Search
  1. Home
  2. Business Loans
  3. PayPal Working Capital Review: Pros, Cons & Features
Published 27 April 2023

PayPal Working Capital Review: Pros, Cons & Features

Read our review of PayPal Working Capital, including its pros, cons, and key features.

Many or all of the products and brands we review are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and the product we choose in our ‘promotion’. However it doesn’t influence our reviews. Our opinions are our own.

PayPal Working Capital: at a glance

PayPal Working Capital is a cash advance delivered directly into your PayPal Business account, with repayments automatically deducted as a percentage of each sale you make. 

As long as you’ve paid off one cash advance, you can apply for another, making it a potential ongoing source of finance for PayPal’s business customers. 

Promotion

PayPal Working Capital

  • Representative APR
    Available on application
  • Representative Example
    Available on application
  • Available amounts
    £1,000 – £125,000 (first time applicants) | £1,000 – £185,000 (subsequent applications)
  • Available Terms
    Varies
Apply Now

This product may be one of a range offered by this provider. Always check terms & conditions for suitability before applying.

Learn more about how we bring you our review.

PayPal Working Capital pros & cons

Pros

  • There is flexible term length, as you repay your loan as a fixed percentage of your PayPal sales volume.
  • Online PayPal Assistant, with ability to leave a message for an agent, is available, alongside a call centre open Monday to Sunday.
  • You can borrow up to £125,000 as a first-time applicant, and up to £185,000 for subsequent applications once your first advance is repaid.

Cons

  • There is no app-based customer service.
  • As there are no physical branches, there is no face-to-face customer service.

These pros and cons are based on an exclusive survey of UK business owners on what they found important when selecting a range of business products, conducted by NerdWallet in December 2022.

PayPal Working Capital key features

PayPal Working Capital full review

PayPal Working Capital is a finance product offered to UK businesses that have had a PayPal Business for three months or more. 

For a fixed fee, you could use PayPal Working Capital to receive a cash advance. How much you can borrow will be based on your PayPal sales volumes and account history. You then choose a repayment percentage that works for your business. 

We’ve put together everything you need to know about PayPal Working Capital at a glance in our table below. 

Amount borrowable£1,000 to £125,000 (first time applicants)
£1,000 to £185,000 (subsequent applications)
Term lengthVariable (cash advance paid off as a fixed percentage of PayPal sales volume)
Web-based customer servicePayPal Assistant (chat bot)
Leave a message for a PayPal agent
Email: [email protected]
UK customer service number0203 901 7000
AppYes (iOS and Android)
Face-to-face customer serviceNo
Access to lending without pre-existing accountNo
Trustpilot rating1.3 out of 5 (as of 22 February 2023)

PayPal Working Capital features

The following are some of the key features to consider when taking out a Working Capital cash advance with PayPal.

Cash advance amounts and terms

According to NerdWallet’s survey, far and away the most important factor business owners look for in a lender is the flexibility of term length. Finishing off the top five most important criteria, meanwhile, is the maximum amount you can borrow.

PayPal offers Working Capital cash advances of £1,000 to £125,000 for first- time applicants, and up to £185,000 for any subsequent applications, once your first advance is repaid. However, the maximum amount you can borrow is determined by your PayPal sales and account behaviour.

You then repay this cash advance as a percentage of each sale your business makes through PayPal. You will choose this repayment percentage when you first take out the advance. 

You will also pay a fixed fee, payable when the cash advance is set up. The higher your repayment percentage, the lower the fixed fee attached to your cash advance.

This means the amount you repay, and how quickly you pay off the advance, will rise and fall in line with your business’s sales performance. However, you are required to meet a minimum level of repayments every 90 days. You will continue to make repayments from your sales until your balance is paid in full. 

You can also pay off the cash advance early in full with no early repayment fee.

Customer service

Business owners want to be able to get in contact with their lender easily. That’s based on NerdWallet’s survey, which saw web-, phone- and app-based customer service take the number two, three and four slots in the top five most important factors business owners look for in a provider.

PayPal has two of those three bases covered. If you want to contact PayPal, you can:

However, while you can manage your Working Capital cash advance through the PayPal Business app, it does not appear to have a self-contained customer service function.

If you have questions about applying for a PayPal Working Capital, meanwhile, you can call 0800 368 7176, from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Security

Merchant cash advances are not currently regulated in the UK, and the product does not fall under the purview of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Customer reviews

On Trustpilot, PayPal has been rated 1.3 out of 5 based on over 24,000 reviews. This rating is for the PayPal brand as a whole, not PayPal Working Capital specifically.

Meanwhile, the PayPal app, through which you can manage your Working Capital cash advance, has the following ratings:

This information is correct as of 22 February 2023.

PayPal Working Capital eligibility

In order to access PayPal working capital, you must:

How to choose between PayPal Working Capital and other lenders

If you are comparing PayPal Working Capital with other lenders and borrowing options, such as a traditional business loan, you should consider:

How do I apply for PayPal Working Capital?

  1. Complete a PayPal Working Capital application form, including basic information about your business. 
  2. Select how much you want to borrow. The maximum amount you can borrow will be determined, in part, by your PayPal sales history and account behaviour. 
  3. Choose your repayment percentage. This is the portion of each PayPal sale you make that you want to go towards repaying your advance. The higher the repayment percentage, the lower the fixed fee you will pay when the Working Capital cash advance is set up.
  4. If approved, you can receive your Working Capital advance in a matter of minutes.

Review methodology

At NerdWallet Ltd UK we base our reviews on the results of surveys we conduct to understand what key product features are important to those who use them, and align them to the product we review.

Product details reflect the information that was available at that time but may have changed since. We strive to give you a review on as many products as possible but it is likely there are others available that we have not reviewed. The review is our opinion, but it does not constitute advice, recommendation or suitability of your financial circumstances.

You can view our review methodology here.

About the Authors

Connor Campbell

Connor is a writer and spokesperson for NerdWallet. Previously at Spreadex, his market commentary has been quoted in the likes of the BBC, The Guardian, Evening Standard, Reuters and The…

Read More
Henry Williams

Henry is passionate about writing great content that helps individuals and businesses stay informed and find the perfect products and services for their needs. Over the last eight years, hes…

Read More
Back To Top