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You may have seen some small and surprising charges pop up from your PayPal account to your credit card and wondered what was going on. Why did someone charge a dollar to your account that now appears in your PayPal transaction history?
It may look like a scam (and none of us want to be even more stressed about our finances). Or perhaps you might be worried that someone has accessed your account information. But you probably don't have to be concerned.
So what is going on here? This is what you need to know about those dollar charges.
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Our partners do not influence our ratings.
Up to $300New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.30% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.30% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/23/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
Minimum Opening Balance
$0
Monthly Fee
$0
Why We Like It
Earn a $50 or $300 bonus and up to 4.00% APY1 <p>New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.</p><p>SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.30% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.30% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/23/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet">http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>.</p> on your money with eligible direct deposit
Limited-Time Offer: +0.70% Boost on Savings APY for 6 months on new accounts with eligible Direct Deposit. Terms Apply.2 <p>Earn up to 4.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on SoFi Savings with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.30% APY as of 12/23/25) for up to 6 months. Open a new SoFi Checking and Savings account and pay the $10 SoFi Plus subscription every 30 days OR receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 1/31/26. Rates variable, subject to change. Terms apply at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/#2">sofi.com/banking#2</a>. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.</p>
No account, overdraft, or monthly fees3 <p>We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at <a href="http://sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/">sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/</a></p>
Get your paycheck up to two days early with direct deposit4 <p>Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.</p>
Access additional FDIC insurance up to $3 million5 <p><b style="font-family: Rubik, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations. Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at <a href="http://sofi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms">SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms</a>. See list of participating banks at <a href="http://sofi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks">SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks</a>.</b></p>
PayPal can be a great asset for things like online payments and other transactions. Perhaps you use it to send money to friends and family. The PayPal Pay with Rewards program even lets you use credit card rewards to shop online.
However, when you add a credit or debit card to your PayPal account, you might notice a charge to your credit card for a small amount of money that shows up in your PayPal account transaction history. But why?
When you add or change a credit or debit card within your PayPal account, the company checks to make sure the new card works for your account. That means PayPal may make a temporary charge to the card for up to a dollar in order to verify that the card works and is in good standing.
And yes, it could be "a temporary charge of up to $1," according to the company's website. In other words, it might be a dollar, but you could also see charges of 28 cents or 72 cents to test your new card, for example.
The good news is that the amount is only a pending charge. Once PayPal verifies that the new card is in good standing, the pending charge is automatically removed. You no longer have to worry about it.
Other companies may charge you
PayPal isn't the only company that uses this type of method of charging some money on your cards to test them.
These types of pre-authorizations can be found at places like gas stations, which may perform a quick charge to make sure your card is valid, or that you are not going over the amount you are allowed to charge on the card. You may also see charges like this for hotels and rental cars while you're traveling.
Sometimes, these temporary charges are in amounts far above $1. But with all of these potential charges, remember that you won't have to actually pay them. These are just temporary charges that may show up as a small blip in your account and should never hit your wallet. The charges will likely stay listed as "pending" on your account until they disappear, and you won't be on the hook for any of them.
Just be aware that a small charge like this may linger. PayPal, for example, says it may be a good idea to contact your credit card provider to have them remove any temporary charge that remains on your account for more than 30 days. And in fact, you should contact your credit or debit card provider if any of these small charges from certain companies don't disappear from your account.
What to do if you think it's a scam
If you see a $1 charge appear in your account and it comes out of the blue — for example, you have not done anything like add a card to your account or modify an existing card — you might have more reason to be concerned.
In those situations, you should check with PayPal to try to find out what might be behind the charge. Also, check with your bank or credit card company to see if they have any insight into why the charge appeared.
While it usually is not a concern, there are times when these small charges may indicate that you are a victim of identity theft. Your best bet may be to check with your credit card or debit card company to see if it has discovered any unusual activity on your account. If the issuer suspects identity theft, it can issue you a new card.
Also look for suspicious activity on your other financial accounts, such as your checking accounts, online savings accounts, investments accounts, and credit card accounts.
By law, you have the right to access one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies. And the agencies are currently allowing people to check their reports weekly for free. So, check your credit report regularly.
By checking your report, you can spot any activity that you did not authorize and that might be a red flag that your identity has been stolen or that you're being scammed. To get access to your report, go to the official credit report website.
Remember to be cautious with private data, including personal, medical, or financial information. You should protect important documents in a secure location, and avoid carrying your Social Security card except when you need it. At all other times, leave it at home in a safe space.
Bottom line
Don't automatically fret if you see small charges pending on your PayPal account or credit card account. They may be there simply as a temporary check to confirm that your account is available for use.
However, keep a cautious eye on these accounts if the charge lingers, or if you see any other unusual activity. The last thing you need is more money-related stress in your life (here are moves to make to eliminate financial stress). And remember that keeping an eye on your credit report can also help you spot fraudulent activity before it gets out of hand.
FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment.
Our partners do not influence our ratings.
2025 award winnerBest Checking and Savings Combo
High APY of up to 4.00% on Savings (3.30% APY1 <p>New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Eligible Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Eligible Direct Deposit. If you have satisfied the Eligible Direct Deposit requirements but have not received a cash bonus in your Checking account, please contact us at 855-456-7634 with the details of your Eligible Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/2026. Full terms at sofi.com/banking. SoFi Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A., Member FDIC.</p><p>SoFi members with Eligible Direct Deposit can earn 3.30% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.30% APY for savings (including Vaults). Members without Eligible Direct Deposit will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/23/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional information can be found at <a href="http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet">http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet</a>.</p> with +0.70% APY Boost) for 6 Months on new accounts with eligible direct deposit. Terms Apply.2 <p>Earn up to 4.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on SoFi Savings with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.30% APY as of 12/23/25) for up to 6 months. Open a new SoFi Checking and Savings account and pay the $10 SoFi Plus subscription every 30 days OR receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 1/31/26. Rates variable, subject to change. Terms apply at <a href="https://www.sofi.com/banking/#2">sofi.com/banking#2</a>. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.</p>
Paycheck access up to 2 days early with direct deposit4 <p>Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.</p>
No monthly maintenance or overdraft fees3 <p>We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at <a href="http://sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/">sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/</a></p>
Streamlined savings and savings goals with Vaults
Access to a large ATM network6 <p>We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees may be incurred when using out-of-network ATMs. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.</p>
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