Can I receive credit card payments on a personal account?

[bradley8774]

This is my first eBay sale on Paypal. The buyer has paid by credit card and the payment is marked as Completed in my Paypal account (though held for 21 days since it's my first sale). However, I've had an email from Paypal which says that "the ability to receive credit card payments is limited to Premier and Business accounts... If you would like to keep your Personal account, you may log in and refuse this payment. Personal accounts may still accept payments funded with a bank account or PayPal balance at no charge."

In contrast, the Paypal help site says that you can receive a limited number of credit card payments on a personal account.

So will this payment go through ok or not? I'm confused....

[c7178]

i had this exact same question for my first ebay sale.  i called paypal, and they said it went through and to doublecheck the balance and that it says completed.  if those two are a go, then it's good and the money is in your paypal account to use for future payments to whatever you buy, etc.      not sure if there is a limit to how many credit card payments.

my buyer said that he did not use a credit card, and there was no reason for him to lie. so maybe that email is a marketing email.

because paypal then suggested to upgrade to premier for free.. .not sure if it is needed if there are not a lot of transactions going through.

[bradley8774]

Many thanks for this reply. I subsequently heard from my buyer that he had paid with a debit card, not a credit card, so as you say it seems like it was just a "marketing email" from paypal. So far the payment is marked as completed, though I can't access it yet because the three week holding period hasnt' finished.

[PayPal_Andy · Accepted solution]

bradley8774 and c7178-  Sorry for the confusion this has caused you.  A few years back, you did need to have a Premier or Business account to accept more than 5 credit card transactions for the life of the account.  We've since done away with that requirement, but the coding gremlins still occasionally send out that email telling you to upgrade.  Apparently we haven't tracked them all down and eliminated them. 😐

Although if you did upgrade to a different account type (and there's no fee or anything anyway), there are some extra features that may interest you if you're going to be a seller (reports and such).  But it is entirely up to you. 🙂

Andy

[bradley8774]

Hi Andy

Thanks for this - it's nice to know what's caused the confusion! Good luck in tracking down the gremlins...

Best wishes,

Martin.

[bpike2010]

I am experiencing the same problem...a buyer posted a payment from her credit card;  the payment is posted as paid, but i can't "find" the money anwhere.  what do i need to do to collect my money?  This transaction took place on may 20th.

[PayPal_Andy]

bpike2010-  Without being able to look at your account, this is just a guess. But here goes; More than likely you need to confirm your email address to receive your payment.  This can be done through your 'Profile' link in your account, then 'Update' next to your email address.  If that doesn't work or you need more assistance, I would give our customer service a call so we can give your account a looksee.

Andy

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hi all,

There've been some changes to the way that an account appears now. Here are the instructions for confirming your address in the new experience:

1. Log in to your PayPal account.
2. Click the Business Profile icon next to "Log Out" and select Profile and settings.
3. Click My business info.
4. Click Update next to Email.
5. Choose an email address and click Confirm. We’ll send an email to that address.
6. Open the email, and click the link to confirm your address. You will automatically return to the PayPal site where you will be asked to enter your password.

After confirming your email address, you can accept payments, but you still need to link a bank account or link a credit card to your PayPal account before you can pay for things. When you pay for things with PayPal, the money will come from these accounts if your PayPal balance is not enough to cover the purchase.

I hope this helps!

- Olivia