r/paypal • • 7d ago

Helpful Info!!! PSA: Accidentally received a PayPal payment? Here's how I was able to return it

8 Upvotes

DISCLAIMER: This is an EU-Case. Experience might differ, if you are in a country outside of the EU.

I accidentally received a €137 PayPal payment from a stranger (via Goods & Services). The sender contacted me by email and asked me to return it. (no scammy Links, just an email - so i'd argue, that it was in fact, an accident)

I used the “Refund this payment” button on the original transaction, but PayPal initially rejected the refund because I only had €133.24 available after PayPal's €3.76 fee.

I contacted PayPal support by phone. They told me to:

  1. Transfer the missing amount to my PayPal balance (an instant bank transfer worked within seconds). - via your personal online banking app, not via the PayPal app.
  2. Go back to the original transaction and use “Refund this payment”.
  3. PayPal automatically refunded the applicable fees when the refund is made. This happened instantly. So there is no waiting time or anything alike. - but that is the critical information, that is nowhere stated on the website.

Important: Don't send the money back as a new PayPal payment to the sender. Use the refund function attached to the original transaction.

Unfortunately, PayPal's help pages don't make this process particularly clear, and I couldn't open a normal “case” because recipients/sellers apparently aren't eligible for that type of case. Calling support was ultimately the solution to receive guidance. The Support can not make the transaction magically disappear. Your action is required.

Please be aware when you are calling the German support hotline:

Log in to your PayPal Account, search for Contact & Support, click on the "Call us" Button and scroll all the way down. There is a special PIN, that you need to enter, when first calling the hotline. The number is 0800 723 45 00. Then there is a big wall of all kinds of information thrown at you when you are in the call. You need to bypass this by pressing 7 once, for "further menus", and once again press 7, for even more "further menus". - and only then, you would finally be able to get the option "speak to a support employee".

I recommend to listen carefully what the automated announcer says. These menu's can most certainly change as time goes on. I just want to you to be as patient as possible. Stay on the phone - do not hang up. Best of luck!


r/paypal • • Sep 10 '26

Help “Things don’t appear to be working right now” Error when transferring to bank

5 Upvotes

Like the title says, my bank is connected, it shows the correct information, but I can’t transfer my money to my bank account, I just get this error and that’s it. I tried googling the issue but I can’t find a solution. Has anyone else successfully dealt with this? What do I do here?


r/paypal • • 50m ago

Help Pay Later prequalified amount question

• Upvotes

I’m just a little confused, Pay Later says it’s for purchases between $30 and $1500, but it says I’m prequalified for $3800. Does that mean I can purchase something for up to $3800 with Pay Later, or does it mean that I could have multiple Pay Later loans that total to up to $3800?

Edit: still searching, I just learned that they also offer a pay monthly option which is under the Pay Later umbrella. Maybe the $3800 prequalified amount refers to this specifically? Any insight is appreciated!


r/paypal • • 3h ago

Help Issues with transferring money to my debit card

1 Upvotes

My friend who’s based in Germany send me money on my PayPal account, immediately after receiving it I went on to transfer them to my debit card, but it kept cancelling and telling me “please use another payment method this card was declined by your bank” I can’t seem to find the issue at all, and there’s no online limit for my credit card aswell which could be causing this, I’ve been desperate to contact my bank however I have severe social anxiety and I wouldn’t even know how to explain this issue in the first place, which makes zero sense, im actually lost please help


r/paypal • • 9h ago

Help Do JOKER VISA Gift Cards (Canada) Work for PayPal Purchases?

3 Upvotes

In Shoppers Canada they sell Joker Visa / MasterCard gift cards.
Has anyone successfully used a Joker prepaid VISA gift card to make purchases through a merchant that accepts Credit Cards on their site but the processor is PayPal?


r/paypal • • 7h ago

Help default payment method on eBay not being used

2 Upvotes

I have an issue with a large purchase on eBay it doesn't use my default payment method which is an AMEX card and it will use another card is this a weird thing where they don't like to use AMEX with eBay?


r/paypal • • 4h ago

SCAM! Received money…from myself?

1 Upvotes

In the last 24 hours I have received two deposits of ~$15 each, sent to my PayPal account. Both show they were sent from someone with my exact first & last name. Is this a scam?

