Toll-free·Calls Customer Service·Most popular PayPal number
Q:How do I get a live human at PayPal?
A:If asked for a one-time passcode, say "I don't have one", then press 0 through the next 4-5 questions/requests to verify account. You will reach a live agent, who will then ask you to verify account info.
Q:Does PayPal offer 24 hour customer service?
A:Yes! This call center operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.The least busy day is Sunday, and the most busy day is Friday. Details
Q:How long will I have to wait on hold?
A:The average hold time is 40 seconds.The longest hold times are on Thursday, and the shortest are on Tuesday.
If asked for a one-time passcode, say "I don't have one", then press 0 through the next 4-5 questions/requests to verify account. You will reach a live agent, who will then ask you to verify account info. · What are the last 4 digits of your Social Security number?
Toll-free · If asked for a one-time passcode, say "I don't have one", then press 0 through the next 4-5 questions/requests to verify account. You will reach a live agent, who will then ask you to verify account info. · What are the last 4 digits of your Social Security number?
Toll-free · If asked for a one-time passcode, say "I don't have one", then press 0 through the next 4-5 questions/requests to verify account. You will reach a live agent, who will then ask you to verify account info. · For the Merchant Sales division: To get support with an existing account, press 1. To inquire about a new account, press 2.
How do I get through the phone menu to a real live person?
GetHuman researchers routinely call this PayPal phone number to document the phone system.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest:If asked for a one-time passcode, say "I don't have one", then press 0 through the next 4-5 questions/requests to verify account. You will reach a live agent, who will then ask you to verify account info.
Here is how our research team describes the way the PayPal phone system greets you: What are the last 4 digits of your Social Security number?
Below are some clips we've found from PayPal's phone menus and tips that help give an idea of what you will encounter when you call. We've highlighted why they are important as well:
They may need the phone number on your account
"Thanks for calling PayPal.
This call, including conversations with you or any other person, may be recorded or monitored for quality or security purposes.
To get started, what's Please say or enter your phone number one digit at a time, including the area code."
Excerpt from a call with PayPal
Monday, April 1, 2024 10:44 PM
They may ask you to enter information with the dial pad
"I don't know it. Or I don't have an account.
I didn't hear anything. Using your keypad, please enter your phone number including area code."
Excerpt from a call with PayPal
Thursday, April 4, 2024 5:01 AM
They may ask you to say or enter information
"Thanks for calling PayPal.
This call, including conversations with you or any other person, may be recorded or monitored for quality or security purposes.
To get started, what's the Please say or enter I didn't hear anything."
Excerpt from a call with PayPal
Saturday, March 30, 2024 6:33 PM
The first phone menu
"Thanks for calling PayPal.
This call, including conversations with you or any other person, may be recorded or monitored for quality or security purposes.
To get started, what's the ten digit phone number on your PayPal account?
Please say or enter your phone number, one digit at a time, including the area code.
Or you can say enter a passcode.
I don't know it. Or I don't have an account.
I didn't hear anything. Using your keypad, please enter your phone number including area code If you don't know the phone number, press one.
If you're on the PayPal website and have a onetime passcode, press two."
Excerpt from a call with PayPal
Sunday, April 14, 2024 12:21 AM
What are the hours and when should I call?
PayPal operates the call center for this 888-221-1161 phone number 24 hours 7 days.The short answer is that you should call on a Tuesday.This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 2,252 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this PayPal phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like PayPal staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.
The least busy time to call
The least busy day to call PayPal is Sunday.The most busy day to call is Friday, which averages 156% more phone calls by comparison.Again, this is based on a sample of 2,252 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
Sun
Quietest
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Busiest
Sat
The shortest wait on hold
We measured the shortest hold times to be on Tuesday.The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Thursday, which is 59% longer than the minimum.Most companies see more fluctuation in the length of hold times, but as you can see, time spent waiting for a PayPal representative is more consistent than the number of calls throughout the week.
Sun
Mon
Tue
Shortest
Wed
Thu
Longest
Fri
Sat
The best time to call
In summation, the best day to call PayPal is Tuesday.It isn't the least busy day, but the fact that hold times are shortest combined with it being on the busy side tells us that PayPal staffs up on Tuesday to handle the higher call volume, and that makes it the best time to call.
Why call this PayPal number?
Below is a sample of recent calls to PayPal, and their purpose. Are any of these similar to the reason you are trying to call?
Payment not showing: "I received a payment but it's not showing in my account."
- From a call lasting 3m 20s , Apr 14, 2024 3:48 AM
Account number inquiry: "I want to know my account number so that if I want to pay money in."
- From a call lasting 2m 59s , Apr 13, 2024 2:53 AM
Assistance linking PayPal to GCash: "Basically, I'm trying to link my PayPal to my account, specifically my GCash account, however, it's saying the error 'We couldn't confirm it's you'."
