Subscription Payment Failed - but don't understand why

[Andy_T]

Had an email that the subscription payment had failed and that I did not have backup funding source for the instant transfer payment.

Well - I've been happily making payments from my bank account via paypal for years - and recently too.  Also I have the details of a debit card for backup funding as I understand it.  So cant see why it failed.

The instructions in the email from PayPal were to go and choose a credit card for payment....   BUT why can it not use my debit card backup funding..

Really not clear what has gone wrong and PayPal needs to explain it a bit better.  It was only a small sum as well.

[wizzard749]

Same, problem not idea how to solve

[PayPal_david]

Hi there guys,

I am unable to see either of your accounts so I can't give you a definitave answer in regards to why these recent subscription payments have failed. I can however advise you both on what it could potentially have been.

If you check the expiry date of the card that is registered on your PayPal account, this may have something to do with it. If you click the Profile icon and then the My Money icon, you can then click Update beside your card. This will then advise you when your card is due to expire.

If your card is going to expire in the next 30 days or so, this would be why you are unable to make an instant transfer payment and it would also be why the subscription payment has failed.

If you have your debit card registered on your PayPal account, you can select this card as the subscription funding source and this will process your payments from that card. This will also ensure that the payments are debited from your bank account via your debit card.

Here is how you can change your subscription funding source:

• Go to www.paypal.co.ukand log in to your account.
• Click 'Profile' near the top of the page.
• Select 'My money'.
• In the 'My pre-approved payments' section, click 'Update'.
• Select the merchant whose agreement you want to change under 'Merchants'.
• Click 'Change' under 'Funding Source'.
• Select an alternate payment method and click 'Save'.

I hope this helps,

David.

[BerylMcM]

I have the same problem - subscription payment failed because no backup source specified. And this was for a payment of less than £7 out of my main bank account (into which my salary was paid the same day)!

Where the H*LL do we specify the 'backup source'?!!  All I can find is an option to specify all funding sources - but not in any order.  Do we no longer get to choose how payments are made, ie which you use first, and which is ONLY used if you can't use (and I repeat CAN'T use, not can't be bothered to use, as seems to have been the case here!) the main one?  Because I can't find any mention of backup sources any more.

I don't use my credit card except when I need to - so I do NOT want you taking standard payments on it, when I have plenty of funds in my bank account - but I just discovered that this is what has been happening for the last few weeks!

WHY?!  And how do I stop it?!!

Looking forward to hearing your reply

Beryl McM

[PayPal_Wayne]

Hi there BerylMcM,

When a subscription fails the wording can be a bit confusing as it mentions a backup funding even though a subscription can only have one funding source. The reason you can't find where to do it is down to the fact that it can't be done.

Basically what the message means is we were not able to get the funds for the subscription for some reason. Most of the time I've seen it has nothing to do with the amount in the bank at the time, most customers have more than enough available funds at the time we try. The bank don't specify a reason to us though when a payment fails so we can't shed any light on it I'm afraid.

As the subscription is now cancelled you are free to set it up again on the merchants website with whatever funding source you wish.

Wayne

[Fert]

Hi

Just had the same email from PayPal stating that my subscription to a Paid Account has failed as I do not have a back-up funding source. When I go into my account and try to select payment direct from my bank the 'Bank Funding' button is shown but the only option I am given is to set up a transfer via ECheque, the 'Credit Card' option is also shown but not available as a choice.

Can someone explain why I cannot choose to pay for the subscription via my bank, like I pay for everything else? Also why does an 'ECheque' take 7-9 days to arrive at the destination account when it is taken from my bank immediately. If they take it from my bank account immediately then why can't the whole transfer be done via a bank transfer as normal?

Any answers would be appreciated

Jackie

[PayPal_Wayne]

Hi there Fert,

eCheques don't come from your account instantly, if you watch your bank account you should see it leave your account after 2 - 3 working days. After that it takes a further 3 or so working days to clear through our bank.

Wayne

[stenda]

Hi,

Also had similar email.  I actioned payment through Paypal on 25 Oct 2011 and payment was debited from my bank account (main source of funding) on 27 Oct 2011.  However, I got said email on 30 Oct 2011 saying payment failed!

If funds have been taken from my bank account how can this be so?

Please advise.  Thank you.

stenda

P.S.  Also email stated "We will try to make payment again on Nov 4, 2011".  Does this mean more money will be taken from my bank account?  I hope not!!

[PayPal_Wayne]

Hi stenda,

Can I ask where the funds went when the payment failed? If it left your bank account then it must have completed to your PayPal account, the merchants PayPal or returned back to your bank. Depending on where the funds ended up will determine what has actually happened.

The funds would only ever come out again if we didn't manage to get the funds the first time around. We would never take two payments for the one subscription.

Wayne

[jennyf]

Wayne

It's a BUG, why won't Paypal admit it?

There appear to be different sorts of pre-approved payments, and I am guessing that it depends what coding (API) the merchant used to set it up.

With some types of payment you can change the funding source just fine.

With SUBSCRIPTIONS, specifically, you cannot change the funding source.

In my case, my bank debit card expired and the new one had a different number. I added the new card, and when the old one expired I removed it.

Then I found a subscription that had failed. Unlike the other type of pre-approved payment, subscriptions are tied to a particular card and if the card isn't there any more, there is NOTHING the user can do other than to cancel the account and re-subscribe.

Paypal tried to tell me that I couldn't change it because it had failed once. So I tried with my other active subscriptions. I couldn't change those either. I couldn't even see what funding source they were using.

However in my case, if I do that I will lose a discount that I got when I took out the subscription. 

In another case, if I cancel, I will lose my rights to two domain names I own through GDI. 

I cannot afford to lose the discount or the domain names.

A subscription should be linked generally to the account and follow rules for primary and backup funding sources set by the user which can be changed at will. A subscription should not be tied to a specific card which we then cannot de-link when the card expires. It is simply nonsense.

I have seen replies on here where the Paypal person clearly  does not understand that there are different types of pre-approved payments and they just tell the user to go and make a change that WE CANNOT MAKE. From my experiences yesterday I found that Paypal are simply NOT READING our requests for help properly. They look at a few words and dash off an answer without bothering to read and understand the whole problem.

Wayne, I am giving you fair warning here. Read and understand this message properly, every last word of it.

Don't come back and tell me, and the other people on this message thread the same old thing that we CANNOT DO.

We have identified a bug and it is up to Paypal to fix it.  We are customers. Your job is to keep us happy and for the moment, you have some very UNHAPPY customers here because we feel you are IGNORING something that is your fault.

Jenny Fletcher