PayPal wants credit card/debit card

[nwmafia]

I cant pay for anything as PayPal wants a credit/debit card that I don't have, instead of just taking the funds straight from my bank account.... 

Just says this: 

• Please add a credit or Visa Debit card to complete your purchase.
  
  Ive tried Chrome, Firefox, IE, different computers, and still the same sh*t

[kernowlass]

To use funds in your paypal account balance OR funds from a bank account via instant bank transfer you need to have a linked and verified credit card added to your paypal account as well.

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I give up my time to help you so a thank you or kudos would be cool.

Marking one of my replies as a solution would be appreciated if I sorted your problem.

[nwmafia]

That can't be true, as I've paid for 3 different purchases in the last month by having PayPal take the money directly from my bank account without having a credit/debit card, nor funds in my Paypal account.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

They let you do a few payments then you have to add a card.

[nwmafia]

Thanks for the solution. That's pretty sly on PayPals end... They give you a taste of their service, then after a few purchases they just cut all instant transfers if you don't have a credit/debit card. That's just terrible... They don't even alert you to it, which makes it even worse.

Looks like I'll be forced to buy prepaid visa cards from now on, I hope PayPal reverses this policy, as it's quite the restriction.

[sandypurins]

@nwmafia

Without a linked credit or debit card, you can still send bank account funded PayPal payments, but they will be eCheck payments which take 3-5 business days to clear.

If you wish to send instant payments, you can transfer funds from your linked bank account to your PayPal account, and then use your PayPal balance to fund your PayPal payments.  The transfer from your bank account to your PayPal account will take several business days to complete.

-Sandy

[gman51]

Why do they need a credit card number?

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@kernowlass wrote:

To use funds in your paypal account balance OR funds from a bank account via instant bank transfer you need to have a linked and verified credit card added to your paypal account as well.

         *****************************************

I give up my time to help you so a thank you or kudos would be cool.

Marking one of my replies as a solution would be appreciated if I sorted your problem.

---

[EULAgy]

@gman51

A credit card or debit card is by no means required to use the PayPal account. However, there are certain funding options (obviously debit/credit card, and an Instant Transfer) that cannot be used without first having one on the account. In addition to this, not all merchants accept the same type of payments and they are free to restrict what type of payments they take, be it eCheck, card only, no AMEX/Discover, and so on. In these situations, at that point, a credit or debit card will then become necessary, especially if they do not accept eChecks (which differ slightly from an Instant Transfer payment).

[gman51]

Thank you for that explanation. What I don't understand is why, if a merchant has stated they accept PayPal, and I have more than enough money in my PayPalaccount to pay for a certain transaction, what the purpose of a credit card is. 

Will PayPal use the credit card sometime? If that is the case, I'd just use the credit card and leave PayPal out of the transaction completely...

[EULAgy]

Under most circumstances, due to the way the funding heiarchy works per the User Agreement, the Balance is used first and foremost, and then the bank if there is a credit card tied to the account, then any credit line provided by PayPal, then your normal Debit/Credit card, then an electronic check. Keep in min that with an eCheck, it overrides the use of the balance entirely, which a normal credit/debit card or Instant Transfer does not, so having less than the purchase in your balance is less hindering. Basically, any time a balance is available, it will be used at least in part for a transaction (the only exceptions being a PayPal Credit line, eCheck, or Pay After Delivery).

In short, the Credit Card, like the bank is more of a back up funding source than anything, however, some merchants still opt to restrict their acceptance of certain payment methods, despite using PayPal. To answer your direct credit card payment option, most people opt for PayPal due to more dispute options and so on.