How can I make a credit card my primary funds source?

[dafydd]

I just purchased a product using PayPal; I expected to be sent to the PayPal site to pick which method of payment... but instead, the transaction simply completed without me seeing the PayPal screen at all.  It took the funds from my bank account, and I never had the opportunity to select a credit card instead.

I logged onto PayPal, clicked My Account -> Profile, then clicked My Money:  The screen shows my bank account, a credit card, and a debit card (all are correct); next to the bank account is the parenthetical label (primary).

I clicked on the Debit and credit cards update button, edited the credit card, and checked the Primary checkbox; but that didn't change the profile page, which still lists the bank account as (primary).  (I think the checkbox on the Debit and credit cards update screen just selects which of the cards is the primary card.)

I want the credit card to be the primary payment -- and I also want every purchase to take me to PayPal, so I can select whether to accept the primary funding source or else pick one of the others (bank account, debit card).  How do I do this?  I cannot find instructions in the Help tree.

Thanks,

Dafydd

[PayPal_Olivia]

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SkipH wrote:

Olivia, I'm not sure you understand what my problem is. It's not that I have to tell it to use the credit card each time, it's that there is no way to use my credit card if I have any funds in my Paypal account. If I have funds in the account my only options are to use that or a draft from the bank. No way to use my credit card at all.

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Hi SkipH,

Thank you for clarifying and confirming. What you describe is exactly the way that funding works.

If you have funds in the account, those will always be used first. These cannot be bypassed in favor of a credit card, except in the case of a credit product offered by PayPal.

If there are no funds in the balance or the amount is greater than the funds in the balance, your bank account will be the first choice for funding as a default. For each transaction, this can be toggled to use a different available funding source.

You can view the PayPal Policies and your payment source rights here. This link is also on payment pages when you review your funding source information.

It is important to always review the funding source being used. The default may not always be the one that is selected, if the merchant has specific receiving preferences or the funding method is ruled out by the security controls that evaluate every payment. Before you click to complete the purchase, it is vital that you read over the final screen to confirm the selections.

I hope this helps clarify!

Olivia

[avidcat]

MrHozer,

I have exactly the same compaint.  Paypal jerks you around, at your expense, before using a credit card.

Why don't they just take the credit card logos out of their listings if they are so determined not to use them except as a last resort.

My bank charged 2x$35.= $75.in NSF fees 

I purchased something well over the existing bank balance and ticked the visa account registered in my Paypal account.     eBay or/  Paypal : went twice to my NSF bank account before they took the funds from the credit card as requested,

My US account is now just about drained,

Contacting customer service is a joke.

It seems there are three placed in the purchase where you have to tick Visa or eBay wants to use your bank account.  They say I missed one of the ticks for a credit card.    And the first NSF attempt didn't clue them in so they tried AGAIN and then used the requested credit card,   I find that to be fraudulent on Paypals part,   I knew,& Paypal Knew there wasn't enough money there  and the requested credit card they did use finally, as they should have without any extra "ticking" from me.

Since I knew it couldn't pay for the larger priced purchase I used the visa option and I want Paypal to reimburse me that NSF money.

Since then I'm afraid to use ebay for ANY purchases,    Fortunately as you correctly stated there are getting to be a lot more options to eBay and they make credit card use a breeze.

[Painlaw1]

Never mind thinking PayPal cares about taking action on your behalf. The standard answer is what people think on the internet is not their concern and  want to help you, but can do nothing to help you. In other words  S     You. They stated over and over again to me that although thousands of people are upset that they automatically default to bank accounts (To SAVE Three Percent charges)  I have had a Pappal account since they started and was ripped off by them using the default bank account like thousands of others.

Use your credit card instead ,just like banks were made to not charge fees on Debit cards and people are turning to Credit Unions don't get ripped off by them and the bank. It seems to me when you call and are told that they don't care what anyone says online or that they will not refund the bank fee and won't even write a letter explaining why they won't that this is not a company that should have access to your bank account.  If they don't care about defaults to bank account what makes you think your info is secure.

[SkipH]

Olivia, How does it make sense that if I purchase something and want to use my credit card I can but only if I completly drain my Paypal account and have all the funds transfered to my bank then I can use my credit card all day long but if I have one penney in my paypal account then it must use that then draw the rest from my bank.

