PayPal Extras MasterCard for Ebay and PayPal Purchases
PayPal offers 2 types of cards, a debit card which uses your current PayPal balance and a credit card which has a certain credit limit. The PayPal debit card earns unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases (excluding PIN and cash advance transactions), while the PayPal credit card earns points for purchases. You earn 3x points at gas stations and restaurants, 2x points on Ebay/PayPal purchases, and 1x points on all other purchases.
I have been selling on Ebay for 8+ years and I started out with the PayPal Debit Card. Back then, PayPal gave you 1.5% on all purchases (excluding PIN and cash advance transactions) and the PayPal Money Market Fund was around 8%. After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the money market fund tanked, went down to less than 1%, then down below .1% and eventually PayPal ended the program. They also lowered the cash back rate on the debit card from 1.5% to 1.0%. I’m still grandfathered in at the 1.5% rate.
The last time I used the PayPal debit card was back in August 2012, but up until that point, I had earned $576.78 in cash back.
After August 2012, I switched over to the PayPal Extras MasterCard issued by GE Capital as my primary PayPal card. As you can see, the credit card integrates directly into your PayPal account and the bill can be easily paid for with your PayPal balance, bank transfer, or Bluebird bill pay.
Like I said at the top of the post, this card earns 2x points per dollar on all Ebay and PayPal purchases. I sell stuff on Ebay and print shipping labels through PayPal and the charge goes on my PayPal Extras MasterCard.
The one drawback of the card is that it calculates the points based on each transactions. For example, if I needed to print 100 shipping labels for $2.99, the total paid would be $299. If I earned 2x points on all purchases calculated at the end of the billing cycle, I would have earned 2 x 299 = 598 points. Unfortunately, PayPal calculates the points after every purchase and rounds down the number of points earned for each purchase. So I would have earned $2 x 2 pts x 100 charges = 400 points. Hopefully that makes sense.
Anyways, here is how you redeem your PayPal points for cash back or gift cards.
Normally, 6,000 PayPal points is equal to $50 statement credit.
I sometimes get $50 Amazon gift cards instead of statement credit at the same price.
When I was browsing for my reward, they had a special on Ebay gift cards. 2,500 PayPal Points for a $25 Ebay Gift Card. That is a great deal and I always use Ebay Gift Cards.
I decided to order the Ebay Gift Cards.
The order goes through and there is always free shipping.
Here is the confirmation email for my redemption.
if you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Hi Grant,
Do you earn PayPal Rewards when your Rewards MasterCard is used as backup funding for a Debit MasterCard transaction?
I am not sure, I have never tried. I think my back up source for my PayPal Business Debit Card is my checking account.
Hello grant please I need to talk to you privately, ..add me on facebook jmoni osaebi its urgent. And how do I get a paypal debit card ?
Hi Jay, to get a PayPal Business Debit Card, you need to upgrade your personal PayPal account to a business PayPal account.
To get a PayPal Extras MasterCard, you can apply for one online here: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/credit-card
Yes, you do. So if you use PP debit business and use your PP/eBay CC as backup funding source, you earn 1% with PPDB and accumulate 2x points with PP/eBay CC. During 1/1-6/30, 2014, PP/eBay CC had 1x more on each spending category, making it 4x on restaurant & gas, 3x on eBay and PayPal, and 2x everywhere else MasterCard.
I had easily turned 4x $0.70 fees for $4000 Walmart Money Orders into 12000 PP/eBay rewards points, and redeemed for $100 gas GC at 11500 points.
Only limitation with PP/eBay CC is their earning being capped at 50,000 a fiscal year.
BTW, Free-quent Flyer, your blog is the first travel hacking blog I sub-ed to.
Thank you for sharing.
Hey Grant, do you still earn rewards when you pay on ebay using your paypal balance? Or do you have to have the card number typed in as your form of payment? Also, how is the credit line / increase process with this card? Thanks!
If you have the PayPal Extras MasterCard, that becomes your default payment method, not your PayPal balance. So every time you pay with PayPal, the charge will show up on your PayPal Extras MasterCard account. Every month when the statement closes, you can pay off the balance with your current PayPal balance or do a bank transfer. Increasing the credit line should be pretty easy, just call the number on the back and request an increased credit limit.
Thanks! One more question, can you also get the eBay bucks on top of the cash back, for a total of 3.66% back (2% ebay bucks + 1.66% credit card cash back)?
Yes, you will also earn the usual 2% cash back in eBay bucks.
Hello Grant,
Could you do a post about steps Paypal cash method with pictures? If you already have covered this, please direct me there. I haven’t used my bluebird for several months now. I need to meet couple minimum spend requirements. I do have a paypal business debit card and I’m a bronze powerseller in ebay. Thank you
This is probably what you are looking for: http://travelwithgrant.com/bluebird/load-paypal-my-cash-card/
Let me know if you have any other questions. Have a great day!
Nov.16/2014, Hello, I am pretty new at this…lately I have been shopping at eBay,and I have a PayPal Credit Account,and a PayPal Extra Credit Card. I thought all my eBay purchases were billed to my PayPal Credit,and I have already made a payment to cover my earlier purchases,the amount I paid was for 207.59 to my PayPal Credit Account. I am just too confused about that! And I am just too confused about the “self-help” Q and As. Now, am I suppose to make payments to my PP Extra Master Credit Card Account on all my eBay purchases,if so, I don’t need my PP CREDIT ACCOUNT then?! Please educate me. Sincerely, Suriya Prasad
I’m not sure what the PP credit account is, but I would say you probably don’t need it. I have a PP Extras MC, which is linked to my PP account. All PP transactions post to my PP Extras MC and I can pay it off with my PP balance. Does that make sense?
Couldn’t one use this PP Extras MC to load serve/bluebird online and thus get ~5% off loads?
With this PP Extras MC earning 1% you would gain $10 per 1k. Then I’m thinking you buy PP my cash cards purchased @ 5% category bonus from another CC. Of course you’d pay the 3.95 purchase fee (or ~$8 per 1k or 1% knocked off).
But when you use these PP my cash cards to pay off your PP Extras MC balance, you’d get back to the 5%.
That would work, but PayPal does not like when you pay the PPEMC with your PayPal balance that was funded by PPMCCs.
Shoot, so much for that idea!
Grant … is there a charge from Paypal for ATM withdrawals when using the Paypal business debit card? Also, what are some of the ways to MS the Paypal business debit card? Is there any way to pay bills w/ the debit card? Thank you!
I believe only the ATM operator will charge you a fee for withdrawing money from an ATM, which is usually between $2-$3. You can pay Citi credit cards with the PPBDC by calling Citi and telling them you want to make a debit card payment over the phone.
I’ll give the ATM a shot today. A local convenience store here in NJ does not charge a fee for withdrawals. Was hoping there was some way to pay bills. Thank you.
Good luck with the fee-free ATM, those are not very common.
Very stupid question. I purchased amazon gift cards with Paypal Extras mastercard points. I got a confirmation email. But I have no idea how to GET the gift cards–that is, I have no claim codes for them and so can’t use them. Do they come, eventually, by snail mail? That seems odd. Thanks for any insight you have,.
I believe the gift cards come via USPS First Class Mail.