I’ve seen other people in the past who posted about the same thing happening in this sub but it seems like no one really ever answered their question.


r/paypal • • 4h ago

Help Need advice on a dispute

1 Upvotes

I bought some collectibles from a seller for 1.6k over g&s and the seller did not tell me theyre breaking down and releasing a toxic substance (plasticizer), it can’t be seen but it can be felt. She’s refusing a refund saying she didn’t notice it. How should I go about my dispute? I’m worried I’ll get scammed out of 1.6k simply bc the damages can’t been seen and only felt


r/paypal • • 5h ago

Help PayPal not showing “Item Not Received” option for a package shipped to the wrong address

1 Upvotes

I ordered an item and paid through PayPal, but the seller shipped it to the wrong address, so I never received my package.
I’m trying to request a refund through PayPal, but I can’t find the “Item Not Received” option for my transaction. I checked the transaction details and the Resolution Center, but I still can’t figure out how to open a dispute.
Has anyone dealt with this situation before? Is there another way to report the transaction and request a refund if PayPal isn’t showing the option?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!


r/paypal • • 5h ago

Help PayPal G&S Address help

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I sometimes do private sales (selling collectible books) using PayPal Goods & Services. Recently, I ran into an issue where a buyer sent payment via G&S (fee was deducted), but no shipping address attached to the transaction summary at all.  It turns out they updated their account address right around the time of paying. Unsure if this is a scam technique or not, I refunded them anyway just in case. But from now on I want to make sure every G&S transaction I complete requires the buyer to confirm/select their shipping address at checkout so I never lose Seller Protection. 

For those who sell regularly via private requests (not attached to an e-commerce website):

  1. What is the safest way to request money on the PayPal Mobile App to ensure the buyer is forced to input/select a physical shipping address?
  2. Is using PayPal on desktop/Chrome significantly better or safer for creating invoices or Buy Now links than using the mobile app?
  3. What is your go-to method for sending payment requests (standard Invoices vs PayPal Buttons vs direct Money Requests) to avoid address glitched transactions?

Appreciate any advice or best practices from experienced sellers! Thank you


r/paypal • • 8h ago

Help “we’re reviewing your info”

1 Upvotes

I’ve had this notification for the past 2 years saying I need to verify my identity before I complete any transactions, honestly don’t even remember doing it but when I click it it’s always said they are reviewing my info and and they’ll get back to me in 2-3 days.. it definitely hasn’t been 2-3 days it’s more like years. Did I just miss the email where they actually got back to me? Anyways it hasn’t actually affected my account at all I can still complete transactions im just wondering


r/paypal • • 10h ago

Help Hacked account

0 Upvotes

Hey paypal, I received an email stating that another email was added to my account. I did not do this and is fraud. I have tried every way to get ahold of you and the only way is to log in. I do not remember my password as I usually never use paypal. When I tried resetting my password it sent the confirmation to my email, followed the steps. This is where I get stopped. The next step want to send a confirmation text to my phone, but the phone numbers listed are not mine. I cannot call, email, or anything to get ahold of someone about this except to log in first. This is maddening and all I want to do is lock down my account or close it. At the very least let someone know what's going on.


r/paypal • • 12h ago

Help PayPal won’t let me sign up because my name is an “invalid format”

1 Upvotes

Every time I try to sign up for a PayPal account it says my name is an invalid format. I ensured that there was no spaces at the end of my name but it still won’t accept it. I’m not sure if they think my name is inappropriate or what but I can’t even get support from PayPal because I need to log in with an account to talk to someone but it won’t let me make an account so I therefore can’t talk to anyone. Any suggestions?


r/paypal • • 20h ago

Help Cashback MasterCard - Not Showing Up Properly in my PayPal Account?

5 Upvotes

Has anyone else had this problem?

Basically, in my PayPal portal after I login, I can scroll to the section where my PayPal Cashback World Mastercard is, but basically everything just says $0, like my balance is $0, my available credit is $0, I can't view any transactions or statements.

Using some basic brain power, the card attached to my PayPal account is NOT my actual PayPal Cashback Mastercard, the last 4 digits the PayPal portal shows me do not match to my actual physical card, and when I actually call the support number, they can see my account with the balance and available credit etc.

