Looking for definitive answer regarding PayPal Debit Mastercard

[jdfancher]

I've been using the PayPal Business Debit Mastercard for years without issues, and have been a PayPal customer for well over a decade. Within the last year, however, there have been changes to not only the site, but the service and functionality of the Debit Mastercard and I have been hard pressed to get a honest and logical answer as to the problems I have been having. The primary purpose of my use of the card is three fold. First, added security as a buffer between point of sale and my bank. Second, cash back rewards. Third, avoiding fee's for conventional debit cards. It also allows instant access to my PayPal balance (when applicable) on a daily basis.

However, over the last year (and specifically the last week), I continually get declined at POS transactions and have to call PayPal to remove security flags and have them perform overrides to allow my use of the card(s). I've gotten numerous answers as to the "why" it's happening from customer service. However, the last really botthered me. A CSR yesterday evening told me the cards weren't meant to be used the way I use them (funding from backup source often). This is untrue...the cards were designed to work this way. 

RE: http://i.imgur.com/lshD1Y6.png

This is a direct advertisement from the PayPal Debit Mastercard page. Is anyone else having similar issues with this product? Has there been any better explainations as to what is going on with their services lately? I'm hesitant to even make purchases because I'm constantly being declined at the register and have to put items aside, walk away and speak to a CSR for 10 minutes before I can go back to complete the purchase (sometimes having to repeat this multiple times). 

[VetTech2016]

This has been happening to me also, but I could not call paypal because the 800 number on the back of the card said they were closed.  Ver frustrated and waiting for a response via email from paypal.  I have been feeling like such an idiot at stores, getting declined and having to leave because I had no cash. 

[ladywithfinesse]

I, too, have been a customer over 10 years.  I have used my card a gazillion times, for everything... from food, gas, bills, airfare, hotels, car rentals, ebay purchases, etc.... most of the time i have a zero balance because it just drafts from my back up checking account.  I do $3,000-$4,000 in purchases a month using the "credit" transaction, mainly for the 1% cash back, which i have had no problems with for a long long time now.

Today, my Paypal mastercard debit card got declined for the first time.  While shopping at the grocery store, I got a call from an out-of-state customer and took a payment from him over the phone using "paypal here" with my smartphone, punching the numbers in rather than swiping the card.  Later, I checked out and tried to use my paypal debit mastercard at the grocery store register and it got declined.  I tried to used it as a credit card and also with my pin.  Both ways declined.  Not only did I have money in the account, but I also have backup funding on there with my other bank.  Why did it decline?!  This is so inconvenient! 

I called paypal customer service and they told me because i had a payment go in without swiping the customer's card, and then i turned around and tried to use my card, it triggered a risk profile and declined.  To me it doesn't make sense.  If they want to do a hold on the new funds, that's fine... do that!  But I have backup funding so it should go thru anyway!  If i had a zero balance, the purchase would have easily gone thru.  Paypal needs to review and fix the way they handle the risk profiles.

[megntilly]

This just started happening to me after I got the new debit card. There's no rhyme or reason to it.  Sometimes it works for a large purchase and gets denied for a small one.  I have 3 different accounts linked for backup funding, and  have never had a denial from the backup sources.  It's very frustrating.    

[aaronbynion]

Sorry for bringing up an old post, but when you use your PP Debit Card for a car rental, what happens if the rental company puts an "temporary hold" on the card as a deposit, but you have no funds in your PayPal account?

If it's just a authorization hold, will PayPal still draft the funds out of your backup account, even if the hold later drops off?

[ladywithfinesse]

Actually, if I remember correctly, I think I've seen it both ways. it may depend on the rental company, whether local or airport, and the bank too. when I rented local, most recently thxgiving & xmas, they hold a bigger deposit & I've seen it actually withdrawn from my backup source upon rental. then when I return the car, my deposit was credited back to my paypal. However, my last two car rentals, done in 2016, I rented from airport Enterprise locations (not in my home town). they wanted to see my departure flight reservation. Then they only did a temp hold + additional security deposit since I was using debit card. it never drafted from my backup source until I returned the car, minus the deposit amt All my rentals are with enterprise & I have enterprise plus acct Hope this helps