PayPal will not charge fees for its in-app cash-a-check feature so that people won’t have to leave their homes to cash their coronavirus stimulus checks.
The online payments platform usually charges a 1% fee for cashing payroll and government checks with a preprinted signature. But from April 24 to May 31, cashing stimulus checks will be free.
PayPal’s cash-a-check feature allows customers to cash their stimulus checks into a PayPal Cash Plus account, which may be created within the service’s app or on its website.
To cash in, customers will only have to take a picture of their checks and send it to PayPal for review, which may take as fast as a few seconds. The cash will then be transferred to the PayPal Cash Plus account in minutes, and customers will be able to use their money right away wherever PayPal is accepted, or transfer the money to a linked bank account.
“In the current environment, we know that fast, easy, and secure access to stimulus payments is top of mind for a lot of people around the country,” said John Kunze, PayPal’s senior vice president of branded experiences, in a statement. “We are committed to providing our customers the ability to receive access to their urgently needed stimulus payment as quickly and as securely as possible, especially if they are sheltering in place.”
Some Americans, meanwhile, are having trouble with the Internal Revenue Service’s stimulus check web portal, including difficulties in tracking their check status. Some are receiving confusing messages such as “payment status not available.”
