Troubleshooting Paypal Credit Card Add Funds Issues

[DaveC426913]

It's been a year or two since I gave up, so I guess I'll subject myself again.

Why am I unable to add funds to a Paypal account from a Credit card?

It's like it has never occurred to them that anyone might want to do this.

I am not about to attach my bank account information to anything online!

 

[Danger]

I don't know about that. PayPal has a link to my chequing account, and there's never been anything untoward. What I pay for gets debited, and no other shortage has ever occurred.

 

[Mk]

I've never had any problems with PayPal. A service like that is probably good if you never have to think of it (opposite, e.g. cell phone company).

 

[DaveC426913]

So, no. I can't use my credit card.

 

[DaveC426913]

Debit card? Money Transfer?

 

[Danger]

My understanding, when I joined PayPal (which, incidentally, was to become a Contributer here), was that you could load up your account in advance using a credit card. It would have to be done in advance of a purchase, though.

 

[DaveC426913]

My understanding, when I joined PayPal (which, incidentally, was to become a Contributer here), was that you could load up your account in advance using a credit card. It would have to be done in advance of a purchase, though.

Yes. Fine. Perfect. No problem. Absolutely. I'm with you 100%. Okey-dokey.




How?


The idea of add funds from a credit appears an anathema to Paypal to such an extent that they don't even address the issue on their web site. As far as I can tell, it's just never occurred to them.


Oh wait... there it is. A tiiiiiny little line at the very bottom of the help section, under a subsection of adding funds - a little note that says:

Note that if you do not wish to add funds to your PayPal account, you may send a PayPal payment using a credit card or Instant (bank account) Transfer.

Of course, that doesn't mean I can add funds to my account - it just means I can route my payment through Paypal to the seller.

Too bad the seller wants payment by Paypal - which means of course, that I'm SOOL.

 

[DaveC426913]

What's bizarre is that I actually have a credit card registered with them. It seems to do me no good.

 

[NeoDevin]

If I remember right (it's been a while since I used paypal) you can put in your credit card number, and it will charge things to your card when you use the account, same as if you had money in your paypal account. You can also set it up so that money is automatically debited from your account. Or you can add money to your paypal account. I don't have my account anymore, so I can't check for you. My best advice, I guess would be their customer service number/address.

 

[DaveC426913]

A pox on you 21st century. Do you see an old man in your rear view mirror choking on your dust?

 

[DaveC426913]

If I remember right (it's been a while since I used paypal) you can put in your credit card number, and it will charge things to your card when you use the account, same as if you had money in your paypal account.

Oh for %#@($%*@#&$ sake! That actually worked!

Now I'm even furiouser! Why upon God's Green Earth would they not spell this out!

Oh $#@#!(%)$!%@#$!&%@#$*%#@!

 

[Danger]

Oh $#@#!(%)$!%@#$!&%@#$*%#@!

Do I detect a note of discontent?

 

[Moonbear]

Oh for %#@($%*@#&$ sake! That actually worked!

Now I'm even furiouser! Why upon God's Green Earth would they not spell this out!

Oh $#@#!(%)$!%@#$!&%@#$*%#@!

Yeah, they make that very difficult to find. They probably lose money on credit cards since the credit card companies charge for vendors to use them, so they want to make it more difficult to use them. I agree with your sentiment about not wanting to link directly to a bank account for something like that. Credit cards come with more protections for fraud prevention and disputing unauthorized charges. If PayPal screws up and charges something you didn't purchase or the wrong amount, it's a lot harder disputing it if they took it straight from your bank account. Not to mention with all the cases you hear about big companies having customer information stolen, I'd rather someone get ahold of a credit card number...again with fraud protection...that be able to directly drain a bank account.

 

[Doc Al]

I've been using PayPal for years, having it linked to a credit card. (I assume PayPal gets a cut of any transaction done through them.) As far as having PayPal link directly to a bank account: No way, Jose!

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I'm from the UK and I'm pretty sure my debit card has some sort of fraud protection as well, which is what I use to pay on Paypal. Actually a quick look confirms this, a debit card holder is not responsible for any fraudulent use of his card so provided you still have the card you are fine (do they have debit cards in the US? Debit card removes money straight from your account) you'll also find that if your bank details are used for fraudulent purposes your not expected to pay that either, you should be covered. Credit cards are the same over here, I have no idea what it is like in the US, but the banks here are insured against fraud.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm from the UK and I'm pretty sure my debit card has some sort of fraud protection as well, which is what I use to pay on Paypal. Actually a quick look confirms this, a debit card holder is not responsible for any fraudulent use of his card so provided you still have the card you are fine (do they have debit cards in the US? Debit card removes money straight from your account) you'll also find that if your bank details are used for fraudulent purposes your not expected to pay that either, you should be covered. Credit cards are the same over here, I have no idea what it is like in the US, but the banks here are insured against fraud.

