190 Total
84 High severity
89 Medium severity
17 Low severity

Key Facts

How must all disputes or claims between the user and PayPal be resolved?
PayPal requires that all disputes or claims between the user and PayPal be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration or in small claims court.
When must any opt-out notice be postmarked?
PayPal requires that any opt-out notice be postmarked no later than 30 days after the date the user accepts the user agreement for the first time.
To whom does PayPal charge a Dispute fee?
PayPal charges a Dispute fee to sellers for facilitating the online dispute resolution process for transactions processed through a buyer's PayPal account or through PayPal Guest Checkout.
What does PayPal prohibit users from imposing for accepting PayPal as a payment method?
PayPal prohibits users from imposing a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method.
What does PayPal exclude its liability for?
PayPal excludes its liability for lost profits and any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with its websites, software, systems, or the user agreement.
May PayPal hold a Balance Account balance for up to 180 days?
PayPal may hold the balance in a user's Balance Account for up to 180 days if reasonably needed to protect against the risk of liability or if the user has violated the Acceptable Use Policy.
May PayPal suspend or terminate the user agreement or access to or use of its websites, software, and systems?
PayPal, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to suspend or terminate the user agreement, or access to or use of its websites, software, and systems, for any reason and at any time upon notice to the user.
On what basis must each party bring claims against the other?
PayPal requires that each party bring claims against the other only on an individual basis, not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action or proceeding.
To what extent may users receiving personal data from PayPal use that data?
PayPal restricts users who receive personal data from PayPal to using that data only to the limited extent necessary and relevant to PayPal services, and prohibits use for other purposes including marketing, unless the customer's prior consent has been obtained.
What does PayPal prohibit regarding use of personal data for other purposes including marketing?
PayPal restricts users who receive personal data from PayPal to using that data only to the limited extent necessary and relevant to PayPal services, and prohibits use for other purposes including marketing, unless the customer's prior consent has been obtained.
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Summary

This agreement sets the rules for using PayPal, including how disputes are handled, how your account can be suspended, and what PayPal is and is not responsible for. The most important things to know are: all disputes must go through binding arbitration rather than regular courts (unless you opt out within 30 days of first signing up), PayPal can suspend your account or hold your funds for up to 180 days in certain situations, and if you notice an unauthorized transaction, you must report it within 60 days or you may lose the right to recover those funds.

Analysis

The PayPal User Agreement establishes the terms governing use of PayPal's payment platform, imposing binding arbitration with a class-action waiver as the exclusive dispute resolution mechanism, subject to a 30-day opt-out window from first acceptance. PayPal retains sole discretion to suspend or terminate access at any time upon notice, and may hold Balance Account funds for up to 180 days under conditions of liability risk or Acceptable Use Policy violation. The agreement restricts sellers from surcharging customers for PayPal acceptance, imposes indemnification obligations on users for third-party claims arising from their breaches, and excludes PayPal's liability for lost profits and consequential damages. Users who fail to report unauthorized transactions within 60 days of their statement risk permanent forfeiture of recovery rights, and personal data received from PayPal may only be used to the extent necessary for PayPal services, with marketing use requiring prior customer consent.

What this means for you

As a PayPal user, you are bound by exclusive arbitration for any dispute with PayPal and cannot join a class action against them — but you can opt out by sending a postmarked notice within 30 days of first accepting the agreement. Your funds may be held for up to 180 days if PayPal determines there is a liability risk or that you have violated its Acceptable Use Policy, and PayPal will not compensate you for lost profits or consequential damages. You must report any unauthorized transaction within 60 days of your statement to preserve your right to recover funds, and if you are a seller, you may not surcharge customers for using PayPal as a payment method. If any third party makes a claim against PayPal because of your breach of the agreement, you are responsible for PayPal's resulting legal costs.

Institutional Analysis
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Which mapped governance frameworks each document engages, tied to the specific provisions that engage them.

