Sudden "Can't complete purchase" message

[punxie89]

I've been using PayPal for online purchase for about 12 years, and haven't had an issue until tonight. I have my bank account linked and everything is verified, and I pay using that. I purchased a few things on Etsy, and then all of a sudden I got a message that said, "We couldn't complete your payment for you. To get your payments working again, check your account or contact us. *Check Your Account *Return to Merchant". I went to my account and didn't see anything. I got worried and checked my bank account via my online banking, and everything is fine. Is there a daily limit on PayPal or a monthly limit, and I hit it? Their customer service isn't available right now for me as it's 2am where I live, and I've been trying to figure it out.

[PayPal_Michael]

Hi, @punxie89. Not being able to complete a purchase is certainly a concern, and something PayPal definitely wants to avoid for all customers! I hope the following information is helpful.

In general, if the only payment method linked to an account is a bank account, that limits the number of merchants you would be able to purchase from. The vast majority of merchants prefer to be paid instantly, but that can't happen if you have only a bank account linked to your PayPal account.

If you prefer to use your bank account, that's fine, but it needs to be backed up by an instant payment method such as a credit or debit card. Without a card, the only option PayPal has for most purchases is to pay the merchant via an echeck. But that takes days (sometimes a week or two) to clear, and most merchants don't want to wait that long for a payment to clear.

This is not something PayPal has a choice on since submitting a request for money to a bank takes time, just as it takes time for a physical check to clear. When a PayPal customer has a card linked to their account, however, PayPal will pay for them so the merchant gets the money instantly, and then we'll happily wait for a customer's bank to reimburse us. It's one of the many features of the service that helps make online shopping easy, convenient and effortless.

If you do have a card linked to your account, this same thing will happen if PayPal's Security System determines the card is not available to back up a purchase. Please log on to your PayPal account and link a credit or debit card, if needed, or check the card(s) on the account to see if it's active and available.

I hope this clarifies things sufficiently. Thanks for being a part of the PayPal Community!

Sincerely,

Michael

PayPal_Michael

[MCW2018]

Hi Paypal

I have a similar problem, but in my case Paypal is not loading to complete a purchase when I choose it as my preferred payment method (as opposed to credit/debit card). It just sits and buffers, and hangs up. I have a bank account and a valid payment card listed as payment options on my account.