PayPay has been adding new features and tools at a pretty fast pace over the last 2 1/2 years. There are all sorts of ways for you to harness PayPay features to control more of your finances, increase your cash back earnings, and safely try new services such as ride hailing or food pickup.
Today, I want to publish a few tips, introduce some of the features I check everyday, and share why I have a great experience with PayPay. I consider myself a super user – I use PayPay for nearly all of my online and offline purchases, regularly send money to friends and family, and have linked a number of online services to my account.
Increase your cash back and payment options
Linking a bank account is an obvious step that we encourage all our users to do when they start using PayPay. Linking a bank account earns you more cash back on payments*, and also increases payment options, as there are less limits on transaction amount**, and some services require you to pay from your PayPay balance – which can easily be charged via a bank account at any time, from anywhere***. Once your account is linked, you can make online purchases, send money for free via P2P payment, and more. If you are worried about spending limits, it is still possible to set a cap on how much you use with PayPay every month, or you can set auto-charge so that your account is charged at a set amount, when your balance falls below a threshold.
Personalize your profile
Beyond the basic security steps that we ask you to take when first setting up your account, such as adding an email address, there are many other benefits from personalizing your account. Adding a display name and profile picture for example, helps those that you send or receive money from, to know they are dealing with the right person. Linking a Yahoo! Japan account means that you can access more online conveniences, such as the ability to check your balance in Yahoo! JAPAN Mail, and shop easily at Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping, PayPay Mall, Lohaco and many more. If you have a T-Point account linked to your PayPay account, you can also often use your T-points together with PayPay at checkout. Softbank and Y!Mobile users, or those who have Yahoo! Premium membership, will also get access to additional cash back and special offers.
Track and Invest your cash back
One of the key benefits of using PayPay is that all of your purchases go towards helping you earn cash back****. The more you use PayPay, the more you earn – meaning you have extra money in your account that you can use for whatever you want. You can track the PayPay balance you are due to receive as a result of your purchases by checking the cash back calendar – either via the icon in the feature list screen or by tapping on the calendar in the balance tab. Another tip I would offer is to also check how you are doing on PayPay STEP. Nearly all of your purchases go towards your STEP campaign, so moving up a stage here will help increase your cash back during the following month.
Once you earn bonus, you can use it in your regular purchases – however, you can also grow it through the bonus investment service – start by tapping the Earn Bonus icon. Any balance you add into here is used by OTB to invest in the stock market on your behalf – making it a fun, stress-free way to invest without worrying about learning all the ins and outs of the market or risking large amounts of money – plus any profits can be taken out at any time and used once again, on a purchase.
Saving money with coupons
Another way that you can save money with PayPay is to take advantage of our coupons. These are easily accessed via the coupon icon on the home screen. Opening this will give you a long list of offers from both major national brand stores and local businesses in your area. If you see a deal that you would like to take advantage of, simply follow the coupon. The next time you make a payment at that store that qualifies for the advertised deal, you will automatically save – with the cash back added to your account in one smooth flow (there is no need to check other screens or perform any other actions).
Reading and Writing reviews
I have been living in Tokyo for more than 13 years now, and even in my local neighborhood I am coming across new shops and restaurants where I have never been before. Some of these stores I find from just walking about, but there are many I have found on the PayPay Map – especially since we released our latest update. The next time you are looking for a specific type of store, or are visiting somewhere new, have a look at the Nearby stores tab. Not only can you scroll across the map, but many stores also post regular updates in the news feed.
Every store will include at least some basic information, for example address, business hours, type of store etc, but many will also have user reviews – telling you what other PayPay users felt when they shopped at these places. Writing your own reviews is also a great way to help others in our community understand more about the places where you have been.
Checking notifications
My final tip is a bit more straightforward. Everyday there are more and more stores begin supporting PayPay, there are new special offers that become available, and other key notifications such as when people send me money. To keep track of these I usually make a point to check the messages center once-a-day. This can be accessed by tapping the bell icon at the top of your PayPay home screen – and will present to you a feed of posts and other helpful information.
Disclaimer:
*Conditions vary depending on the campaign. Please check the campaign page for details.
**There is a limit to what can be used, please check here for details.
***Please check here for the types of PayPay balance.
****PayPay STEP. Please check here as some stores are not eligible.