side. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation with the date and reference.

Receiving money from abroad at Paypal Inc.

If you expect a payment from another country, give the sender all details at once. In practice that means: your name as registered with Paypal Inc., your account number or IBAN, the BIC PPALUS61XXX and usually your address.

The sender’s bank may also ask for the address of your bank, in which case the San Jose,ca head office is the usual answer. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks.

An incoming payment will not always land in full. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

US Dollar (USD) and conversion costs

The national currency of United States is the US Dollar (USD). If you send another currency gets converted at some point. There is rarely a separate charge for that conversion – the cost sits in the rate.

Who converts the money makes a difference. Check how much USD arrives with different services.

Rates for USD move all the time. On larger amounts, even small difference in the rate adds up quickly.