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Why add PayPal
Cards through Stripe are technically enough. This is not about technology but about the moment a guest is standing with their phone and no card at hand. Someone used to PayPal who cannot find it often does not order at all — and that costs more than any fee.
You can offer both side by side. The guest chooses at checkout, and your panel shows which method was used on every order. PayPal is optional and can be switched off at any time.
What to have ready
- Your registered business name as on the Gewerbeanmeldung, with the legal form.
- The business address and a phone number for the restaurant.
- The IBAN of the business account.
- An ID document for the person authorised to represent the business.
- An email address for the restaurant — it becomes your PayPal username and guests can see it.
Create the business account
- Open paypal.com/de/business and choose to open a business account. Make sure business account is really selected at the top, not personal.
- Enter the restaurant’s email address and set a password.
- Fill in the business details: name, legal form, address, phone. Pick food service or restaurant as the industry.
- Describe briefly what you sell. One sentence is enough: food for collection, ordered online in advance.
- Confirm the email address through PayPal’s link.
Verify the account
A fresh account can receive payments, but PayPal caps how much you can withdraw until it is verified. Do this straight away rather than when the first money is stuck.
- Add and confirm your bank account. PayPal verifies it with a small test transfer or directly through your bank.
- Prove your identity. Upload the ID; companies also need the commercial register extract and the beneficial owners.
- Check the account status for anything still open. PayPal lists open items in the dashboard.
Connect it to OwnGo
Once the account exists we send you a link. You open it, sign in to PayPal and confirm that OwnGo may take payments in your name. PayPal then appears at your checkout automatically.
We ask for exactly two permissions: take payments and refund payments. An ordering page needs no more than that, and no more than that is what we get. We never see your password, we have no access to your balance, and you can revoke the approval in your PayPal settings at any time.
What PayPal costs
The business account itself is free: no base fee, no setup. PayPal charges a fee on each payment received.
| Payment | PayPal’s fee | On a €30 order |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal, guest in Germany | 2.99% + €0.39 | €1.29 |
| For comparison: card via Stripe | 1.5% + €0.25 | €0.70 |
So PayPal is noticeably dearer than a card. That is the price of a guest who would otherwise have abandoned the order finishing it. These figures are as of September 2026; PayPal’s fee schedule is always the binding source.
What usually goes wrong
- A personal account created by mistake. The most common error. Trading revenue on a personal account can lead to a limitation, and then the balance is frozen for a while.
- Verification postponed. You find out the first time you try to withdraw and cannot.
- Business name differs from the register. PayPal compares them and comes back with questions.
- A private email address as the username. It appears on every payment confirmation and is awkward to change later.
If you get stuck anywhere, send us a screenshot. We can see whether PayPal has cleared your account and tell you what is still missing.