How to withdraw money from PayPal – comprehensive guideline

Withdrawing money from PayPal is a quick and straightforward process that can usually be completed in just a few clicks. However, when handling multiple currencies, this easy process comes at a high price.

As PayPal states: “We only support transfers in local currency. If you withdraw money from a foreign currency balance, there will be a conversion fee. Some banks may charge fees for electronic money transfers. Please contact your bank directly for more information.”*

This is where amnis comes into play. With amnis Payment Links, businesses can collect PayPal payments in their customers’ currency and receive them in their amnis account without PayPal’s forced conversion. This applies only to payments collected through amnis – it does not change how PayPal converts balances already held in your PayPal account.

In this comprehensive guideline, we answer the following questions:

How to withdraw money from PayPal – 5 steps

The standard process of withdrawing funds from PayPal to your bank account only takes a few minutes. Once your bank account is connected, transfers can usually be completed in just a few clicks.

Important note: If your PayPal balance contains multiple currencies, you cannot usually withdraw them directly in their original currency. PayPal typically only supports withdrawals in the opening currency of your account or other currencies supported in your country. If your balance is held in a different currency, you must therefore convert it before withdrawing or PayPal will convert it automatically using its own exchange rate and currency conversion fee.

Common challenges of withdrawing money from PayPal

At first glance, withdrawing funds from PayPal seems uncomplicated. Once payments arrive in your PayPal balance, you can transfer them directly to your linked bank account. However, businesses that operate internationally often face several limitations.

One of the main challenges is forced currency conversion. If your PayPal balance is in a different currency than your home currency, PayPal will typically convert the funds automatically before the withdrawal – at a currency conversion spread of 3–4%. Another issue is the combination of currency conversion fees and withdrawal costs, which can quickly add up for companies with frequent international money transfers.

amnis addresses this for payments you collect through amnis: when you send an amnis Payment Link in your customer’s currency and they pay via PayPal, the funds arrive in your amnis account in that original currency – no forced conversion by PayPal, and you decide how and when to convert. Payments received on your PayPal account outside amnis, and existing PayPal balances, are not covered and remain subject to PayPal’s usual conversion.

The hidden costs – PayPal currency conversion and withdrawal fees

Many businesses underestimate the full cost structure of PayPal. In addition to high standard transaction charges, users may also face PayPal currency conversion fees when withdrawing funds in a different currency.

In practice, this means international PayPal transactions can involve several cost layers:

When businesses frequently receive or send payments in foreign currencies, these charges can become significant. By comparison, amnis offers transparent multi-currency accounts designed to minimise foreign currency exchange costs, which gives companies more flexibility when managing international payments.

Note: Actual PayPal fees may change according to region.

The best way to withdraw PayPal funds in original currency for businesses

For businesses dealing with international payments, one of the biggest challenges is withdrawing PayPal funds in their original currency without triggering expensive conversions.

This is where amnis introduces a practical solution for payments collected through amnis. With the amnis PayPal integration, businesses send a payment request from amnis, their customer pays via PayPal, and the funds are settled to their amnis multi-currency account in the original currency. This allows companies to decide themselves when or if they want to convert them. The integration does not apply to balances already held in your PayPal account.

This approach offers several advantages:

For fast-growing e-commerce companies and global service providers, this flexibility can make a noticeable difference to their overall payment costs.

How to receive PayPal payments in original currency with amnis

With amnis, businesses can receive PayPal payments in the original currency in just a few steps:

Introducing multi-currency payment links – a new feature to the amnis ecosystem

Before you even think about withdrawing funds, it’s worth optimising how you receive payments. Instead of relying solely on PayPal balances, businesses can use payment links to collect payments directly into their multi-currency account.

amnis’ new solution goes far beyond ordinary payment links. Your customers can choose the currency as well as the payment method you are offering – for an intuitive payment process that creates trust among your customers.

Even better: Payment links are not a standalone tool – they are fully embedded into the amnis ecosystem.

Eliminate forced conversion and withdrawal fees with amnis. Sign up now!

International businesses need banking solutions that are fast, transparent and built for global payments. By collecting PayPal payments through amnis Payment Links, companies avoid PayPal’s FX conversion on those payments and optimise their payment flows with amnis. PayPal’s own transaction fees still apply.

Why businesses collect PayPal payments through amnis:

In addition, amnis offers access to a fully-fledged financial hub to optimise your finances:

Sign up today and simplify the way your business handles cross-border payments.

* Source: https://www.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/article/how-do-i-withdraw-money-from-my-paypal-account-help394

Elena Tankovski · Content Marketing Manager

As Senior Content Writer at amnis, Elena transforms complex finance topics into clear, insightful content for SMEs. She focuses on areas such as the FX market, international payments, cross-border business operations, and regulatory updates - ensuring companies have access to reliable and easy-to-understand guidance.

With a strong background in research and communication, Elena plays a key role in helping businesses stay informed, make smarter decisions, and navigate the evolving world of international finance.