PREFERRED FUNDING METHOD NOT AVAILABLE

[gwalker32]

I am trying to send money to a friend directly from my bank account which is confirmed and is my preferred method of payment, but it keeps saying that my preferred funding method is not available and defaults to my backup method which is my linked credit card.  Could someone please explain to me why I cannot send the money directly from my bank account?  I created this account specifically so I could send money for free, so I'm certainly not going to pay a fee of almost $15 to send $500 from my credit card and then have to transfer the money from my bank account to pay the credit card.

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @gwalker32,

Welcome to our Community Forums! I'm sorry to hear your preferred funding method isn't available to use for a transaction. It sounds like the error you're running into is being presented by our Security System. Our Security System monitors and reviews all actions and transactions that process on and through PayPal. Payments or certain actions can often be blocked or placed under review if we detect any unusual or suspicious activity. We may even limit certain funding sources from being used from time to time.

When you experience this kind of issue, I normally recommend making sure your bank or card have been confirmed. Since you've mentioned it's already confirmed, I'd recommend trying another funding source to make your purchase.

Good luck!

 - Jon k

[sgoff61]

Hello @PayPal_JonK,

This was my mother's account and she was not trying to make a purchase.  As stated, she was trying to use the "send money to a friend" function.  I have used PayPal for many years, and it was me that she was trying to send the money to.  After spending an inordinate amount of time on a conference call including my mother, myself and someone from PayPal who said that they could rectify the situation, and thoroughly confirming both my identity and hers as well as her bank account and credit card information, he ended up telling us that there was nothing he could do and he had absolutely no idea why.  Accordingly, since there was obviously no security risk, the only reason I can see for not allowing this free transaction to go through and trying to force her to use the credit card instead is so that PayPal could earn a hefty fee on a $500 credit card transaction.  As someone who has placed the ultimate trust in PayPal for so many years, that was very disappointing to me.  Her account was immediately deleted and I am considering deleting my own account as well.  Everything about the transaction was in keeping with PayPal policies and procedures, and trying to deny a legitimate transaction based on a security risk that very obviously does not exist just to make money is a very underhanded way to do business, and I no longer trust PayPal the way I used to.

[IBavitz]

I'm facing the same issue - I'm receiving a "Sorry, your preferred funding method isn't available. Please choose different one." When I check my Bank and Cards - it shows the status of my account is "Confirmed" - which makes this incredibly frustrating. There's no indication for why my account is unavailable and no guidance on how to resolve the issue. The reply from Jon k doesn't answer the question or resolve the issue ... "I'd recommend trying another funding source to make your purchase" is completely missing the point - we don't want to use a different funding source! As with the others here, I suspect this is a way to force people into using a credit card and getting hit with unnecessary and inflated fees. Paypal - please provide some guidance on how to resolve this. I'll move to a different payment platform before I'm forced to pay your credit card fees.

[kozowy1967]

I am a long time member of PayPal and use the service frequently for purchases and to send money to family and friends I am facing the same issue myself this evening tried to use my preferred method of payment which is my confirmed bank account to send money to a friend in the UK from Canada..

It would not allow me to do so I had to use my secondary method of payment which is my VISA card which is confirmed as well I called a customer service representative at PayPal to discuss the issue and they could not see a problem with my account and so deferred me to my bank..

I called my bank and discussed the issue with them and have been told there are no issues with my accounts and that I had more than enough funds to cover the transaction after reading some of the posts and comments above and in different posts I now strongly believe the issue lays with PayPal and not my financial institution...

PayPal needs to investigate this further and give us some real answers instead of skirting around the edges of the issue..

Kind regards Kozowy1967

[chooglincharley]

I have used F&F to pay for various items in the US and Canada consistently over the past several years and encountered this same issue this morning.  I may not have been aware of it in prior experiences, but noticed it now, and confirmed on both the Android app and on the web.

It appears to simply force you to pay a fee even though bank account(s) are linked.  Seems to be real shady stuff if that's the case.

PayPal needs to address this issue.