2019-12-30T15:43:00Z

• You can activate your PayPal Cash Card and use it to shop online and at stores where Mastercard is accepted. 
• You'll be able to use PayPal Cash features immediately after applying, but your physical card will arrive in about 10 business days.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A PayPal Cash Card is a great way to make the most of your PayPal account. In fact, with recent changes, you'll need one for some of the most basic uses of PayPal, including transferring money into your PayPal account.

Setting up a PayPal Cash Mastercard and PayPal Cash Plus account is easy, and can be done in just a few steps beyond creating a basic PayPal account.

You'll be able to use PayPal Cash Card features immediately after applying, and once your card arrives in the mail you can activate it online using the app or website.

Here's how to activate your PayPal Card once you get it:

How to activate your PayPal Cash Card

1. Go to www.paypal.com/activatecard. You'll automatically be redirected to login to your PayPal account.

It may seem like you've gone to the wrong website but don't fret — going to the activate link automatically redirects you here. Emma Witman/Business Insider

2. After you've logged in, you'll be prompted to enter the card's expiration date. You can find it on the back of your card above your name.

You can confirm PayPal has the correct information on your card on this screen by checking the last four digits. Emma Witman/Business Insider

3. Create a 4-digit PIN for your card and click "Create PIN."

Unlike some other debit cards, you won't be assigned a PIN that you can change later, but create one for yourself from the outset instead. Emma Witman/Business Insider

4. You're all set. You can add money to your card then and there, or wait until later. You'll also be given a link to your PayPal Cash Card on your profile, where you can monitor your activity and add funds.

You can add money now, or add money at another time. Emma Witman/Business Insider

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• 'Does Uber take PayPal?': How to link your PayPal account to your Uber app

• How to remove your debit or credit card from PayPal in 5 simple steps

• How to add your PayPal account to Apple Pay, so you can make purchases with an iPhone or Apple Watch

• You can't change your PayPal.Me link, but you can turn it off — here's how

• How to print a shipping label on PayPal to ship items you've sold online

Emma Witman Emma Witman is an Asheville, NC-based freelance journalist with a keen interest in writing about hardware, PC gaming, politics, and personal finance. She is a former crime reporter for a daily newspaper, and has also written extensively about bartending for Insider. She may or may not judge your drink order when behind the bar. Follow her on Twitter at @emwity. Read more Read less

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