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Reddit
reddit.com › r/paypal › does pay monthly do a hard credit check?
r/paypal on Reddit: Does Pay Monthly do a hard credit check?
January 29, 2024 -

I’m looking to make a purchase that is just over the $1500 limit for pay in 4. Can anyone verify whether or not the Pay Monthly option (NOT “PayPal Credit”) will be a hard inquiry on your credit?

The website says:

“Applying for Pay Monthly will not impact your credit score. If your Pay Monthly Installment Loan is approved and used, PayPal may report your Pay Monthly Installment Loan to credit reporting agencies. This will include information like your loan amount and payment history which may impact your credit score.”

But also says:

“To apply, you’ll need to create a PayPal account (if you don’t already have one) and complete the Pay Monthly installment loan application by entering your personal information, including your US residential address, your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), date of birth, annual gross income, and phone number/type.

This information is used to verify identity and determine eligibility.”

Are they determining eligibility through a hard inquiry?

TIA!

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PayPal
paypal.com › us › cshelp › article › questions-about-pay-monthly-applications-help845
Questions about Pay Monthly Applications | PayPal US
Applying for Pay Monthly will not impact your credit score. If your Pay Monthly installment loan is approved and used, PayPal may report your Pay Monthly installment loan to credit reporting agencies.
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PayPal
paypal.com › us › cshelp › article › does-applying-for-pay-monthly-impact-my-credit-score-help846
Questions about Credit Reporting and Privacy Information | PayPal US
Pay Monthly won't affect credit score. If approved, PayPal may report info to credit agencies, affecting score. Info includes loan amount and payment history.
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Step
step.com › money-101 › post › does-using-paypal-affect-your-credit-score
Does Using PayPal Affect Your Credit Score? | Step
April 24, 2025 - Here’s the thing: basic PayPal usage is not a credit-building tool. If you’re just sending money to friends, using it to pay at checkout, or withdrawing to your bank, that activity isn’t reported to credit bureaus.
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PayPal
paypal.com › us › cshelp › article › what-are-some-things-i-can-do-that-may-impact-my-pay-later-eligibility-help1101
What are some things I can do that may impact my Pay Later eligibility? | PayPal US
A declined Pay in 4 or Pay Monthly application does not negatively impact your credit bureau score. Applying too often for any credit product can result in a decline. If you have a freeze on your credit report, you will need to temporarily lift the freeze with the credit reporting agencies ...
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Pave
paveapp.com › home › blog › does paypal affect your credit score?
Does PayPal affect your credit score?
December 27, 2024 - As with any other credit product, ... On the other hand, if you carry a balance month-to-month, miss payments, or max out your PayPal Credit card each month, you could end up damaging your credit score....
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Checkmyfile
checkmyfile.com › home › help centre › articles › does paypal buy now pay later impact your credit score?
Does PayPal BNPL affect your credit score? | Checkmyfile
August 21, 2024 - Essentially, the Paypal Credit service is much more like a ‘typical’ credit card than PayPal’s Pay in 3. The PayPal Credit 0% interest rate only applies on purchases over £99 for four months and, much like other credit cards, there are potential late fees if you don’t pay off the minimum balance every month. PayPal’s Pay in 3 service shares more in common with other shorter-term BNPL products on the market — with 0% interest and no late fees. However, PayPal’s Pay in 3 is currently unregulated by the FCA, which means that it’s not supervised, and isn’t held to the same expectations as other more traditional financial products. Finally, although signing up to the Pay in 3 service doesn’t involve a hard credit check, PayPal may share your repayment history with the credit reference agencies (CRAs).
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NerdWallet
nerdwallet.com › personal loans › reviews › paypal buy now, pay later: 2025 review › go to nerdwallet homepage
PayPal Buy Now, Pay Later: 2025 Review - NerdWallet
PayPal
No-interest payment plan: PayPals Pay in 4 divides the cost of your purchase into smaller installments for zero interest. It’s hard to find credit for zero interest, especially if you have a fair or bad credit score (any score between 300 and the low 600s). Monthly financing available: ... PayPal can divide your purchase into equal installments with no interest. Read our PayPal review to learn more about how to buy now, pay later with PayPal.
Rating: 3.5 ​
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Spokeo
management.org › home › forums › personal finance
Does PayPal Monthly Build Credit? | Management Forum
June 20, 2025 - I’ve used PayPal Pay Monthly twice and nothing shows on my credit reports. Not sure if i got a version that doesn’t report or what. Seems inconsistent. Would love to know if this depends on the loan provider or if it’s a glitch. ... I swear PayPal's credit system is like Schrödinger’s loan.....it exists and doesn’t until you check your report.
Find elsewhere
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PayPal
paypal.com › us › cshelp › article › how-is-my-pay-monthly-application-assessed-help849
How is my Pay Monthly application assessed? | PayPal US
PayPal reviews Pay Monthly applications based on credit score, transaction history, and account age. If declined, other payment methods can still be used.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Does PayPal Pay Monthly Affect Credit Score? - CreditGuide360.com - YouTube
Does PayPal Pay Monthly Affect Credit Score? Are you curious about how using PayPal's Pay Monthly option can influence your credit score? In this informative...
Published   November 13, 2024
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The Penny Hoarder
thepennyhoarder.com › home › paypal buy now, pay later review: how does it stack up against competitors?
PayPal Buy Now, Pay Later 2023: Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly
PayPal Buy Now, Pay Later Review: How Does It Stack Up Against Competitors?
Buy now, pay later services aim ... score or credit report. Available with supported online retailer partners, PayPal’s buy now, pay later services allow you to choose one of two installment payment options at checkout. Shoppers can use the company’s Pay in 4 interest-free payments or Pay Monthly financing ...
Rating: 4 ​
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PayPal
paypal.com › us › cshelp › article › how-does-the-pay-monthly-installment-loan-appear-on-my-credit-report-help851
How does the Pay Monthly installment loan appear on my credit report? | PayPal US
Depending on which credit report you’re referencing, your loan may show as ‘WEBBANK/PAYPAL’ or ‘WEB/PAYPAL’. PayPal’s bank partner, WebBank, a state-chartered industrial bank in Utah, issues the loan. Please contact PayPal for anything related to your Pay Monthly installment loan.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/paypal › paypal pay monthly credit check hard or soft??????????????
r/paypal on Reddit: PayPal Pay monthly credit check hard or soft??????????????
October 6, 2025 -

