PayPal QR Code Generator (Free)

1. 1

   Find your PayPal.Me name

   Your PayPal.Me link looks like paypal.me/yourname. If you don’t have one, create it in your PayPal account. Each account gets one, and it can’t be changed later.

2. 2

   Enter it above

   Type the name, or paste the whole link.

3. 3

   Add an amount (optional)

   Fill in an amount for a fixed price, such as a ticket or a class. Leave it empty for tips and donations, so people choose.

4. 4

   Download it

   Download an SVG for print or a PNG for screens.

5. 5

   Test it

   Scan it with your phone and check it opens your PayPal.Me page with the right amount.

The code holds your PayPal.Me link. Scanning it opens your PayPal.Me page, in the PayPal app or the browser, where the person logs in and sends the payment.

https://paypal.me/juniperandrye/25

paypal.me/name

Your PayPal.Me page. People choose the amount.

/25

Fills in 25 in your PayPal account’s main currency.

/25EUR

Fills in 25 in a currency you choose, here euros.

Nothing about the payment goes through CirculateQR: the code only opens your PayPal.Me page, and PayPal handles the payment.

For PayPal QR codes

• Print your PayPal.Me name next to the code, so people can check they’re paying the right person.
• Check each payment has arrived in PayPal before you hand over goods.
• Check payment codes in public places now and then, and remove any sticker you didn’t put there: fake codes stuck over real ones are a common scam.

For any printed QR code

• Size: print the code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide for something held in the hand. For signs and posters, make it about a tenth of the scanning distance: roughly 10 cm (4 in) wide to scan from 1 m (3 ft).
• Contrast: use a dark code on a light background. Light-on-dark codes and pale brand colors fail on some phones.
• Quiet zone: keep a blank border of at least 4 modules (the code’s small squares) around it. Don’t crop it or put text and graphics right up against the code.
• File type: use the SVG for print, since it stays sharp at any size. The 2048 px PNG is enough for print up to about 17 cm (6.8 in) wide at 300 dpi.
• Surface: avoid glare from glossy laminate, tight curves (bottles, cups) and folds that cut through the code.
• Test: scan a printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, at the real distance and in the real lighting, before you print in bulk.

A dynamic code lets you change the amount or the link after printing, for example when your prices change, and counts how many people scanned it. The payment itself still happens in PayPal.

Dynamic codes need a free CirculateQR account. On the free plan a dynamic code stays live for 14 days after you publish it; on a paid plan your codes stay live with no time limit, or you can keep a single code for a one-time $5.

The code you make on this page is static: free, permanent and private, but fixed once printed. Static and dynamic codes compared.