    This is all that I'm going to say on this subject and I will have to keep using Google, Amazon and vendor sites that take credit cards and if, as a last resort, I must use Paypal then I will just do the transfer all funds to my bank first!

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi SkipH,

I'd like to correct a misunderstanding here - if you have a penny (or for that matter any amount less than the purchase amount) in your balance, it would take those funds and offer you the option of your bank or a credit card for the remainder. You are not limited to use of your bank for that. If you were saying that you're not being offered the card at all in those situations, I apologize for missing that aspect of it.

The times when the card is ruled out for that part of the transaction would be due to the funding source not being approved by the security models. If it's happening on more than a few transactions, it might be a good idea to double-check all of your account settings to make sure that your name, address, phone number, and all financial information are listed accurately. Discrepancies can cause the system to rule out funding sources.

If you're still running into this problem, ask a Customer Solutions representative over the phone to take a look. In rare circumstances, it may not actually be the security controls but may instead be a technical issue. If that is the case here, a ticket can be opened to evaluate.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[Evans8853]

Oliva seems very nice, but she can't change PP policy.

Until their policy changes and I can use my credit card as first option for payment (as I had always been able to in the past) I am done with PayPal.  Also won't buy from sellors/vendors that only accept PayPal.

Just stop using PayPal, people.  Life is too short.

If you have no problem with their policies, continue using them. 

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi Evans8853,

Thank you very much for your feedback, and for the compliment. I really do appreciate it, especially coming from someone in a frustrating situation.

Non-PayPal credit cards have never been selectable as the default option for all payments. They may be presented as the default in certain situations. One of which is when the bank is, for some reason, ruled out as a funding source or is not available on the account. Another situation would be in billing agreements - those actually offer a setting for you to select the default backup funding method, and a card can be selected for those.

I can definitely see how there might have been a misunderstanding of the availability of this as an option in the past, if the majority of your payments were billing agreements, or if the bank was not available on your PayPal account until recently. I hope this information helps clarify!

Olivia

[Jozgrdn]

This is a no brainer. Take down your credit cards on file as I just did. Then don't ever use Paypal to pay for ebay stuff. And if they only offer paypal as an option, then think really hard about how bad you want that item.....I posted this once and the moderator took it down. Censorship also seems to be part of the Paypal legend. But what is more staggering is how old this thread is and how long ppl have been complaining. Olivia very obviously can't do anything about it. And Paypal really doesn't listen. But if you just say no to ebay stores/sellers who demand on Paypal payment, then we might actually make a change...rememeber it takes 99% to make a change in this world. 

[mrhozer]

It's easy to understand why they have this bogus policy... They lose money every time they process a credit card, they make money on all the interest accumulated by money sitting in paypal accounts, and drawing from a bank account costs them nothing.

People aren't complaining that they can't have funds withdrawn from paypal accounds, as Olivia is paid to make you believe... they are complaining that paypal withdraws from bank accounts FIRST, not just once but TWICE!... and then finally proceeds to charge the credit card as some people would prefer.

Don't get me wrong, people acquire the debt and it's owed to paypal... but even credit card companies don't start withdrawing from your bank account if you're late to pay, and certainly not if the payment never goes through in the first place!!!! This is why it's not an unreasonable request for paypal's customers to request payments on credit cards first.

Instead of giving customers what they want and deserve, paypal hires Olivia full time to argue in favor of their poor service policies. Nothing personal Olivia, I'm sure you know the customers wants "should" always be considered right, but unfortunately it's your job to go against that belief... I feel for you.

I've cut my paypal dealings to an absolute minimum... I can't deal with this "Bash the customers for profit" policy. I now do most of my buying/selling through amazon, they are a superior company, and I also buy/sell locally whenever I can... and I suggest all of paypal's customers do the same.

[avidcat]

mrhozer - I sure hope Olivia is paying attention/could she be in a conflict of interest and not telling the company what she is dealing with to save her position..

I also sympathize with the impossible position she seems to be in.

as for Paypal you've hit the nail on the head.

As to what to do in the future you are " right on"