Can't register overseas phone

[bwallx]

My account was created when I lived in the UK I now live in Spain. Sometimes Paypal will want to send a veryifcation text to my phone. The one they have on record is dead as it is in the UK. I tried to change it to my Spanish number but despite a drop-down list for country codes showing Spain, my number wasn't accepted. My Spanish no. begins 72 and I suspect Paypal thinks all Spanish mobiles are starting with a six.

I have emailed them numerous times but it is either ignored or the wrong question is answered by a robot. The customer support is abyssmal.  Anyone else in my position please?

Brian

[kernowlass]

Paypal is country specific so you are supposed to open another paypal account if you move countries.

You can still keep your UK one open if you want to or are going to be heading back there again.

But if you are in Spain you should open a Spanish account with another email addy and Spanish financial info attached.

[bwallx]

Thanks for the reply. However it illustrates how technology is dumb. I live overseas but use UK bank accounts and a UK postal address. Only my phone is Spanish. The Paypal analysts in America clearly didn't envisage such a circumstance so the system is thrown into confusion. Spain and England are all in the same state - the European Union so it makes no sense for Paypal to treat each as a seperate country. The countries in the EU don't do that so why should the Americans?

Sorry, this isn't your fault but it riles me when American businesses clearly have no idea how the rest of the world operates.

I will see about opening a Spanish Paypal account but I ssuspect it will all be in Spanish, a language I don't speak well. I also suspect it won't allow me to register my UK or offshore banks.

[BenRichards]

Has anyone found how to register a phone that has an different country code?  This is so frustrating!!!! s 

[JAC6]

My bank account etc are in the U.K. But I live in Greece and use a Greek mobile phone. How can an entity like PayPal fail to accommodate this?

Thanks to those of you who have raised this issue already. At least I know not to waste my time seeking a resolution. You've already found there isn't one!!

[bwallx]

This is the official Paypal forum yet it is clear PayPal don't particapate, so what is the point. I complained 3 years ago here and there is no response. Paypal create angry customers and the net is swamped by websites and blogs dedicated to rubbishing PayPal and it is water off a ducks back. What do they care for public opinion when they are making a fortune.  It would cost very little to offer support and to take notice of user's concerns..

[kernowlass]

@bwallx

They don't really need to respond as the answer is already in their help pages and on this forum.

Paypal is country specific so you have to have a paypal account in the country you reside and add an address / phone number / and bank accounts from within that country.

The only exception is U.S users can add their bank accounts to other countries paypal accounts if they are living / working in that country AND Canadian users can add U.S bank accounts to their paypal accounts.

[bwallx]

Wow, a reply!! Many thanks. Yes I do understand that. But I don't understand WHY! Why does Paypal treat the countries of the EU differently to the fifty odd states of the US? Europeans are very mobile and it matters little to us which particular EU country we happen to be in. This suggests that Paypal don't understand us.

It would help if my two Paypal accounts, one in UK and one in Spain could communincate with each other. That would help.

It is also impossible to manage my UK account whilst I'm in Spain as it insists on using a UK phone number for security which I can not access from Spain for instance. Paypal sending a security test to my UK number is hopeless. At least allow us to register a mobile phone based in any country.

If Paypal can allow US citizens flexibility why not EU citizens? That is the nub of it.

[kernowlass]

@bwallx

I can only tell you how it works, I can't tell you WHY it works that way.

Only paypal can answer that question and I have nothing to do with paypal.

I am a community ''user'' on the forum same as you are, only reason I have ''advisor'' status is cus I have helped a lot of people, but its meaningless really.