blocking a payment

[abbra]

Hello, 

I'm effectively trying to see if a payment made can be blocked if there are insufficient funds in my account. I accidentally booked a set of flights, thinking my first booking hadn't processed (the website page disappeared and no booking came into my email for a long time). If I paid with PayPal with insufficient funds, will this payment effectively be refunded? The airline are saying they can't refund, so I'm hoping the payment just bounces.. 

Thank you!

[PayPal_Michael]

Hello, @abbra. Thanks for taking the time to add your question to the Community Forum. Difficulties with a payment method can be frustrating.

In general, PayPal has no way of knowing if a payment method like a bank has sufficient funds, so a request will be sent to the bank (or card issuer) to ask for the money to complete a purchase. If the bank or card issuer doesn't send money to PayPal, the transaction would fail. However, if PayPal sent money to the merchant on your behalf and then asked your bank for reimbursement, the transaction would be completed. In that situation, PayPal asks for reimbursement to be arranged via the original payment method or an alternate means.

I hope this is helpful. I'm sorry for any inconvenience if there was an issue with your bank or card issuer. Thanks for your patience during this time.

Sincerely,

Michael

PayPal_Michael