Paypal Plug-in Secure Card Generator Discontinued?!

[Enigmarokker]

This STINKS! It looks like the Paypal Plug-in has been abandoned entirely (I’m in the US)…

I created a new account less than a month ago, downloaded the Paypal Plugin Secured Cards app and was notified that I’d have to wait 30 days for it to be active “for security purposes” [I'm sure]… I have about 12 more days until I was SUPPOSED to be able to use it…

As I was VERY thrilled about the aspect of using the Paypal Plugin, I was trying to show my friend the app today and WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!?! The application loads and brings me to the paypal site and instead of it displaying all of the info about the Paypal Plugin it says PAYPAL PLUG-IN, NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!!

Wow Paypal, not announced as a discontinued product ANYWHERE on your site (that I could find), just literally dissapeared as if it never existed, half your account reps dont even know it after I made several calls in and they asked other reps among them…

I’m extremely dissapointed as I was looking forward to using iPaypal Plug-in and especially since I have to wait about 40 days to get the regular Paypal card now…it would have been GREAT to use the Paypal Plug-in sooner. Maybe since the plugin is "no longer available" the Paypal Debit Card should be offered sooner so my business doesn't have to suffer while I wait to deposit funds into my bank account so I can turn around and buy products that my customers ordered from me.

Please note:: I'm NOT trying to bash Paypal as it's been GREAT in terms of integration into our shopping cart software and easy to use, safe, secure, etc...but from my point of view, where I need the Paypal Debit Card sooner than later and I was EXPECTING to be able to use the Paypal Plug-in as a "work-around" THIRTY DAYS before I could have used the Paypal Plug-in, this is a severe dissapointment to me and my business partners.

PLEASE BRING THE PAYPAL PLUG-IN BACK!!! =’(

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?! Does anyone from Paypal have a reason/excuse as to why this seemingly cool & useful product would dissapear with absolutely no formal reason/acknowledgement from the company that developed it? (again I may be wrong, but I could not find any info about the app being discontinued, nor have any of the support articles for the program been updated to say that Virtual Cards are gone, and so is the Paypal Plug-in)

 This makes me lose faith in RELYING on a system that in the future like this, because how am I supposed to be able to develop a "standard operating platform/procedure" all the while knowing that the product might randomly go away? Obviously I'll have to rely on the Paypal Debit Card and my other back-up funding accounts, but this whole thing just hurts =( haha.

Any comments or reasonings here would be appreciated. Thanks 😃

[Enigmarokker]

Have you seen m earlier post a page or two back on the BS reasons Paypal gave for terminating and messing around with this service? I'm just as dissapointed as you all are, believe me. =/

[TerriB]

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@Enigmarokker wrote:

Have you seen m earlier post a page or two back on the BS reasons Paypal gave for terminating and messing around with this service? I'm just as dissapointed as you all are, believe me. =/

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Can't find it as there has been so much discussion about the rationale for teminating it. When I first called them they did not even know what the plug in was and then said it was not discontinued and then said it was but only for new users. I realized that we knew more than their customer service did.

Terri

[Enigmarokker]

Hahah exactly, when I created this thread I knew something was up. We definitely know more than their customer service reps do. I called and yelled my way up to a developer. The main gist (jist?) was that they had several issues with the current platform running the cards. There were several incidents where the "one time use card" was charged over and over again by certain subscriptions whether it was something stupid like an online video game, or magazine or whatever. Other times they got many reports about a similar/same card number running and mastercard seeing two different unrelated people with the same card number, I personally find that hard to believe it would ever happen like that considering the CV id's and expirations are changing but either way, due to the cards being allowed to charge over and over again was the main reasoning they gave me (and had to refund the customers and take a financial loss). So their excuse to allow current users (at the time) to keep using it, was that they're developing a new system to replce this one and would keep the current one for current customers using it and slowly migrate them over to the new system, then again who even knows if that developer really knows the whole project plan or what but I'm just the messenger here.

You can verify many of these claims by just googling something like "paypal secure card generator messed up/overcharged" or using some better "critical" swear words at the end of the sentence...Whatever the reason is, Paypal didn't really let their own internal people know about the reasons or changes very well as we all can see here...

To me that sounds like a great liability on Paypal's behalf to knowingly allow that to keep happening to current users but after reading other posts here, many people saying its completely dead now? I've stopped using it ever since I made that phone call while trying to figure out why a new business paypal account I had created wouldnt let me download it.