14 important changes detected

21 versions captured · Last updated: September 2026

What changed PayPal updated their PayPal User Agreement on September 15, 2026. Change detected: 53 sentence(s) added, 1 sentence(s) removed, 56 sentence(s) modified. Document contained 913 sentences after update.
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What changed PayPal added new language to its User Agreement clarifying how business accounts can use the Send Money feature to pay for goods and services. The updated terms explain that different fees apply depending on whether the recipient has a PayPal account: if the recipient has a PayPal account, they pay commercial transaction fees; if they do not have a PayPal account, the payment is processed as a Bill Pay for Business Accounts transaction and the sender pays applicable fees. This change establishes explicit fee structures and processing categories for business-to-business payments that were previously less clearly defined.
Why this matters The updated terms establish explicit fee structures for business accounts using the Send Money feature to pay for goods or services. PayPal now clearly states that recipients with PayPal accounts will pay fees applicable to commercial transactions, while payments to recipients without PayPal accounts will be processed as Bill Pay for Business Accounts transactions, with the sender paying applicable fees. Business account holders should review their transaction receipts to understand which fee structure applies based on recipient account status.
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July 14, 2026 low

PayPal's user agreement was updated on July 14, 2026. The change involved removal of the document's download link for a printable PDF version and reorganization of the agreement's table of …

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June 30, 2026 low

PayPal added new provisions on June 30, 2026 governing how business account holders can add funds using two features: Add Cash at Store (available at participating U.S. retail locations) and …

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June 15, 2026 low

PayPal's User Agreement was updated on June 15, 2026. The change involved modification of document formatting and structure, specifically the introduction of a detailed table of contents in place of …

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June 10, 2026 low

PayPal updated its User Agreement on June 10, 2026, with 77 sentences modified across the document. The diff provided shows the document structure and formatting were updated, including the addition …

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May 31, 2026 low

PayPal's User Agreement was updated on May 31, 2026 with a restructured table of contents. The previous version listed only a basic menu structure, while the updated version now includes …

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May 28, 2026 low

PayPal updated its User Agreement document layout on May 28, 2026, adding a new footer section with links to company resources, legal documents, and corporate information (Accessibility, Privacy Statement, Cookies, …

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May 25, 2026 low

PayPal updated its User Agreement on May 25, 2026 by adding a detailed table of contents to the document. The document previously began with a simple header 'Welcome to PayPal!' …

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May 19, 2026 low

PayPal updated its User Agreement on May 19, 2026, making several clarifications to cryptocurrency account language and account limitation provisions. The most substantive change clarifies that cryptocurrency services are provided …

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May 9, 2026 low

PayPal updated its User Agreement on May 9, 2026 to clarify how automatic payment authorization works when your preferred payment method cannot complete a transaction. The updated terms now state …

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May 6, 2026 low

PayPal reformatted its User Agreement on May 6, 2026 by adding a detailed table of contents to the beginning of the document. The visible text change shows the addition of …

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May 5, 2026 low

PayPal removed the footer section and navigation menu structure from the PayPal User Agreement document on May 5, 2026. The removed content included links to Help, Contact, Fees, Security Center, …

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April 21, 2026 low

PayPal modified its User Agreement on April 21, 2026, but the detected change consists solely of adding a table of contents and reformatting the document structure. The substantive text of …

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Featured, High severity

Complete Provision Index

Every distinct legal provision identified in this document. Featured provisions appear above with analysis.

190 provisions
12 featured
24 clause types
84 high severity
Acceptable Use Restrictions 27 15 high
Show all 27 acceptable use restrictions provisions
General Contract Terms 26 6 high
Show all 26 general contract terms provisions
Restricted or Prohibited Content/Industries 2 2 high
Export Controls & Sanctions 1 1 high
Monetization Rules 1 1 high
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Mapped Governance Frameworks

EFTA / Reg E
United States Federal
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ePrivacy Directive
European Union
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FAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
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Archival ProvenanceSource & Archival Record
Last Captured September 15, 2026 00:10 UTC
Capture Method Automated scheduled archival capture
Document ID CA-D-000044
Version ID CA-V-006945
SHA-256 (extracted text, extractor v4) cade41145402825e67e86b7c7a19c0f3f31aa210968f7cd7886b1fc1a0cf20ad
Archived bytes SHA-256 (anchor) 5e7c2cacffde4abbe731dc29303783a6c042ff6fd73b3e44e331dd7fcf8b14d2
✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Text extracted ✓ Change verified ✓ Hash verified

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