PayPal vs Wise: similar-looking apps, different evidence.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-AGREEMENT

PayPal US User Agreement · PayPal · observed 2026-07-13

• The agreement is with PayPal, Inc., applies to US accounts and was last updated on 29 June 2026.
• A business must be organised in, operating in or resident in the United States or a territory, and business activity requires a business account.
• Ordinary business-account balances are unsecured claims against PayPal; PayPal is not a bank and is not FDIC insured.
• A narrow Program Bank arrangement can apply when an enumerated programme condition is met; it is not a general business-balance protection claim.
• The agreement separates free standard transfer to an eligible linked bank or debit card from fee-bearing Instant Transfer to an eligible linked bank or debit card for personal and business accounts.

SRC-WISE-REGULATION

How is Wise regulated in each country and region? · Wise · observed 2026-07-11

• UK entity is an FCA-authorised EMI.
• US entity is registered with FinCEN and uses state licences/partner arrangements.

SRC-WISE-SAFEGUARDING

How Wise keeps your money safe · Wise · observed 2026-07-11

• Wise says it safeguards customer money and does not lend it like a bank.
• Arrangements vary by country.

SRC-WISE-CRYPTO

Understanding Wise's position on cryptocurrency · Wise · observed 2026-07-13

• Wise account cannot be used to send money to crypto exchanges such as Coinbase or Binance.
• Wise card policy differs and lawful card transactions may be supported by region.

SRC-WISE-INCOMPATIBLE

Incompatible accounts and payments · Wise · observed 2026-07-13

• Outgoing account transfers to crypto platforms are not supported.
• Article names Coinbase among payments Wise cannot accept from in the described context.

SRC-COINBASE-PAYMENT-METHODS

Coinbase payment methods — North America and LATAM · Coinbase · observed 2026-07-12

• The US methods table lists ACH, debit card, wire and PayPal with different buy, add-cash, cash-out and timing capabilities.
• Generic ACH support does not prove that every bank or fintech permits a specific transfer; provider-specific terms remain a separate evidence gate.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-BALANCE-TERMS

PayPal Balance Terms and Conditions · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• PayPal Balance is provided by PayPal, Inc.; PayPal is not a bank and is not FDIC insured.
• Ordinary Balance funds are unsecured claims against PayPal unless an enumerated PayPal Debit Card, Direct Deposit or personal cryptocurrency condition applies.
• Eligible US-dollar balances are placed at Program Banks for conditional pass-through FDIC treatment; the protection is against Program Bank failure, is subject to aggregation and regulatory conditions, and does not protect cryptocurrency or PayPal failure.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-PROGRAM-BANKS

PayPal Program Banks · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• The current list names Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Program Banks.
• PayPal lists the exact personal and business conditions that make eligible US-dollar balance funds subject to possible pass-through FDIC insurance.
• Other balance funds and all cryptocurrency are excluded from the stated Program Bank treatment.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-CONSUMER-FEES

PayPal United States consumer fees · PayPal · observed 2026-07-13

• The schedule was last updated on 19 May 2025 and applies to US accounts.
• It lists no PayPal fee for purchases without conversion, no fee for domestic personal payments funded by balance or bank, and 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee when funded by card.
• It lists a 1.75 percent Instant Transfer fee with observed USD 0.25 minimum and USD 25 maximum, a 4 percent conversion spread for specified payment conversions and separate crypto fees and limits.
• The current withdrawal table lists standard transfer to an eligible linked bank or debit card with no PayPal fee when no conversion occurs; bank Instant Transfer is listed up to USD 25,000 per transaction, subject to eligibility and live disclosure.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-BUSINESS-FEES

PayPal US merchant fees · PayPal · observed 2026-07-13

• The fee schedule applies to US accounts and was last updated on 29 June 2026.
• Standard domestic PayPal Checkout is listed at 3.49 percent plus the fixed fee, while standard card payments are listed at 2.99 percent plus the fixed fee.
• International, invoicing, alternative-method, conversion and other product fees use separate rows and conditions.
• The current withdrawal table lists standard eligible bank or card transfer with no PayPal fee when no conversion occurs and Instant Transfer at 1.50 percent with a USD 0.50 minimum; bank Instant Transfer is listed up to USD 25,000 per transaction, subject to eligibility and live disclosure.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-DEBIT-CARD

PayPal Debit Mastercard Cardholder Agreement · PayPal and The Bancorp Bank · observed 2026-07-12

• The agreement was last updated on 26 January 2026 and identifies The Bancorp Bank, N.A. as card issuer.
• The card is a personal debit card linked to PayPal Balance, not a credit card and not for business use.
• Card error and unauthorised-transaction protections are subject to the agreement's notice and eligibility requirements.

SRC-PAYPAL-US-CRYPTO-TERMS

PayPal Digital cryptocurrency terms and conditions · PayPal Digital · observed 2026-07-12

• The current terms, last updated 19 May 2026, are with PayPal Digital, Inc., a New York limited purpose trust company.
• Eligible consumer and business crypto accounts may buy, sell, hold, send and receive supported crypto assets through a linked PayPal or eligible Venmo account.
• Crypto assets are not FDIC or SIPC insured and product features may vary by location and linked-account type.