I don't use my debit card except to get cash out of my bank account. The difference between using a debit and credit card is that if the credit card has an unauthorized charge on it, it comes out of the credit card company's pocket, not my bank account, until the dispute is resolved (they can then go after whoever made the charge). If there is a disputed charge on a debit card, the money is coming out of my bank account and isn't there for me to use until the issue is resolved. Things may work differently in the UK, but I prefer the buffer using a credit card provides...I still have my money safely in my bank account to use as I want if someone goes on a spending spree with a forged credit card with my number on it.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I don't use my debit card except to get cash out of my bank account. The difference between using a debit and credit card is that if the credit card has an unauthorized charge on it, it comes out of the credit card company's pocket, not my bank account, until the dispute is resolved (they can then go after whoever made the charge). If there is a disputed charge on a debit card, the money is coming out of my bank account and isn't there for me to use until the issue is resolved. Things may work differently in the UK, but I prefer the buffer using a credit card provides...I still have my money safely in my bank account to use as I want if someone goes on a spending spree with a forged credit card with my number on it.

Yeah what normally happens is if you phone them they freeze the card so that no more money can go through on it, then stop the transactions from going through your account, so that your money is safe, and the charges are then covered by their insurance, your money is then returned to your account. So yeah it's possible that they could wipe out your account but provided you phone the bank promptly this should be a short term inconvenience. I don't use credit cards myself. I don't see the point of paying the fees, it's fine if your the sort of person that has a tight grip on your finances at all times and you can pay the credit off before incurring a charge, but, I don't. So it's just an added expense for me. I tend to save and then buy, rather than being a now, now, now sort of person. If it's a crisis I usually borrow off people I know, rather than take out bank loans as well. But that hardly ever happens anyway. Except the odd ten pounds here and there generally.

 

[Moonbear]

Yeah what normally happens is if you phone them they freeze the card so that no more money can go through on it, then stop the transactions from going through your account, so that your money is safe, and the charges are then covered by their insurance, your money is then returned to your account. So yeah it's possible that they could wipe out your account but provided you phone the bank promptly this should be a short term inconvenience.

Having no funds in your account when your landlord tries to cash the rent check might be more than a short term inconvenience, even if it was only for a day.

I don't use credit cards myself. I don't see the point of paying the fees, it's fine if your the sort of person that has a tight grip on your finances at all times and you can pay the credit off before incurring a charge, but, I don't. So it's just an added expense for me.

This is what I don't understand about people who prefer debit to credit cards. If you can control your spending with a debit card, why can't you control it with a credit card? There's no added expense if you pay off the amount every month, and if you can control your purchases with a debit card to only what you can afford, why can't you limit your purchases on a credit card the same way?

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Because it's a temptation that I would no doubt use unwisely. I think in the long run I'd probably just end up spending more money on things I didn't really need and paying charges, so I'd be out of pocket.

As for not being able to pay my landlord, that would be myself, so no problem there. And I'm not sure but the bank could arrange for any outstanding debts to be paid out? Not sure on that though, but I suspect you could arrange for them to cover any charges or direct debits, that go through in the mean time until your balance is restored. Obviously they'd know that the money would be returning to your account so I'd doubt they'd have a problem with that? Likewise any fees incurred to bounced cheques would be waived I would imagine.

 

[Doc Al]

I don't use my debit card except to get cash out of my bank account.

I don't think I've ever used my debit card for anything. If I need cash, I use my ATM card (which I think is also my debit card).

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I don't think I've ever used my debit card for anything. If I need cash, I use my ATM card (which I think is also my debit card).

Yeah same here, it's a debit/cashcard, that you can also use to pay for services. We have a chip and pin system over here, so you don't even have to carry cash around with you with a debit card. I don't know if you have it there yet? I only carry cash for sundry expenses, like a paper or bus fare or whatever or a beer or two.

 

[cristo]

We have a chip and pin system over here, so you don't even have to carry cash around with you with a debit card. I don't know if you have it there yet?

No, they don't (or at least the Americans I know don't have chip n pin cards). Some places on the continent (ticket machines in Paris, especially) don't accept swipe cards, which gave my (American) gf the perfect excuse to make me pay for things when we were over there!

It is weird the difference in use of debit/credit cards in different countries. Most people I know use debit cards more often than their credit cards. I've got both, and only tend to use my credit card for big purchases, online purchases, or when it's the end of the month and I'm skint! One great bonus to debit cards is the "cashback" facility, which means you can pay on your card for something and get some cash in the same transaction-- it saves queuing at ATMs!

 

[jtbell]

I've been using PayPal for years, having it linked to a credit card. (I assume PayPal gets a cut of any transaction done through them.) As far as having PayPal link directly to a bank account: No way, Jose!

PayPal knows about my (bank) checking account because I used it to "verify" myself (or whatever they call it, I've forgotten the details). Every time I make a purchase with PayPal, it wants to use the checking account as the default source of funds, and I always change it to my credit card so I can take advantage of the credit card company's protection policies.