Im getting so many conflicting answers on if pay monthly is or isnt a hard credit inquiry. I used their chat AI who says its a soft pull. Google says its a hard pull, but if I ask a different way it says its a soft pull. Ive searched reddit and its both soft pull or hard pull depending whos answering. I just got off the phone with their customer service to ask them and she didnt know as she wasn't familiar with pay monthly option, just kept saying PayPal credit, which, at check out, is a completely separate option. Does anyone really know the actual answer to this? Im trying to get an answer ASAP as the item needs to be ordered today before I go out of town Saturday so it will be here before then.

Top answer
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Abbreviations used in r/PayPal : NAD - Not as described. SNAD - Significantly not as described. INR - Item Not Received. UAT - Unauthorized transaction. OP - Original poster of the message. F&F - Friends and Family (no protection at all.) G&S - Goods and/or Services (has seller/buyer protection.) Posts about PayPal's policies will be removed. No more complaining about PayPal policy and their taking funds from your account for violations of rules. If you don't like the rules don't use PayPal. If you don't want to lose money, don't leave funds in your PayPal account. Simple as that. But these posts are often political or misleading. So no more posts on this subject! Thank you for submitting to r/PayPal , please make sure you have read the FAQ . If your account was created when you were younger than 18, then that is covered in the FAQ! Try contacting PayPal support using social media such as Facebook or Twitter as this works more often than telephoning. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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For what it's worth, PayPal says Soft. Does applying for Pay Monthly impact my credit score? Applying for Pay Monthly will not impact your credit score. If your Pay Monthly installment loan is approved and used, PayPal may report your Pay Monthly installment loan to credit reporting agencies. This will include information like your loan amount and payment history, which may impact your credit score. https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/questions-about-pay-monthly-applications-help845
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Spokeo
management.org › home › forums › personal finance
Does PayPal Installments Affect Credit | Management Forum
August 21, 2025 - I used PayPal’s Pay in 4 option last year. It never showed up on my credit report, even though I made all the payments on time. From what I’ve read, those smaller installment plans don’t get reported unless you miss payments and they escalate it. That said, the newer Pay Monthly option does involve a credit check and can show up like a loan.
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PayPal Community
paypal-community.com › t5 › Products-Services-Archives › Pay-Monthly-and-Credit › td-p › 2972831
Pay Monthly and Credit - PayPal Community
I was looking into doing the new ... in 4 option? If so, I found this at the bottom of their main page: "When applying, a soft credit check may be needed, but will not affect your credit score."...
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Bankrate
bankrate.com › credit cards › advice
How Does Buy Now, Pay Later Affect Your Credit Score? | Bankrate
June 16, 2025 - PayPal Credit requires a full credit check. When considering BNPL as a payment option, it’s critical to understand whether it requires a hard credit check and how this may impact your credit score.