Paypal - Won't let me use my credit card?

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In order to use the credit card option to pay on paypal, all funds that are in the account must be withdrawn. Very tricky of PayPal but that's what they do. And they make it very difficult to find it in help. Transfer your PayPal balance to your bank account and then the option to use your credit card funding source appears.
 
I just got off the phone with Paypal and I think you all may be interested in this. My specific transaction was blocked due to the "high failure rate". All the funds in my Paypal account were withdrawn, the seller accepted credit cards, everything was perfect but it was Paypal that blocked the transaction. The associate I spoke with, Mark, said that it had nothing to do with the seller, our credit worthiness, or our accounts. I asked him why paypal would block the safest way to conduct a transaction through their service and he just kept repeating that it had nothing to do with my credit worthiness. I assured him that I would be telling everyone I knew about this situation because Paypal should have some sort of fine print under their icon with accepted credit cards that says "not in all situations" because they are false advertising. Again, this has nothing to do with the seller. She has been great, I'm very lucky to have someone so nice in this case because I'm not sure I'd believe this story to be honest!!!
 
Have you tried using a different credit card?

One guess I have to why this is happening may be the bank that issued your card has a high charge-back rate against payal.
 
When you first sign up with paypal you have spending and withdrawl limits. After you reach these limits you must become "verified" with paypal (not your address). You can do that by a few different ways. They give you the options when your in the get verified screen. Other than that, I can't think of why they would block a payment like that. That's how I found out about the limits because I bought something and tried to pay using a cc and they wouldn't let me. A couple days after I gave the other information "to lift spending limits" it was clear and I could pay with cc again. Check in your account and see if you have a spending limit.
 
Once you get to the paypal site from eBay, you should see the words "More Funding Options" in very tiny letters closer to the bottom of the screen.

To use your credit card, you will have to click More Funding Options, and you will have to sit through and click your way out of a few more screens of paypal trying to persuade you to NOT use your credit card, but eventually you should make it to the other side of the river.
 
I'm verified and I do not have the limit on my credit card anymore because I confirmed with the four digits that were attached nominal fee (it was like 1.86). My card is a well known bank issued card, very very common and highly advertised. I called back to speak to another associate because I wasn't satisfied and she said the same as the first but did email me a confirmation for the conversation. She said that credit cards are safer for buyers but the most risky for paypal. She also made a joke about what I was buying saying that she wished she had money to spend on a purse. How professional. I will not be using them further.
 
I'm sorry you had problems with using your credit card! I'm still confused why Paypal blocked the transaction... was it because of the dollar amount and possibility of you being able do a chargeback? I once had a problem using mine, but it turned out it was the credit card company that had blocked it, they needed verbal confirmation that it was indeed me trying to charge $1100 to my CC!
 
Alea84,

I think it's a combination of a high-dollar amount transaction and the bank that issued your card. Your bank probably has a history of siding with its card holders during charge-backs, which means paypal was burnt in the past and decided not to take the risk this time around.

Short of trying a different card or pay cash out of your bank account, there's not much else you can do. You can also try using other payment services besides paypal, of course.
 
Alea forgive my reply, I kept a window open too long and did not see your update!

I think tods123 is on the right track, as paypal is extremely opposed to consumers availing themselves of credit card protection.

There was a thread on here not too long ago regarding how doing that can cause paypal to kick you to the curb.

Edit to note that if I am not mistaken, there is actually text to this effect in their terms of service, though it is worded in such a way that its meaning would not be immediately apparent even to anyone who actually waded through the terms of service, considering that the basic term of service consists of whether you can buy things on eBay or not.
 
Alea- you have been great w/ the whole Paypal mess. I know how long it takes to actually get a hold of someone IRL on the phone so I really appreciate all the effort you put into it.

Paypal is really insane and getting worse all the time. That's really all I can say. They make it really hard for the small sellers.
 
I bought an expensive platinum ring for my BF over Christmas. I thought I had used my cc to pay for it. Turns out they pulled the money out of my checking account without my authorization!
I called paypal and they told me the security department had seen something they thought was "suspicous" so they used my bank account.
I called my CC company and they said "so for some reason if the transaction was suspicious, it would be safer pulling money for your bank account?"
I argued and argued with them on the phone, even tried to get them to reverse it, they said they were not authorized to do so.
I still don't know what happened to this day, but I had to make a quick transfer just to keep from bouncing my account and do all this calling to companies and the seller that I shouldn't have had to do, just because of Paypa!! :cursing:
 
Paypal is going to screw things up for themselves!
I spent $985.00 on a bag, paid from my bank account & the seller decided he would send me a bag from Shanghai, not at all the bag I won on ebay.
Since it was my bank funds, you guessed it!
I'm working with a mediator now to get the seller to refund me. If I'm lucky, I'll have my money by the end of April.
I won the bag at the end of December.
There's why Paypal wants you to use your bank funds. Their hands are clean & the hassle is left up to me & the SquareTrade mediator.
 
I had a similar message with Paypal when I tried to buy something through Diabro (it told me I couldn't use my CC for this purchase). I couldn't figure it out either at first, but I think it was just a matter of reconfirming my credit card or something? I can't remember exactly what I needed to do ... but it was some easy fix and then I was able to use it. Wish I could remember more what exactly I did.
 
At least you know the seller is on tpf and that she sounds very trust worthy- in the event that you decided to use your bank account we would all know where to find her if something went wrong ;) and with over 4,000 posts it doesn't look like she's going anywhere- ahaha!

On a serious note this whole paypal thing is really frustrating and it's shameless how they try and avoid the cc payments at all costs.