- From a call lasting 28m 21s , Apr 12, 2024 11:33 PM
Seeking live customer service: "I need to talk to a live person for customer service assistance."
- From a call lasting 4m 11s , Apr 11, 2024 5:22 PM
Disputed transaction amount: "The disputed amount is sixteen dollars and eight cents, not the original thirty two dollars and fifteen cents."
- From a call lasting 12m 42s , Apr 9, 2024 8:44 PM
Refund inquiry: "I returned one item to Home Depot this morning but the refund is not showing up in my PayPal account."
- From a call lasting 25m 44s , Apr 9, 2024 7:51 PM
Account setup assistance: "I need help setting up a new account with PayPal."
- From a call lasting 2m 40s , Apr 9, 2024 12:31 PM
Clarification on PayPal notice: "I received a notice from PayPal in the mail, and I don't know if it's a scam or not, so I thought I better check with you."
- From a call lasting 13m 33s , Apr 8, 2024 4:26 PM
Account limitation inquiry: "I'm trying to see what's going on with the limitations on my account."
- From a call lasting 14m 19s , Apr 8, 2024 2:37 PM
Ordering pills: "And you want forty pills? Yeah."
- From a call lasting 4m 55s , Apr 8, 2024 5:27 AM
I needed to update the mailing address associated with my account and was experiencing some issues attempting to use the app, so I decided to just call PayPal directly. I am due for them to send me a replacement card soon, so I needed to ensure the address on file was correct. Overall, the call wasn't bad. I had to work my way through an automated assistant that didn't always catch what I was saying, but with a little bit of patience, I was able to make it through to talk to someone.
While I understand that there are a lot of different reasons that people may need to call PayPal, I think there is a better way to sort through the system than an automated assistant. When I called, it knew who I was based on my phone number, meaning there should be a directory of options that fit my profile. People might be calling to report fraud or to change account details like me. Others might have problems activating their cards or need replacement cards. There should be a better way of helping people access information than arguing through an automated assistant.
When I first called, the automated system said, "Thanks for calling Paypal," and informed me that the number I was calling from matched their records. It then asked me to provide them with the last four numbers of my Social to verify my account, which I did. It then told me my current PayPal balance and asked me, "Are you calling about an unauthorized transaction?" That seemed slightly odd to me, but I said no. It then said, "Sorry I didn't get that; what can I help you with?"
I said, "Talk to someone," because I didn't want it to think I was calling about fraud as it had randomly guessed, and it responded, "Alright, but first, to get you to the right place, say change account status, claims or disputes, or tell me what I can help you with." I then said I needed help changing my account info, and it responded, "Okay, you need help updating your account. You will need to speak to someone about that. Please hold while I connect you." It took a few minutes after that, and I listened through a privacy speech, but then Aria picked up and was able to help me finish updating my account. She did have an accent, but it was still clear enough that I could understand her.
Christian has been writing about long hold times and customer service call center experiences since 2010. He's been featured in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe.
More Ways to Contact PayPal Customer Service
There are of course other ways to contact PayPal customer service besides the phone. Below we list the best ones, by medium.
One of PayPal Twitter pages which deals with general questions about your account, payment or how PayPal works
PayPal, like many companies, provides customer service on the X platform (formerly Twitter). While it rarely entails live dialogue with a customer service rep, this channel can yield rapid response times and can be a useful option if you have an X/Twitter account.
Some customer service teams, like that of PayPal, accept inquiries through Facebook Messenger. This is a good option if you have a Facebook account, and you may even be able to converse live with an agent this way.
As a last, sometimes only, resort- PayPal customer service can be accessed through their website. This can entail digging through help articles before finding a form and "being allowed" to submit a problem to their team, and rarely leads to a real-time conversation, which is why GetHuman does not recommend this unless it's the only way.
Conclusion and closing notes
This is PayPal's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a PayPal agent. This phone number is PayPal's best phone number because 528,660 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 888-221-1161 include Refund, Account Access, Dispute a Charge, Can't Login, Account Restricted and other customer service issues. The PayPal call center that you call into has employees from Arizona, Philippines, Ireland, India and is open 24 hours 7 days according to customers. In total, PayPal has 4 phone numbers. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to PayPal representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.
GetHuman does not provide call center services or customer support operations for PayPal. The two organizations are not related. GetHuman builds free tools and shares information to help customers of companies like PayPal. For large companies that includes tools such as our GetHuman Phone, which allows you to call a company but skip the part where you wait on the line to get a live human rep. We continue to work on these tools to help customers like you (and ourselves!) navigate the messy phone menus, hold times, and confusion with customer service. As long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep doing it.
