Adding a Non-UK Mobile Phone number

[see205]

Hi everyone,

I am currently living abroad, but i keep being asked for a security code to be sent to my UK phone number when i try to log in from say a work computer.

I now keep trying to change my telephone number to a mobile number from another EU country, however it keeps saying the phone number is invalid.

Has anyone ever managed to change a phone number to a foreign mobile number?

Thanks 

[imagemodeuk]

It's a lost cause for two reasons:

1. Nobody at PayPal, including the community moderators, is capable of giving anything but the standard answer that it's against the rules.

2. Policy makers at PayPal are living in the past and can't see the reality of this modern global village that all but they live in, so this pathetically stupid rule will not change until they enter the 21st Century.

[MichaelW]

Got to agree here. I now have 4 different Paypal accounts in 4 different countries and now have 4 mobile sim cards for each country however, each Paypal Account is attached to my UK Bank Account. Absolute madness.

[sunnyMart]

Same problem here, too. I am unable to set a non-UK mobile phone number, despite living (temporarily) in a different country. To need to set up a new account in the country I am currently in is ridiculous.
I can only assume that this is for one of two reasons - 

- personal security (to prevent someone in a different country from hijacking your account).

- anti-fraud and money laundering - maybe something to do with international law and tax.
It would be great if we could get some definitive feedback on this from PayPal.

[sunnyMart]

Whoops ... in another browser tab, I *did* have a definitive answer !

Can I change my PayPal address to another country?

No. The laws applicable to PayPal accounts differ by country, so you can't change your address to a country that is different from the country you used when you opened your account. If you're moving abroad, you’ll need to close your existing account and open a new account. If you maintain residences in 2 countries, you can have 2 PayPal accounts as long as only one is a Business account.

[imagemodeuk]

That was not a definitive answer. The problem expressed by so many people was not to do with changing address, but temporarily changing a mobile phone number. The answer was an attempt to pretend to give an answer when actually presenting a red herring instead.

[philip_atz_gr]

Under the new EU rules against roaming charges, it is perfectly normal for someone to live in one EU country and use a mobile phone number from another EU country without any charges. If your main phone number has a different country code, then you cannot use that number with PayPal. PayPal's legal status and its obligation to maintain country-specific accounts doesn't have anything to do with the phone number issue. This is simply a result of the developers and decision-makers living in the middle ages!

[Mike_Fr]

How did you manage that?

PayPal will also not let you add a UK Bank or UK Card to a non-UK account.

It will also not let you add a second address that is not in the same country as the first one. So I would be interested to know how you did it.

I have just spent 30 mins on the phone with PayPal because my UK Accounts' new Debit Card is not being accepted. This is because the AGP has been  changed in August '19 to require an SMS Code for security checks. I could set-up the Account; Bank & Card originally, but now can no longer add the card. Paypal should give the option of SMS or Email.

(So the Account is now useless and I will delete it.)

I agree with everyone else that PayPal needs to align with the 21st century where many people are multi-national.

[MichaelW]

Hi Mike, it doesn't work anymore. If you live abroad and have a foreign number it won't accept it. It also wont accept foreign visa or foreign bank accounts. So if your like me and live and work abroad you can only use a Paypal account from that country, with a card from that country, a phone number from that country and a bank account from that country. I often travel and visit different countries on business for months at a time. This means i nerd an account in each country, a visa in each country a bank in each country and a phone number in each country. I can transfer money from bank to bank from each country to my UK account, I can use a visa from one country in another country and there is no issue with that, I can telephone another country with a foreign sim not a problem. So all the banks, visa companies and phone providers have no problem with it. However, Paypal does. Lame excuse of stopping money laundering, pathetic

[burntyards]

Possible Solution for this problem and paypal's stupidity.

I hire a UK MOBILE VoIP number from a company called Andrews and Arnold for £1.20 per month. SMS sent to this number are sent in seconds to my email address. This alerts my real mobile (with a French number) wherever I am in the world. Usually the "code" is in the first line and I don't even have to actually open the mail.

[ingagera]

This morning I tried to log in to my paypal account and guess what - I couldn/t. There are new rules - OTP code must be received to my mobile or home number. I/ve moved out of the country but still work with paypal. Of course, my numbers have changed many times. When I try to resolve this problem I am sent to my login page which I cannot use. Any suggestion where to call and how to change the numbers without being log in???