How can I make a purchase from Apple with the money in my Paypal?

April 25, 2010 8:46 PM

How can I place an order with Apple with the money in my Paypal? Apple requires payment from a credit card, which I don't have. Is there any way to transfer my money?

I have enough money in my Paypal account to order the iPod I've been pining after; unfortunately, I just discovered that Apple requires payment from a credit card, which I don't have. Is there any option besides ordering a gift credit card online? Would that even work? Is there any service where I can order a gift credit card online that will send me the card number via email?

Yes, I'm impatient. The only other option I can think of is requesting a check from paypal and going out to buy the credit cards myself. I'm hoping to send the money straight to Apple though, and avoid as many fees as I can (ordering online does incur fees, but so does buying them myself).

posted by hotdiggitydog to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Do you have a debit card? I know my debit card can be used as if it were a credit card.
posted by kthxbi at 8:53 PM on April 25, 2010

Also, you could find a friend with a credit card and transfer the money to them via paypal and have them put it on their card. Hell, I'd do it for you if you'd like, though I'm guessing trusting random strangers on the internet is probably not smart.
posted by kthxbi at 8:54 PM on April 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

Do you really have no bank account at all? If not you should just get one, and if you're a student (or can keep about $500 in an account only used a few times a month) there is usually no fees. The ATM card works just like a credit card on line (except the money comes out of your account right away.)

I think that would be a lot cheaper than always using paypal or gift cards, the only reason (i can see) to use those is privacy issues.
posted by Some1 at 8:55 PM on April 25, 2010

Get a Paypal Debit MasterCard. It pretty much lets you use the balance in your PayPal account anywhere that takes MasterCard. That's how I got my first MacBook Pro from Apple since I was using money from selling crap on ebay to pay to pay for it. You even get "cash back" on purchases. Or use the card at an ATM and get cash.

It takes a few days for them to mail you the card but it is the simplest way.
posted by birdherder at 8:55 PM on April 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

Paypal has a plug-in that creates a one time credit card for just such emergencies. If you log into your paypal account it should be under products and services I believe. I've used it many times to pay by "credit card" and never had a problem with it. I don't have credit cards either.
posted by patheral at 8:56 PM on April 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

PayPal's one-time debit card plugin was discontinued in 2009. People report that it still works if you activated it before it discontinued, but I wouldn't count on it.
posted by notnamed at 9:02 PM on April 25, 2010

Sorry, I didn't know it was discontinued because I used it a few months ago... My bad.
posted by patheral at 9:54 PM on April 25, 2010

My advice: cash out the funds from paypal back into your bank account and buy a disposable secured Visa/MasterCard credit card (the kind you can put money on and use like a gift card). Just be sure that the kind you choose can be used for internet purchases as some of them only work for in-person transactions.
posted by 1000monkeys at 11:39 PM on April 25, 2010

Does buy.com have the iPod as well (they seem to carry similar stock in iPods)? They accept paypal, and you'll still be covered under the full apple warranty.
posted by CharlesV42 at 5:43 AM on April 26, 2010

Why from apple? Amazon Best Buy... accept paypal.
posted by pianomover at 9:48 AM on April 26, 2010