SRC-PAYPAL-IN-TERMS

PayPal India user agreement · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• The agreement is with PayPal Payments Private Limited and is limited to the described India services.
• Export Payment Services facilitate receipt from offshore buyers for credit to an Indian bank account through an authorised dealer bank.
• PayPal states that it is not a bank in India and the services are not stored-value services.
• Indian residency or Indian business eligibility and account verification requirements apply.

SRC-PAYPAL-IN-FEES

PayPal India merchant fees · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• The India schedule was last updated on 28 March 2024 and says India accounts support international payments only.
• It lists 4.40 percent plus the currency fixed fee for receiving international commercial transactions, with separate conversion and dispute-fee rows.
• Standard bank withdrawal is listed without a PayPal fee when no conversion applies; the dated schedule and transaction preview must be rechecked before use.

SRC-PAYPAL-DE-AGREEMENT

PayPal user agreement for Germany · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• The agreement updated 22 January 2026 identifies PayPal (Europe) S.a r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. as the provider for German accounts.
• PayPal is a Luxembourg credit institution, but the agreement defines account money as electronic money rather than a deposit or investment.
• It explicitly says Luxembourg or equivalent EEA deposit-guarantee and investor-compensation schemes do not protect the PayPal balance.

SRC-PAYPAL-FR-AGREEMENT

PayPal user agreement for France · PayPal · observed 2026-07-12

• The agreement updated 22 January 2026 identifies PayPal Europe as the provider for French personal and business accounts.
• It defines the PayPal balance as electronic money rather than a deposit or investment.
• It explicitly excludes Luxembourg or equivalent EEA deposit-guarantee and investor-compensation protection.

SRC-WISE-IN-REGULATION

Wise regulation in India · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• Wise states that inward remittance uses a local bank partner with RBI approval.
• Vaho Forex Private Limited holds an RBI Authorised Dealer Category II licence for limited outward remittance purposes and forex card services.
• Wise Payments India Private Limited is described as in-principle approved as a Payment Aggregator - Cross Border.

SRC-WISE-IN-BUSINESS-RECEIVING

Receiving payments for Indian businesses · Wise · observed 2026-07-13

• Eligible Indian businesses can receive international client payments through account details in the currently listed currencies.
• Wise explicitly says these account details cannot hold balances or send money: receipts are automatically converted to INR and transferred to the verified Indian bank account.
• The cited flow has a INR 2.5 million per-transaction maximum, a USD 5-equivalent minimum, an e-FIRC process and business-type, identity, bank-account, payer and payment-purpose conditions.

SRC-WISE-US-BUSINESS-PRICING

Wise Business US receiving fees · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• The US pricing page lists USD 31 to unlock local account details in supported currencies.
• It lists domestic non-wire receipts as free and USD wire or SWIFT receipts at USD 6.11 per payment.
• Conversion, sending, card and other method-specific fees remain separate.

SRC-WISE-US-PROTECTION

How Wise US Inc. protects customer funds · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• Wise US Inc. keeps customer funds separate in a mix of cash at commercial banks and secure liquid assets.
• Wise is not a bank and ordinary balances without the interest feature are not FDIC insured.
• Eligible USD funds opted into the interest feature may receive up to USD 250,000 in pass-through insurance through the current Program Bank, subject to aggregation and programme rules.

SRC-WISE-EU-REGULATION

How Wise is regulated in Europe · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• Wise identifies Wise Europe SA as an authorised payment institution supervised by the National Bank of Belgium for EEA services.
• A payment-institution authorisation is not a German bank licence and ordinary balances are not described as deposits.
• Exact services, customer type, route and separate investment entities remain market and product specific.

SRC-WISE-EU-SAFEGUARDING

How Wise Europe safeguards customer funds · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• Wise Europe says it safeguards customer funds separately from operating money using cash at named commercial banks and low-risk liquid assets.
• Wise explicitly says it is not a bank; safeguarding is not labelled German EdB or Belgian deposit insurance.
• Interest and Stocks are separate investment products with capital risk and must not inherit the ordinary-balance safeguarding description.

SRC-WISE-DE-PRICING

Wise personal pricing for Germany · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• The observed schedule lists free personal registration and holding, while transfer and conversion pricing starts from 0.47 percent and varies by currency and route.
• Same-currency card spending from an available balance is listed as free; withdrawals and receiving methods have thresholds and separate charges.
• Investment features carry separate annual fees and capital risk, and all prices can change.

SRC-WISE-FR-ACCOUNT

Wise euro account alternative in France · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• Wise lists its multicurrency account, EUR details, card and transfer features as available to eligible customers in France.
• Wise explicitly describes the account as not a bank account and points to safeguarding rather than bank-deposit protection.
• Currencies, receiving details, verification, routes and products remain conditional.

SRC-WISE-FR-PRICING

Wise personal pricing for France · Wise · observed 2026-07-12

• The observed schedule lists free registration and holding, transfers and conversion from 0.47 percent, and a EUR 7 debit-card order charge.
• Withdrawals, SWIFT receipts, funding, currencies and routes use thresholds and separate fees.
• Interest and Stocks have separate annual fees and explicit capital risk.