How can I get this wrong card unlinked from my PayPal so that the proper one can be linked? I have called both PayPal and Synchrony's support for this card, and they both just keep pointing fingers back and forth at each other as to whose job it is to fix it. How hard is it to unlink one account that is clearly not correct, then relink the proper account to my PayPal??


r/paypal • • 19h ago

Help Money stuck in paypal. How do i get it?

2 Upvotes

So i was using paypal as a payment gateway. But it got restricted in may and they said if there are no complaints, i will recieve the-money after 5 months.
This was in may , its going to be 5 months in october.
How do o get it? Do they automatically transfer the amount or do i have to write an email?
Kind of needed the money.
Please help!


r/paypal • • 17h ago

PayPal helped me [ Removed by Reddit ]

1 Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/paypal • • 18h ago

Help Question about verifying identity.

1 Upvotes

Good evening,

I'm not sure how long that notification has been there, but i just happened to click it see what it was and it said "finish verifying your id..pick up where you left off scanning your id and face".

I don't even recall ever attempting to do it the first time. Anyway, have all of you guys done it?

Do they give you a second notification if you still have yet to complete it and then they temporarily suspend you? Like all of us, if things are going smoothly for ya, you don't want to do anything. i haven't had a problem nor do I want one if i fulfill their request.

Anybody have any insight on this?

Thanks.

I haven't gotten a new photo id in 20 years.. I mean i've added some fat on my face,lol.. and ya know changed over time.. my hair isn't gray though.. same hair cut.lol.. i wonder if this current id would still work if it turned out I HAVE to do it.lol


r/paypal • • 18h ago

Help Paypal won't let me use my Ethereum

0 Upvotes

after doing the invasive "ID proof", it then told me that 'they can't do that right now.':
"We can't transfer your crypto just yet

This may happen as an added layer of security to protect your account.

Trying again later may help fix the problem."

what is this about? there is zero support on their site.


r/paypal • • 21h ago

Help PayPal keeps marking me a scammer, and I don’t know why.

1 Upvotes

I recently had to make a new PayPal account due to my last one getting hacked, and recently I’ve been atleast attempting to make exchanges with people and PayPal keeps showing them the warning to not send me money because they think I’m a scam. But where i’m confused is, some people have still been able to send me money, and I don’t know if they’re somehow getting past the block, or it just didn’t show up for them. How do I get rid of this?


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Help Case help

1 Upvotes

Long story short my account was hacked and they used my credit card to by several takeaways, I opened a case for each one and today they were closed in the sellers favour then immediately a new case of each charge was made with a provisional refund. Is that normal for fraud cases? Or do I need to call PayPal about it. tia


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Help PayPal is marking my bank account as bad

1 Upvotes

A family friend sent me money and I’m trying to transfer it to my account. I noticed that my bank account wasn’t there anymore so I added it back in but when I try to authorize it it says that the instrument is bad?

I thought maybe it had to do with me being in a US territory but there was never an issue before and it shows up too so I have no clue. It won’t let it transfer to the card either even though i just used it yesterday so I’m really confused


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Help Not allowing me to withdraw into my bank account

2 Upvotes

So today someone sent me 300 through PayPal and I withdrew it instantly. An hour later they sent me another 400 and now PayPal is not allowing me to withdraw it? This is my third time using it I don’t understand. Customer service is useless


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Help Is the email I got from service@paypal.com a scam?

0 Upvotes

I got an email from [service@paypal.com](mailto:service@paypal.com) saying the FTC Prime Subscription Settlement Fund has sent you X amount of money.

Is this real or is it a scam? It was in my junk email.


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Help Account Paused/Restricted

0 Upvotes

I rarely use PayPal outside of 2 monthly recurring charges for well-known services that are each like $10/month. Occasionally I’ll use it during online checkout process if I don’t have my physical wallet nearby but haven’t done that since May of this year. Today I got notified that my account was placed in limited/restriction status until I upload my photo ID, bank statement, and proof of address.

There are no suspicious or temporary transactions listed on my account activity, and when I spoke to a representative she said she didn’t see anything either but that she did verify my account was limited status.

It makes me question if I should be uploading all these documents when they can’t give me a real reason why they’re being requested.

Is this normal? Am I being paranoid?


r/paypal • • 1d ago

Can't Log On and I have called CS I made a PayPal account, but the app is bugged

1 Upvotes

I just created an account on the web, but when I want to connect to the app the option at the bottom is completely white and not clickable, everything is frozen