PayPal Pay in 3 is an interest-free loan that lets you split your basket into 3 payments, with the first due at time of purchase and subsequent payments due every month on the same date. It’s a great way to spread the cost of larger items or to cover emergencies, and is a helpful tool to manage your budget more effectively. Pay in 3 is an unregulated credit agreement, so you will have fewer protections under this agreement than you would under a regulated credit agreement. Carefully consider whether the purchase is affordable and how you will make the repayments. Be aware of the possible impact of using Pay in 3 and of missing payments, including making other borrowing more difficult or more expensive.

We’re offering PayPal Pay in 3 to a growing number of our UK customers.

PayPal Pay in 3 is not available for certain merchants and goods. We may also decide not to offer PayPal Pay in 3 as a payment option in certain circumstances, such as where our checks suggest an increased risk of fraud or where data we hold suggests you may not be eligible. The checks we run are with an external credit reference agency. This search will only be visible to you and will not affect your credit score.

If you choose PayPal Pay in 3 as your payment method when you check out with PayPal, you’ll be taken through the application process. You’ll get a decision instantly, but not everyone is approved based on the checks we carry out.

When applying for a PayPal Pay in 3, we may conduct a “soft” credit check if we need more information to make a decision. “Soft” credit checks are not visible to others, so have no impact on your credit file. However, we do share some data on your repayment history with Transunion. Although it does not impact your credit score, this data will be visible to other companies and may impact your ability to obtain credit from other lenders and the cost of accessing it. More information is available in our Pay in 3 Terms & Conditions.

Your plan will last 2 months in total. The first payment will be due at the time of purchase, followed by 2 further payments due each month after that.

To apply for PayPal Pay in 3, you’ll need to provide your:

• Title
• Phone number
• Address
• Date of birth
• Payment details

Our decision making process is automated. We assess your financial position using a combination of the information you provided within your application, and information about your usage and history with PayPal to decide whether PayPal Pay in 3 is suitable for you at this time. We may also run a “soft” credit check with an external credit reference agency when you apply if we need more information to make our decision. This search will only be visible to you and will not affect your credit score.

There are no fees for choosing to pay with PayPal Pay in 3.

Find your answers you’re looking for in our Pay in 3 FAQ. For full product terms, check our T&C’s page