‘Tis the season for buying massive amounts of things online, and for many of us that means using PayPal an awful lot. Whether you’re new to the payment platform or an experienced veteran, there are always questions to be asked.

Perhaps you’re trying to send money, or maybe you’ve requested a refund but don’t know how long it takes? Whatever you question is, there’s a guide out there to help you. Unfortunately, to date no one page has pulled together all the frequently asked PayPal questions into one place.

That is, until now. In this guide, we’re going to share with you those questions and their answers. So let’s get started.

Q: How can I link my credit or debit card to my PayPal account?

A: Linking a credit or debit card to your PayPal account means you can instantly pay for things online without having to enter your card details every time. It also means you get the protections offered by PayPal. However, if you don’t know how to link the two, follow these steps:

• Log in to your PayPal account on a computer
• Click ‘Wallet’ at the top of the page
• Click ‘+ link a card of bank’
• Click ‘Link a debit or credit card’
• Fill in your card details
• Click ‘Link card’

In some cases, PayPal will ask you to verify whether you’re the card owner, if you see a ‘confirm credit card’ link in the card section of your PayPal wallet, follow the steps to confirm your card.

Q: How can I cancel a payment that I’ve already sent?

Unfortunately, only payments that are sent to unregistered or unconfirmed email addresses or mobile numbers can be cancelled after sending. They will have an ‘unclaimed’ status and will show up in the ‘pending’ section of your PayPal account. To cancel a payment like this, just click the ‘cancel’ link next to it.

Alternatively, if your payment has been sent and confirmed, you can request a refund through PayPal. Simply contact the other party and request a refund.

Q: Is there a fee for using PayPal?

A: There are no fees for setting up a PayPal account or sending money. However, there are fees for receiving money through PayPal in certain regions. In the UK, these fees don’t apply. However, for US readers, you can find out the fees here.

Q: How do I know if an email from PayPal is genuine?

A: Scammers may sometimes create fake emails from PayPal in an attempt to trick you into revealing personal or financial information. These emails will often lead to convincing, fake versions of the official PayPal website. Here’s how to spot a fake email:

• The email is using a generic greeting like ‘Dear User’ or ‘Hello, PayPal member’. Official PayPal emails will always address you by your first and last name, or the business name on your PayPal account.
• The email is asking for financial or other personal information. Real emails from PayPal will never ask for your bank account number debit or credit card number, full name, password or answers to your security questions.
• The email is asking you to provide a tracking number for a dispatched item, before you’ve received the payment into your PayPal account.
• The email includes a software update for your computer.

You can forward emails you’re worried about to spoof@paypal.co.uk. Ensure you delete the email from your inbox afterwards. If you think you’ve fallen prey to a fraudulent email and your account has now been accessed, you should call the PayPal telephone number immediately.

Q: Can I submit a formal complaint to PayPal?

A: Of course, you can submit a formal complaint to PayPal. Here’s how:

• Go to their Help & Contact page
• Near the bottom of that page you’ll find a link saying ‘How to make a formal complaint to PayPal’
• Read the information to find out whether you need to make a formal complaint or not
• If you want to go ahead, click Continue
• Complete the form on the next page and click Send

PayPal aim to respond to all formal complaints within 4 weeks, however this time frame may be extended to 8 weeks if PayPal open an investigation into the issue.

Q: Where is my refund?

You can view the status of any refunds through the Activity section of PayPal. Here’s how:

• Log in to PayPal
• Click ‘Activity’ at the top of the page
• Click ‘Advanced Search’ to see the dropdown menu
• Select ‘Refunds’
• Click the refunded transaction to see more details

Depending on your card issuer, it could be up to 30 days before a refund appears in your account.