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

[unicornroe]

For days I have been looking all over PayPal's site trying to fix the exact same problem!! I wasn't too happy to find that PP had changed it's Funding Source policy.

So is the answer to this mess, is to delete the bank account? Only problem is our credit card is through our Credit Union...I'm hoping that won't matter. I thought I had fixed the problem last night & I did get confirmation emails from PP stating I had changed the Funding Source. I'm afraid to make a purchase now in case it hasn't changed!

[dafydd]

I started this thread; evidently some people haven't read my original post.

The last time I used PayPal -- which is likely the last time I will use PayPayl -- I was never even given the opportunity to select a funds source.  Without even asking me, it simply took the money out of my checking account.

There was no screen in which I could select my credit card as the funds source... none, zip, nada, nought.

I think I'll just cancel my PayPal account.  If I can't pay by credit card, then it's pointless even to use PayPal.

Dafydd

[Evans8853]

DDAFYDD: YES! BINGO!! I also was given no option and have used PayPal for the last time,I do believe. Not worth the hassle and I have a lot of difficulty doing business with any entity that treats me so rudely. Hope sellers on eBay will accept other payment options and if they don't, too bad-their loss. I think the only way this changes is if PayPal feels some financial pain. I'll do my small part (very, very, very SMALL part) to make that happen. If there are a few thousand of us who stop using/boycot PayPal, maybe they will notice.

[SaraF]

Based on what I've been reading here, I'm not even going to try making the credit card I've filed on Pay Pal the primary payment source.  Olivia's explanations come from the arcana of financial techniques, which lay people like me don't really "get."  However, I do "get" the fact that, if I pay through Pay Pal it automatically comes out of my bank account, whether I want it to or not.  This created a serious problem for me some years ago, when my Pay Pal account info somehow got into unauthorized hands.  True, Pay Pal notified me immediately that they suspected the charge was invalid; however, I could not get the money back into my checking account until it had gone through some security procedures (financial arcana to me, but that's irrelevant).  Fortunately I had enough money in my checking account at the time to cover the false expenses; but I was just lucky that the credit thief didn't try to charge more than I had in the account, or I'd have had to pay overdraw fees to the bank.  That experience is why I have hardly ever used Pay Pal.  I use it only when no other payment option is available.  But I am growing more nervous about using my credit card directly for everything I purchase online.  So, today I tried to specify my credit card as primary, thinking that that way i could still pay on credit but have the purchase go through paypal rather than having my card # on record with so many merchants.  What a dissapointment to find that I can't do that!  Once again, I will have to restrict my use of Pay Pal to those occasions when credit cards are not accepted.  

[greatgrantini]

Hi Paypal:

   You forgot that the consumer has the power.  Couple of transactions to clear and I'm out.  Been a pleasure shooting $10,000 through your system.  I'm sure that merchants who haven't created options beyond PAYPAL will appreciate the loss of business and your barriers to our purchases.  We have options and apparently, you don't.

Thanks.

[SkipH]

I tried one more time to use Paypal and it wanted to use available funds or draft my bank account. I was told earlier that if I withdrew my available funds the the credit card option would show up so I did that and there it was. Credit card option! Upon thinking about it further and how they are **bleep**ing with us I just dumped the whole transaction and used the Google checkout option from the seller. Went smooth as can be.

[greatgrantini]

Yep - Google - as easy as pie.  Same thing - just spelled differently - and no crazy rules or conditions.

[Teambruce]

This issue sounds like a Class Action Suit for the users of Paypal. They are being dishonest and those companies lose in those kinds of events. There is one going on right now with Bank of America.

[VickyLi]

I'm glad I took the time to read this thread. I spent god know how much time trying to find this information in the website and of course I couldn't. 

So - if the answer is: "You can't." paypal - why don't you just put it from and center in your pages so I don't have to waste my time digging the info a I need????

Agree with the others: this is a dumb policy. Clearly many other clients would like to be able to do it - so time for a change???

[SkipH]

I'm still giving them a little time to fix it so when I purchase something I go to my Paypal account and if it still doesn't let me use my credit card then I go back and use Google Pay,  Amazon or pay the vender direct. I will not give PayPal much longer though.