Questions about Pay Later Single-Use Virtual Card - In Store and Online

I applied for Pay Later in the PayPal app, was approved, and received a single-use card number. Now what?

Once approved, your single-use virtual card number is immediately available and ready to be added to your Apple or Google Wallet to shop in store, or to be used online by entering the card details at a merchant’s checkout. Once added to your device wallet, you can use it to shop at most places where Mastercard is accepted and leverage your Pay Later loan. To shop online, you can view your card details in the PayPal app and enter the 16-digit card number, expiration date, and security code in the payment fields on the merchant’s website during checkout. Restrictions apply to hotel, airfare, travel aggregator sites, gas stations, as well as other transactions.

The single-use virtual card number is valid for one purchase and must be used within 24 hours of loan approval. If you need to re-access your single-use card information and have not added it to your digital wallet yet, log in to your account with PayPal via the PayPal app or desktop, tap on the Pay Later tile, and then click on your Pay Later plan to view your single-use card information, including the 16-digit card number, expiration date, and security code you need to shop online. If it expires before you use it, you will have to apply for a new loan. Though a soft credit check may be required, there’s no impact on your credit score for applying. If you have already added your single-use number to your digital wallet, you can re-access it by opening your Apple or Google Wallet.
Since Pay Later approval happens before you shop in-store or online, your approved Pay Later amount may be different than the amount you actually spend. Your loan will only be what you spend. For example, if you were approved for $500, but only spent $300 on your transaction using the Pay Later loan’s single-use card number, your loan transaction will be complete, and you will not have an additional $200 to use on another purchase. You would need to apply for another Pay Later loan, be approved, and receive a new single-use card number to make another in-store or online purchase with Pay Later.
If your Pay Later application is unable to be approved, please check your PayPal Message Center for more details. For privacy reasons, only you can see why your application was declined. Our customer service team cannot see your decline explanation reason(s) and cannot review loan applications. If you would like to better understand why you may have been declined and potential ways to improve future eligibility after reviewing your secure message center, visit What are some things I can do that impact my Pay Later eligibility?

How do I re-access my single-use card number after I was approved?

You can re-access the single-use virtual card number from the PayPal app within 24 hours of loan approval. Tap the eye icon on the card image to reveal your full card details – the 16-digit card number, expiration date, and security code – and use the Copy option if you are shopping online.

In order to use your loan and tap to pay in-store, you must add your single-use number to your Google or Apple Wallet. You cannot tap to pay directly from the PayPal app.

Why was my single-use card number declined even though my application was approved?

Single-use card numbers can be declined for the following reasons:

The single-use number has already been used for a purchase.
The attempted transaction was for an amount greater than the approved loan amount.
The single-use card number has expired (24 hours after loan approval).
The single-use number was used for a restricted transaction.
The card number, expiration date, or security code was entered incorrectly at an online checkout.

How do I process a return using my single-use card number?

Returns depend entirely on the merchant’s policy. Please work directly with the store or online merchant to initiate a return.

The impact of a refund on your loan depends on how the merchant issues it. Visit Questions about Pay Later Disputes, Merchant Refunds for more details.