Deleting your PayPal account in Canada: A closer look

Piyush Singh

PayPal is a popular online platform for sending, receiving, and spending money across the world. However, there may come a point when you want to cancel your account. You may have a few questions about how to delete your PayPal business account, including anything you need to do before you close your account and how long PayPal will keep your data.

Read everything you need to know about deleting your PayPal account in Canada. We’ll also discuss Wise as a great alternative if you need to make simple and transparent global payments.

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Table of Contents

What to do before closing your PayPal account

You need to make sure you remove any money from your balance, as you’ll lose this once your account is closed. PayPal won’t let you close your account if you have any remaining funds.

You’ll also need to resolve any issues with your account, such as active customer service problems. PayPal prevents you from closing your account until everything has been sorted out.¹

You may want to make a note of any past transactions or payment details you need to keep, as everything tied to your account will be permanently deleted.¹

How to close and delete a PayPal account in Canada

It’s very easy to close a PayPal account, and you can do it in three simple steps. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to permanently delete your PayPal personal or business account in Canada.

Step 1. Remove any money from your PayPal balance and resolve outstanding problems with your account. This includes any customer service issues

Step 2. Open your PayPal app and tap the profile icon. Click “Account Info.”

Step 3. Select “Close Your Account” to complete the process¹

It’s important to remember that you’re not deactivating your account, you’re closing it permanently - so think carefully before you decide to delete it.

If you don’t want to delete your PayPal account, but you want to stop using it for business transactions, you can downgrade to a personal PayPal account instead of permanently closing it.

However, you cannot do this for yourself - and you can only do it once. You would need to call or message PayPal customer service for assistance in downgrading your account.¹

What happens after you close your account

After you’ve closed your PayPal business account, you can’t reopen it again. If you think you may want to use PayPal business in the future, make sure to keep your account open until you’re completely sure.¹

Any money requests or future payments will be canceled, and you’ll lose access to any unused discount codes or promotions.¹

If you need to see your transaction history after closing your account, you can contact PayPal for help and support. You may need to provide photo ID, proof of address, and a formal written request to access this information from PayPal.¹

How long does PayPal keep your data?

PayPal is a financial service company, which means it keeps your data until a certain retention period has elapsed. This is outlined in the Privacy Statement for PayPal Services.¹

There are a few key reasons why PayPal may retain your data after your account closes. This includes legal reasons, fraud prevention, troubleshoot problems, collection of any outstanding fees, dealing with disputes, or protecting PayPal from legal risks, for example.¹

Personal data includes various elements from your account, such as:

  • your personal details, such as your name, address, telephone number, or email address
  • any transaction information, such as when you send and receive your money
  • information about your friends and contacts
  • information about you from third-party sources¹

It’s possible to ask PayPal to delete your data if you have any concerns. However, you’ll need to go through a full identity verification check, and PayPal may refuse your request if it doesn’t comply with their legal requirements.¹

Reopening a closed PayPal account in Canada

Once you’ve closed your PayPal account, you can’t reopen it again. However, you can open another PayPal account for you or your business - and you can use the same details, too.

If you want to set up a new account after deleting Canada PayPal, you can use the same email address, phone number, and financial information.¹ You might want to do this if you move location, for example, or if you change your mind about using PayPal for your business.

If you open another PayPal account using the same email address, you won’t be able to access your old transaction history - it will be a brand new account.

It’s also worth noting that you can only have one personal account and one business account at once with PayPal.¹

Contacting PayPal

If you need help closing your account or you need to resolve any outstanding issues, contact PayPal for help and support.

PayPal Canada’s Contact Information

Customer Service Hours: 6:00 AM PT to 6:00 PM PT Monday-Sunday

PayPal Customer Service (Canada): 1 877 569-1116

PayPal Customer Service (outside Canada): 1 402 935-2050¹

You can also chat with PayPal Assistant for immediate help online. PayPal Community is an online forum where you can ask questions or access advice and support from other users. This includes verified community members, moderators, and PayPal employees.

Find out more about your options on the PayPal Canada Contact page.²

Say hello to Wise - your multi currency PayPal alternative

Choose a Wise account as your helpful PayPal alternative to make speedy, stress-free global payments at the touch of a button.

Send your money across the world at the mid-market rate. This is the standard exchange rate - meaning you won’t be charged a markup on your money.

Use your Wise account to:

  • Hold funds in 40+ currencies
  • Spend money in 160 countries
  • Receive money in 9 currencies
  • Send money to 70+ countries

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Wise tells you exactly how much your transaction will cost before you send it, with transparency assured for each and every transfer.

To start sending and spending your money across the globe, check out Wise.

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.


Sources

  1. PayPal Canada Help Section
  2. PayPal Canada Contact Page

Sources last checked on: 28.07.2023


*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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