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

[normanchateau]

It's even worse for those of us who live in Canada.  I have a US dollar credit card but my bank account is in Canadian funds.  I tried to use my US dollar credit card but my Canadian bank account is primary and I can't change it.  My transactions are in US dollars but Paypal converts them to Canadian dollars at a very unfavourable rate and withdraws them from my Canadian bank account.  My credit card is a US dollar credit card and so if I could pay with my credit card, I would be charged for US transactions in US dollars and not have to pay Paypal's unfavourable exchange rates.  Clearly Paypal benefits by these unfavourable exchange rates.

[SkipH]

You have to drain your paypal account down to zero then it will let you use the credit card. If I have to used PayPal I do that but if I have other paying options I use them.

[galeeb]

I've gotten to the point that if there is another payment option besides paypal, I use that instead if I want to charge it. Paypal will change their way of doing business if they want my business.

[dafydd]

Ordinarily, I keep more than a certain minimum in my bank accounts.  If I have an account with a zero balance, wouldn't I have to pay banking fees?

Yeesh.

If PP wants our business, it can just go back to the original setup, where we can pick which account, bank or credit, whence comes our payments... both by default and in individual cases.  If it's not willing to offer a service that's useful to me, why should I help them generate revenue by using PayPal to pay for anything?

I decline to enrich those who hold me in contempt.

Dafydd

[TGriffin]

Ok,

So I feel the pain and am in the same boat when it comes to the PayPal process for funding payments.

1. Authorized purchase hits my paypal funds first and then bank account and then credit card.

2. Knowing this, I make the purchase assuming that my $0 balance bank account will force the use of verified credit card on my PayPal account.

3. Bank tries to be helpful and does not immediately signal insufficient funds.

4. NSF fee added to my bank account.

5. 5 times

6. Bank decides to stop being nice and declines payment on authorized electronic purchases.

7. PayPal informs me they will try the account again in three days (even though there is a PayPal balance at the moment and a credit card on file just waiting for the funds request.

8. Call Bank and ask for help. Friendly conversation leads to limited and not so helpful in the end.

9. Visit PayPal help forums and while hoping there will be help...

10 Brace myself for the fact that there will probably be disputes opened by trusted sources who thought I had paid them when I did.

Help?

[nmp2]

Dear PayPal Executives

The hubris to think that you're irreplacable!  I recently hit my "Spending Limit" of $2,000 and to continue transacting using PayPal, I now need to give you my personal banking information.  Due to a previous experience with identity theft, I do not give my bank account information to anyone.  I trust the PayPal spends big bucks on secure servers but it only takes one hacker to mine my banking information and boom - my life becomes a nightmare of identity theft police reports and countless forms to have funds restored to my bank account.

The PayPal image that's on nearly every ebay auction clearly identifies  the logos of major credit card companies.  As a pretty reliable rule of thumb - if you see the logo then it's an acceptable form of payment.   Now I know that it DOES NOT mean that everyone can pay by credit.  Only some people who fall under some promotional limited duration honeymoon called a "spending limit".

BAIT & SWITCH.  It's that simple.  The tipping point for me, however, is that it took a good two hours of research before I learned that I CANNOT USE my credit card.  Just be honest  and advertise honestly:  Once you've exhausted your spending limit you will not be allowed to use your credit card for payments.  

Well, with policies like this, I'm sure you're losing customers and it's only a matter of time before you start to lose market share.  PayPal has forever lost my business. 

[Tien0710]

I have use Paypal since 2007 and for the first time, Paypal made a big punch in my face. I have tried to make my Credit Card as Primary payment for several time, all ended up failing. After I canceled my bank account recently and open a new one, PayPal put a spending limit on my account, not allowing me to buy anything until I add a new bank account info and verified, even though my Credit Card is available and set as Primary, again. Then in a recent unauthorized transaction of two Paypal purchases with Microsoft points, where my computer got hacked, Paypal convieniently pulled those two purchases off my Bank Account, which is low on fund, causing me to have negative balance, instead of using my Credit Card. Though the problem has been resolved, the refund will take 5 days to appear in my paypal balance and possibly another week to return back to my bank. Now I'm struggling between solving the lack of fund for my rent, a two -$23 charge for lack of funding from the bank, a bunch of calling and explaining, and $125 stuck in the transaction process that will not return to me in time. After I get my money back in the bank account, perhaps it is time to cancel Paypal for good.    

[iamWhoIAm]

You should just close your bank account and open a new one in order to disable the automatic withdrawal of funds: Then the bank-withdrawal phase will "fail", and your credit card will be charged "automatically"!

Other than that:  You can't.

Paypal is a money-making machine!

     Your bank gets to charge you a transfer-to-checking-fee whenever you do not have enough funds within your checking account, and allowing you to set your credit card to primary-without forcing you to pay close attention and jump through the hoops in order to specify it EVERY TIME- would lose the banks millions of dollars per year.

Wells Fargo/Paypal are geniuses at making money for themselves!

I have personally paid at least $60.00 to my bank in overdraft fees because even when I did specify that my credit card should be used(I pay close attention because I am sick of paying the darned fee), paypal seems to still ignore my payment specification and steals the funds from my checking account anyways...  I had to close my checking account because I cannot trust paypal to do as I request.

[skidmore]

this situation is begging for a class action suit or a gov't investigation. 

[lioneaglegriffi]

cosign.

i also disaprove of this practice. as soon as the payment clears i'm removing my bank account.