You can choose any of the payment methods in your PayPal account as your preferred payment method. You can select a preferred payment method in your account preferences on www.paypal.com or in the PayPal app. There may be times when your preferred payment method cannot be used, for example, if you select a credit card that is expired.
You can set separate preferred payment methods for online transactions, in-store transactions, and each of your automatic payment agreements, as described below.
If you have chosen a preferred payment method, it will be shown as the primary method of payment.
The availability of certain payment methods may be limited based on that particular seller or the third-party website you are using to complete the transaction.
If you have not selected a preferred payment method, or your preferred payment method is unavailable, we will show you available payment methods, including the payment method you used most often or most recently, at the time of transaction. You can also click on the “Manage” link to see all of your available payment methods, or add a new one, and select a payment method during the transaction.
Certain one-time online transactions may require that a backup funding method be used in the event that your selected or preferred payment method is unavailable. In those instances, the backup funding method may be displayed to you on your transaction review page, before you complete the transaction. Note that this only applies for one-time, online transactions, and not for in-store, automatic payments, or Bill Pay payments. If PayPal determines currency conversion is necessary for a transaction that also requires a backup payment method, you may not be able to separately choose whether PayPal or your card issuer performs the currency conversion on your backup payment method.
For one-time Bill Pay payments, if you have not set a preferred payment method or if your preferred payment method is unavailable (for example, because it is expired or has insufficient funds) the payment method used will be in the following order, if applicable: 1. Funds held as balance in your PayPal Balance account (if one is linked to your personal PayPal account); 2. Bank account; 3. PayPal co-branded debit card; 4. PayPal co-branded credit card; 5. Debit card; 6. Credit card; and 7. E-check.
When you send money in the U.S. to Friends and Family using your PayPal balance or your bank account, we waive all fees, so we always show you these payment options first, even if you have a set a preferred payment method for your online purchases.
Some sellers allow you to store PayPal as the payment method to use whenever making purchases on their site. Often, this entails creating an agreement with the seller, where you give the seller permission to pay using PayPal every time you make a purchase.
When you first set up an agreement, your preferred payment method (if you have one selected) will be shown first. We will also show you other payment methods you have available in your account with PayPal. For example, you can instruct your monthly movie subscription service to always charge a specific credit card in your account with PayPal each month. The payment method you select will be used for every future transaction with that seller, unless you change it in your account settings or the payment method is unavailable.
Your preferred payment method for an automatic payment agreement will be used for transactions with that seller. If you have available balance in a linked PayPal Balance account, that balance may be used before your preferred payment method.
If you have not set a preferred payment method for an automatic payment agreement, or if your preferred payment method for an automatic payment agreement is unavailable (for example, because it is expired or has insufficient funds) the payment method used will be in the following order, if applicable: 1. Funds held as balance in your PayPal Balance account (if one is linked to your personal PayPal account) or balance in your business PayPal account (if we’ve been able to verify the required identifying information you provide to us); 2. Bank account; 3. PayPal co-branded debit card; 4. PayPal co-branded credit card; 5. Debit card; 6. Credit card; and 7. E-check. This is also the order of payment methods that will be used if a previously selected payment method to be used in a seller agreement is unavailable.
If a consumer claims a "billing error" because an item is not received or is refused at the time of delivery, the card issuer is obliged to investigate, resolve, and to correct written claims filed by the consumer within 60 days of receipt of the applicable credit card statement.
If a consumer claims a dispute with a merchant, the card issuer is obliged to investigate and resolve consumer claims, provided the consumer: (i) has not paid for the charge (ii) has made a good faith attempt to settle the dispute with the merchant (iii) lives in the same state as or within 100 miles of the merchant and (iv) paid more than $50 for the item.
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