I wish you all the best of luck 😜

[TerriB]

Enigmarokker-

Vellly intellesting what they told you. Thanks for sharing that. You do know that the  virtual MC still works manually right?

Terri

[KiethS]

I just got off the phone speaking with 4 total Paypal Customer Service reps.

First, I'll say they were all quite courteous and professional, albeit not all armed with the same information.

I have, and have used the Secure Card Plugin on Windows XP for over a year.  I wanted to add the plugin to my Linux-based system at home and, of course, ran into problems.  The Plugin is still listed as available for download / installation in my account after login, but for Windows XP, not Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Xandros, Slitaz, Slax, etc.).

I called Paypal to ask for the virtual Secure Card generator to be added to the user accounts on the website, making this function available to practically all security-enabled internet browsers.  I understand that the automatic form filler would not work without also having the Plugin, but using a separate tab for Paypal, and another tab open for the merchant's website, a user could copy/paste the essentials from one tab to the next - it would work.  This would allow for users at an airport terminal, using a WiFi cell phone - practically any browser to make secure card payments.

The reps' angles?  One rep had no idea about the status of the Secure card, working, not, etc. Two other reps were 'sure' the Secure Card feature was 'going away' (no new users allowed to set it up / eventual phase-out for current users), as a 'Paypal business decision'. 

The last rep I spoke to seemed to be more knowledgeable.  He said there was no announcement nor memo stating that anything was being done with the Secure Card feature, and that he himself uses it.  This last rep also liked my idea above about adding a Secure Card generator to the web account (not replacing the current Plugin as that offers additional features).  CNow just awaiting results.

If YOU, the users of Paypal feel it would be a useful feature to have a Secure Card generator available via your login user account, on the website IN ADDITION TO the Plugin, I encourage you to let Paypal know.

[zanne101]

KiethS:

I have have a little brain drain today, but isn't the manual secure card function basically what you're looking for?

I haven't used it lately, but since the plug-in never worked on a Mac, that's all I have been using for about 6 months now.

[KiethS]

Yes / Yes / No.

Yes, a manual Secure Card generator would be exactly what I'm asking for.

Yes, the manual Secure Card generator was once available, as a solution for Mac users, as Paypal didn't choose to develop a Plugin for Mac.

No, the manual Secure Card generator is no longer available for signup, or so it appears, and I cannot find it anywhere under my account.

To add vinegar to the milk, I just talked with one co-worker who occassionally uses Paypal, but never used Secure Card before.  He logged in under his account, the Plugin isn't listed, and upon searching, he winds up at a link saying that item is on/from an older version of Paypal, and no longer available.  Soooo.... if you've got it, you've got it.  If you don't have it, so solly!!!

This feature has worked well for me under Win XP, and I would like to see, as you call it, the 'manual secure card function' made available for use with my Linux box, and for all users everywhere who are limited to smartphones, airport terminals, write-protected office PC's, or any other situation where a Plugin isn't a viable option.  This feature needs to live on, and offers a needed level of security for the buyer.

[Enigmarokker]

Hey well like I said before, the idea is great and they're supposedly reworking this concept into a new/better version of the secure card generator but currently a LOT of people have unfortunately had trouble with this system as their "one time use cards" were charged multiple times...before I posted this I confirmed that one of my own friends and a long-time Paypal user had the same issue and Paypal got stuck refunding him for their mistake (and a website subscription re-charging him for 5 months after the secure card was generated before he noticed it was happening).

I DO have the windows 32bit installer for the plugin and just tried installing it on my dads computer (he's been with paypal for years recieving money as a guitar teacher online) and it works for him. I'd be happy to share the installer however if I put it up as an FTP I DO fear reprocussions from Paypal for redistributing their software. X_x

A few pages back on this thread some guy posted a link to his personal blog and claimed he also uploaded it to his website but at the time I didn't notice it there when I looked, perhaps you have to register first...

[paintballmavin]

Hey everybody;

I posted this back on page 2.....saw all the recent traffic on this thread, so I went back & checked it.  This link works, & will download the Paypal plugin for Windows users:

https://dl.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_vdc-plugin-download: https://dl.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_vdc-plugin-download

[Enigmarokker]

Thanks again paintballmavin,  totally forgot that went up from you as well. I guess "get it while its hot folks". Perhaps being able to use this (for now), depends on your account age and luck 😜 haha - I'd also like to confirm that the dev I spoke with at paypal said this entire system will be phased out (and hopefully a new system will takes its place sooner than later).