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Prepositions after verbs

Pay for, to, by, in or on

Pay combines with several prepositions depending on whether you mean cost, recipient, method, currency, or spending.

Quick answer

How do you use pay with prepositions?

Use pay for for things you buy or suffer consequences for, pay to for the recipient, pay by for payment method, pay in for currency or installments, and pay on mainly in expressions about loans or accounts.

I paid for dinner.
She paid by card.
They paid in euros.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
pay for + thing/service

Talking about cost or responsibility

Pay for means give money for something or suffer consequences.

Who will pay for the repairs?
2
pay to + person/company

Naming the recipient

Pay to introduces the person or organisation receiving money.

Please pay to the order of GreenTech Ltd.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
pay for
He paid for the tickets.
give money for something
pay to
The company paid compensation to workers.
direct money toward a recipient
pay by
You can pay by credit card.
show a payment method
pay in
Customers may pay in dollars.
show currency or installments
pay on
She pays extra on her mortgage each month.
make payments toward a debt or account

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Confusing pay for and pay to

Pay for refers to the item or service. Pay to refers to the recipient.

✕ I paid the waiter for. ✓ I paid the waiter.

Using pay on for ordinary purchases

Pay on is mainly used with debts and accounts.

✕ He paid on the coffee. ✓ He paid for the coffee.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We need to ___ the hotel in advance.
2. Most customers now ___ phone.
3. The cheque was made ___ the landlord.

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Frequently asked questions

Can pay for mean suffer consequences?

Yes. For example, He will pay for his mistakes means he will suffer because of them.

Is pay in cash correct?

Yes. Pay in can introduce a currency or form of money.

What is the difference between pay by and pay with?

Pay by usually names the method, while pay with names the instrument used, such as pay with cash.

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