Klarna vs PayPal referral: which £10 UK invite is easier in 2026?
Both pay the joiner £10, so choose by effort. PayPal is lower-friction — one £5 checkout on an account most people already hold — but the £10 is store credit and the campaign ends 30 June 2026. Klarna pays the same £10 (plus £40 to the referrer) but needs the Klarna Card and three £5 purchases. They're separate programmes, so you can claim both.
Key takeaways
- PayPal: £10 each side after one £5 GBP checkout within 30 days — lowest friction, but store credit, and the campaign ends 30 June 2026.
- Klarna: £10 to the joiner (£40 to the referrer) after taking the Klarna Card and making three £5 purchases within 30 days.
- Pick PayPal if you want the quickest tenner; pick Klarna if you actually want the Card.
- Separate programmes with separate eligibility — claim both if both suit you.
These two pay the same headline figure to the new joiner — £10 — so the decision is purely about how much work each asks of you, and what form the money takes.
Same £10, very different effort
PayPal gives both sides £10 once the new joiner makes a single £5 GBP checkout within 30 days. Most people already have a PayPal account and already shop somewhere that accepts it, so the qualifying step is barely a step at all.
Klarna also gives the joiner £10 (and the referrer £40), but only after you take the Klarna Card and make three separate £5 purchases within 30 days. That's more deliberate effort — and only worth it if you actually want the Card.
What the money is
This matters as much as the amount. PayPal's £10 is non-cash store credit in the Offers section — it applies at your next checkout but can't be withdrawn. Klarna's £10 lands in your Klarna balance wallet as spendable e-money you can even withdraw to a debit card. So Klarna's reward is the more flexible of the two.
The catches
PayPal's offer is time-limited — the campaign closes 30 June 2026 and rewards expire 30 September. And paying through PayPal can break Section 75 protection on big purchases. Klarna's caveat is its credit side: Pay in 3 stays unregulated until 15 July 2026, though using the Card in debit mode for the referral avoids that entirely.
The verdict
Want the quickest, lowest-effort tenner? PayPal — just mind the deadline. Want a slightly larger, more flexible reward and don't mind taking a new card? Klarna. They are independent programmes, so if both fit your spending, claim both.
Last checked 21 June 2026. Figures verified against each brand's own terms. How we rank.