PayPal Now Charges Canadians An 'Inactivity Fee'

You may have lost $20 in your PayPal account recently.

Contributing Writer

If you have a PayPal account that you haven't used in a while, it may be time to change that because the company implemented an "inactivity fee" as of December 15 and you may have lost $20.

"The User Agreement permits PayPal to assess a fee to eligible inactive accounts. Only eligible accounts with no activity in the previous 12 months will be charged an inactivity service fee," PayPal wrote on its website.

So, if you hadn't used your account in 2021 and had less than $20 in your account, the fee reduced your balance to $0.

But, if you had more than $20 in your account on December 15, you were charged a maximum of $20.

Note that PayPal indicated that those who had no money in their account when the "inactivity fee" was imposed would not be affected.

For those of you hoping to avoid this fee next year, we've got the answers for you.

There are several easy ways to avoid being charged this fee. Here are your options according to PayPal's website:

  • Log-in to your account; or
  • Shop wherever PayPal is accepted; or
  • Send money to friends & family, or vendors for goods & services; or
  • Withdraw money from your account; or
  • Donate to a charity with your account

All you have to do is take one of these steps to save yourself some money in 2022.

Unfortunately for this year, you may already see $20 missing in your PayPal account, but at least now you can be prepared for next year.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Alanna Moore
  • Contributing Writer

    Alanna Moore is a Contributing Writer for MTL Blog. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies & cultural studies from McGill University in 2019. With over three years experience in editing and writing, she has developed a real passion for words and the people who speak them. You can contact her at alanna@mtlblog.com.

Trudeau is moving to Montreal & he could be your neighbour if you live in this swanky area

The former PM just dropped millions on a nearly century-old mansion.

Most of Canada gets Monday off next week — but why doesn't Quebec?

We'd add all love an extra day off in February.

Trump just said China will 'terminate ALL ice hockey' in Canada & get rid of the Stanley Cup

Trump made the bizarre threat while demanding ownership of a new Canada-U.S. border bridge.

Another Canadian airline just cancelled all its Cuba flights for the next few months

The Canadian government has updated its travel advisory for the country.