My bank's ATM card also functions as a debit card, but I've never used it that way, only as an ATM card. My wife uses her debit card frequently at grocery stores etc., but I'm still reluctant to dip directly into my bank account for purchases.

 

[Moonbear]

Yeah same here, it's a debit/cashcard, that you can also use to pay for services. We have a chip and pin system over here, so you don't even have to carry cash around with you with a debit card. I don't know if you have it there yet? I only carry cash for sundry expenses, like a paper or bus fare or whatever or a beer or two.

I've never been a place that doesn't accept both debit and credit cards, but have been places that don't accept debit cards yet, and certainly have been places that are cash only. I'm not sure I understand why the method of reading the card matters...so you wave it around a chip reader rather than swiping it...so what?

And, no, your bank might reimburse you the bounced check fees if your account doesn't have the money in it due to their error, but they aren't going to cover any late fees, interest, or damage to your credit rating when your landlord or mortgage company isn't paid on time because the check bounced.

Yes, Doc Al, your ATM card is your debit card. Some are also tied to things like Visa, so you can use them anywhere credit cards are accepted.

I actually think the cash back thing is silly, and makes it hard to track your budget. When you go to the grocery store and get cash back, you see the statement with a charge to a grocery store but don't have it broken down by how much was actually spent on groceries and how much was cash you ended up using for sundries. ATMs are everywhere, and unless you're trying to stop on Friday at 5 PM when people just got their paychecks (with direct deposit, even that's not so bad), I've never had to wait for more than one person ahead of me. The only time I've used the cash back option was while traveling to avoid paying ATM fees (then again, I don't usually travel without at least some cash already on me...don't want to find out the cab you're taking from the airport doesn't accept credit cards, or that the card reader on the ticket machine at the train station is broken and only taking exact change...I had that happen once, and was fortunate I had a purse full of coins since the only other cash I had were $20s...likewise, I keep a credit card in case the bill acceptor is broken and it only is taking credit cards...I'm sure not going to use a debit card and enter a pin number in the middle of a train station with shady sorts lingering all around).

 

[cristo]

I've never been a place that doesn't accept both debit and credit cards, but have been places that don't accept debit cards yet, and certainly have been places that are cash only.

Well, yes, there are certainly many places that are still cash only over here too. However, I've been to more places that take debit cards and not credit cards than the other way around. I guess this is because retailers get charged for credit card payments, but they don't for debit card payments.

I actually think the cash back thing is silly, ...

Well, each to their own . I live in an area whose ATMs are always incredibly busy, so cashback just makes sense for me!

 

[dst]

PayPal knows about my (bank) checking account because I used it to "verify" myself (or whatever they call it, I've forgotten the details). Every time I make a purchase with PayPal, it wants to use the checking account as the default source of funds, and I always change it to my credit card so I can take advantage of the credit card company's protection policies.

My bank's ATM card also functions as a debit card, but I've never used it that way, only as an ATM card. My wife uses her debit card frequently at grocery stores etc., but I'm still reluctant to dip directly into my bank account for purchases.

You can change that default payment source.

 

[DaveC426913]

I'm not sure I understand why the method of reading the card matters...so you wave it around a chip reader rather than swiping it...so what?

It is very easy to read, write and duplicate data on a magnetic strip - kitchen table technology. The new chip system is far harder to crack.

 

[Danger]

I never carry cash; everyplace that I go works with my bank card (which functions as debit and ATM access). One local bar accepts cash only, but they have an ATM right beside the pay phone, so there's no problem there either.
(On the other hand, I always have a couple of hundred bucks stashed at home in case of card failure.)

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I've never been a place that doesn't accept both debit and credit cards, but have been places that don't accept debit cards yet, and certainly have been places that are cash only. I'm not sure I understand why the method of reading the card matters...so you wave it around a chip reader rather than swiping it...so what?

And, no, your bank might reimburse you the bounced check fees if your account doesn't have the money in it due to their error, but they aren't going to cover any late fees, interest, or damage to your credit rating when your landlord or mortgage company isn't paid on time because the check bounced.

I think that's where we differ, I think any charges incurred from fraud would be covered anyway, I'm not certain but I think that's how it works. That's another difference as well practically everywhere accepts chip & pin, it's supposedly more secure and harder to defraud than signature and swipe.

You'd get bad credit for missing one payment, that sounds a bit harsh? I'd of thought once you told them your account had been ripped off they'd be fine with that. I guess you could even ask your manager to phone them to clear it up. Obviously we differ in the methods of payment we commonly use. I think debit cards get a similar sort of protection to credit cards because of that. Since it's more widely used than credit cards?

 

[binzing]

My Paypal is attached to my savings account, and you can only withdraw certain amounts from the bank to the Paypal account at any given time. I think your problem with it not excepting your credit card is that it is not "Verified" or summat like that.