Beginning March 29, Paypal is changing the structure of their accounts so that there is a ‘Cash Account’ for holding, sending, and receiving funds which is separate from your actual Paypal account, but linked to it. The short version is that there’s no real changes here that I see, other than – perhaps – a bit more verification needed to send, receive, and withdraw money.
As a result of a new regulation issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, you’ll need a linked ‘cash account’ to hold the money in your Paypal account. The account will be automatically linked to your Paypal account. They’ll also automatically create the Cash Account for existing users, in many cases. The change will go into effect on March 29, 2019.
You can have a Paypal account without having a Cash Account. For example, if you just want to check out online with Paypal, you don’t need a Cash Account at all. However, if you want to hold money with Paypal, you’ll need the Cash Account.
Paypal notes the following: “Before you can open a Cash Account, we must verify or have previously verified the required identifying information that you provide to us. The required identifying information is: name, physical address, date of birth and taxpayer identification.”
Currently, you can send and receive small amounts of money via Paypal without giving in your Social Security Number. At a certain threshold, they’ll stop you and request your SSN and DOB. Under the new rules, it sounds like you won’t be able to have a Cash Account at all without inputting your SSN and DOB.
Some of us have been shut down from Paypal, myself included, and try avoiding giving Paypal much personal information. Presumably, they’ll require that information going forward. I receive money via Paypal regularly from places like Ebates, Swagbucks, and the like, as well as from friends and family. Hopefully, they’ll deal with us mercifully.
[Updates: Reader Pyro points out that Paypal states: “You will still be able to receive money with a personal PayPal account and transfer it to a linked bank account or debit account, but you will not be able to hold and use a balance in your personal PayPal account.” So you only need to get the Cash Account if you want to send money or use your Paypal balance to pay online.
Also, a reader points out that it might still be possible to send funds with Paypal without verification by funding the transaction with your bank or card. Only balance-funded Send Money transactions are clearly excluded.]
There are likely other nuanced changes taking place in the new terms, but that seems to be the gist of it.
