PayPal.me. Your handle. Amount loaded.
The QR redirects to paypal.me/yourhandle/amount. PayPal opens, the amount is filled in, the customer hits Send. Money lands in your PayPal balance within seconds. No invoice, no API key, no monthly fee.
PayPal.me is the link that doesn't need an invoice.
Set up your PayPal.me handle once. From then on, anyone with a PayPal account can pay you directly by URL — no API, no business plan, no integration. The QR is just a faster way to land them on the right URL.
Pre-fill an amount (for fixed prices) or leave it blank (for tips + donations).
Three parts. Two are optional.
Handle is required (set it up at paypal.me). Amount + currency are optional — without them, the customer enters the value themselves.
Anywhere a customer would pay you if it were one tap.
Tip jars, donation pages, casual invoices, refund recovery, B2C side-hustles. The customer's barrier is "where do I send this money?" — the QR answers in two seconds.
Tip jar QR
Counter sign. Pre-filled amount of $5 by default; customer adjusts. Goes straight to the staff's PayPal pool.
Invoice + reminder
QR at the bottom of the PDF invoice. Faster than re-keying handle + amount from the email.
Donation card
Three pre-filled QRs (£5 / £10 / £25). Donor scans the tier they want; the rest follows.
Patreon / commission
"Send a tip" QR on stream overlay, on merch, on the YouTube end-card. Fans tip you with two taps.
Market stall
Cash + card not enough — PayPal QR catches the customers who walk up with neither.
Door fee + raffle
Print on the entry ticket. Donor pays the suggested amount, walks through.
Things people ask before printing the tip jar.
Do I need a PayPal Business account?+
Personal works for low-volume tips and casual sends. For higher volume or commercial activity (invoicing, regular fees, etc.) PayPal will steer you to Business — fees are slightly higher but the protection is stronger. The QR mechanism works identically either way.
Can the customer change the amount?+
If you pre-filled an amount, it shows in the field but is editable. Useful for "suggested" amounts on tips and donations. Leave it blank to require the customer to enter their own.
What currencies are supported?+
Add ?currency=USD (or EUR, GBP, etc.) to the URL. PayPal handles the conversion at their FX rate if the sender's wallet is in a different currency.
What if PayPal isn't installed?+
PayPal.me opens in mobile web, customer signs in (or creates an account), payment completes. Slightly more friction than the app, but works for everyone with an account.
How does this compare to a Bitcoin QR?+
PayPal is faster to set up and most customers already have it. Bitcoin is settlement-final and has no platform fee. For tip jars in countries with strong PayPal adoption, this one wins. For crypto-savvy audiences, the Bitcoin QR is the right call. Many businesses print both.
Print the slip. Get paid in seconds.
Free to start. Lifetime tier for your own domain and unbranded redirect pages.
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