Keep bank account but do not use as back up

[Zackkyp]

Is there any possible way to not have my direct bank accounts used as a back up while still having my debit card ALSO linked to pay pal? Because I have two active sources my debit card and the second being my checking account. They are two avenues to the same street and my credit union takes a few steps on blocking corporations businesses etc from taking money that I don't have but only if the payment is attempted through my debit card. If they use my checking account number though it's the exact opposite it's the wild west they can just take and rake and my bank does nothing to stop this until an unreasonable amount of money that I don't have has been taken and then all they do is send me a bill. Is there no way to stop this? I It used to be a reliable way for me to shed unnecessary subscriptions if the money wasn't there the bill could not be paid and subscription would be cancelled. Seems fair and reasonable.

[sharpiemarker]

@Zackkyp 

There’s no guarantee that your bank account won’t be used in case your debit card is not available because it’s a month away from expiring or because of a security measure. The system is automated.

Select your debit card as the preferred payment method but be on top of your subscriptions/automatic payments, ready to cancel the automatic payment before merchant charges it. Set up a calendar reminders to email you a week/week and a half in advance of renewal on all your subscriptions to make sure funds are available in bank account. PayPal warns of this whenever a bank account is the funding source:

https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/what‘s-an-ach-payment-help820

https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/why-was-my-payment-sent-as-an-echeck-and-why-is-it-pending-...

Also note that when you checkout with a merchant, be mindful of agreeing to automatic payments, billing agreements, recurring payments. Let’s say you order some food at a grub hub or Uber eats, basically service platforms and retailers, too. They make you agree to automatic payments to streamline the checkout experience on future one-off purchases. If you don’t want surprise charges (authorized or not), best to cancel the automatic payment profile with the merchant after your purchase completes.

Here’s how to cancel them:

What is an automatic payment and how do I update or cancel one?

We are our last line of defense.