PayPal allows you to shop from thousands of online shops and e-commerce websites without sharing your personal payment information, like your credit or debit card. However, a few retailers don't support PayPal payments, with e-commerce giant Amazon being the most prominent. There are workarounds for using your PayPal account while checking out from Amazon. Whether you want to buy one of the best fitness trackers or the top mobile phones, here's how to use PayPal on Amazon to make payments and buy products.

Why doesn't Amazon support direct PayPal payments?

There is no definite answer, but we can make an educated guess based on the company's history and current situation. Since PayPal is one of the most popular online payment services, it makes sense for Amazon to accept PayPal payments. However, the company has refrained from doing so for two main reasons:

• PayPal came into existence in 2000 with the merger of X.com and Confinity and quickly became the favorite payment channel for eBay shoppers. eBay acquired PayPal in 2002, after which the payment company remained its subsidiary until 2015. Since eBay was Amazon's biggest competitor in the early stages, there was no way Amazon was using its competitor's payment service.
• While PayPal became independent in 2015, Amazon had developed its own payment service, Amazon Pay. Now, Amazon doesn't want to pay fees to an outside company when it can handle the transactions in-house.

These are the main reasons Amazon doesn't support PayPal and might never do so.

How to use PayPal on Amazon

While Amazon doesn't support PayPal payments during its checkout process, here are methods you can use to pay for Amazon purchases via PayPal:

• Use a PayPal Cash Card or Business Debit Mastercard.
• Use the PayPal Credit card.
• Buy an Amazon Gift card from marketplaces like Best Buy, where PayPal is accepted, and use it to top-up your Amazon Pay balance.

Use PayPal debit cards to pay on Amazon

The best way to use PayPal on Amazon is to use the PayPal debit card. Then, you can spend your PayPal balance anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Since Amazon Pay supports debit and credit card payments, you can use the PayPal debit card to pay on Amazon. Since it is a physical debit card, you can use it to pay in offline stores, restaurants, and cafes. There isn't a monthly fee for card maintenance, so you don't need to spend anything to get a PayPal debit card.

All you need is a PayPal Balance account. You can apply for the card from the PayPal app or website.

When you get your PayPal debit card, use the steps below to add it to your Amazon account and use it.

1. Launch Amazon.com in a browser and log in with your account information.
2. Click the Accounts & Lists option in the upper-right corner.

   

3. Click the Your Payments section.

   

4. Click the Add your card button and add your PayPal debit card.

Now, when making purchases on Amazon, you can use your PayPal debit card as a funding source.

Use PayPal Credit cards

PayPal also offers a PayPal Cashback Mastercard credit card to eligible users. It is powered by the Mastercard network. This means you won't have an issue adding and using them on Amazon. Go to PayPal Cashback Mastercard on the web, check its benefits, and apply for one. You can earn 3% unlimited cash back and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases, and it comes with no annual fees. Besides, it won't impact your credit score even if the credit card application is declined.

If you are approved and get the card, you can use the same steps to add it to your Amazon account.

Use PayPal to buy Amazon gift cards

If you are not eligible for a PayPal debit or credit card or cannot wait until it's delivered, use this method to use PayPal on Amazon. It's a two-step method. You'll buy an Amazon gift card from a website that supports PayPal and then add the gift card to Amazon to pay for products.

While several gift card websites offer this facility, we feel BestBuy is the best option. It's a trusted website, and it doesn't charge the high transaction fees that other gift websites seem to charge when buying Amazon gift cards.

1. Open BestBuy's website in a browser.
2. Use the search bar to search for Amazon gift card.

   

3. Choose the amount and click the Add to cart button.

   

4. Open the cart and choose the PayPal checkout option.

   

5. Log in with your PayPal account information and follow the on-screen instructions to purchase the gift card.

   

How to add gift card balance to Amazon

Now that you've purchased the gift card, you can add it to your Amazon account and use the money to pay for products. Here's how to add your Amazon gift card balance to your Amazon account:

1. Open the Amazon website in a browser, log in with your account, and click the Accounts & Lists option.
2. Click the Gift cards option.

   

3. Click the Redeem a Gift Card button.

4. Enter the gift card code and click the Apply to your balance button to add the balance to your gift card.

Now, you can use the balance to pay on Amazon.

Can you use PayPal Credit on Amazon?

PayPal Credit is issued by Synchrony Bank. It's a reusable line of credit that's added to your PayPal account and gives you flexibility to pay for your routine purchases. It works like a credit card that's tied to your PayPal account. However, you can only use PayPal Credit in stores that accept PayPal payments. And since Amazon doesn't accept PayPal, you can't use PayPal Credit on the e-commerce portal.

Use PayPal to pay for products on Amazon

You can also transfer money from PayPal to your bank account to send your unused PayPal balance to your bank account, which offers better protection and security for your money. When your PayPal balance arrives in the bank account, use that bank's debit or credit card to complete purchases on Amazon. You don't need to apply for a PayPal card and rely on lengthy workarounds to spend your PayPal balance on an online portal.