Last Updated on April 15, 2020
PayPal isn’t only for sending money or buying other people’s junk on eBay. It’s potentially one of the most secure ways to buy anything online including flights!
But if you want to pay for your flight using PayPal you’ll need to find airlines that take Paypal right?
Well no…
There are some airlines that accept PayPal directly but there are also ways to pay for your flights and even hotels using PayPal even if the airline does not offer checkout using PayPal.
And because of PayPal’s security features and dispute resolution, you’ll be covered from anything going wrong with the purchase. Using PayPal to buy flights is arguably more secure than using your credit card.
The post will cover which airlines accept PayPal directly and also how you can still use PayPal to buy flights when the airline doesn’t take PayPal.
You can even buy flights for most airlines and routes using PayPal Credit (formerly known as ‘PayPal Bill Me Later’.
Which Airlines Accepts PayPal
We checked all the major US airlines to see which airlines listed PayPal as a payment method.
Here are the results:
| Airline | Do They Accept PayPal? |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | Does not accept PayPal |
| Allegiant Air | Does not accept PayPal |
| American Airlines | “You can use PayPal on aa.com for all travel except award tickets.” |
| Delta Air Lines | “PayPal is accepted for flights departing from the United States on delta.com” |
| Frontier Airlines | Does not accept PayPal |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Does not accept PayPal |
| JetBlue | “JetBlue accepts PayPal, PayPal Credit, Apple Pay, and MasterPass online at jetblue.com for flight-only purchases.” |
| Southwest Airlines | “Simply select PayPal as your payment method when you book online” |
| Spirit Airlines | Does not accept PayPal |
| United Airlines | “PayPal can be used as your payment method when you purchase tickets or gift certificates, enroll in United ClubSM, pay for fee collections such as award travel, mileage purchase, award upgrade fees, unaccompanied minor fees or in-cabin Pet fees. Simply select PayPal as your payment method at checkout.” |
These are United States airlines, many other airlines around the world now accept PayPal as a payment method.
Why Buy Flights Using Paypal Instead Of A Credit Card?
Paying with PayPal offers some benefits compared to using your credit card or debit card.
- Security – When you use your PayPal account to buy airline tickets you don’t need to enter any credit card details. Choose PayPal at the end of the booking process and you will be directed to your PayPal account and log in using your email address and password. PayPal will bill one of your existing bank accounts, debit cards, or credit cards depending on what funding source you have prioritized.
- PayPal Credit – If you buy your flights using PayPal Credit then you can have 0% interest for 4 months. This means that PayPal effectively bills you later for the flights you buy today. PayPal credit used to be known as “bill me later”.
- PayPal Dispute Resolution – PayPal loves travelers and is on your side when it comes to dispute resolution. Check what David on Twitter has to say about the protection that PayPal offers him when paying for travel.
Airbnb hosts and airlines never want to give refunds, so good thing I didn’t use a card. PayPal dispute has never failed me.
David on Twitter
Travel Sites That Accept PayPal
PayPal doesn’t need to be business partners with the airline for you to buy your flight tickets using their digital wallet.
If an airline does not accept PayPal at the checkout you can potentially buy the exact same flight through a 3rd party travel booking site that does accept PayPal.
Examples of travel websites that take PayPal are:
- Expedia.com
- Hotels.com
- AlternativeAirline.com
- HotWire.com
- Agoda.com
Depending on your credit limit you can buy your flights, hotel, and even car rental using PayPal credit.
You can use PayPal credit anywhere that PayPal is accepted so if they accept PayPal you can book your flight using your PayPal Credit facility.
The Verdict
It’s relatively simple to pay for flight bookings using PayPal, even if the airline in question doesn’t accept PayPal!
With PayPal flights, you won’t even need to expose your credit card number.
And with the potential of PayPal Credit, you might not even need to pay for your flights today if you don’t want to.
All in all, this makes PayPal a very attractive way payment option and one that is increasingly available.