Common Issues Encountered
You might at times face issues while making payment of our invoices online using PayPal. While some of these problems are related to incorrect entry of credit card details or due to problems with your PayPal account, sometimes the problem can simply be restrictions with PayPal.
The following is a list that describes some common error messages returned by PayPal and their most common underlying reasons:
Message Type 1 :
"The card you entered cannot be used for this payment. Please enter a different credit or debit card number."
This rejection message is a general PayPal message which could indicate a number of issues. Some common reasons why PayPal could reject cards and display this message are:
- Credit Card Is Linked or Associated with a PayPal Account.
If you’re using a credit card that’s linked or assigned to a PayPal account, try logging in to PayPal during payment process. You can change the source of funds to make the payment after being logged in to use credit card instead of PayPal balance. - Credit Card Is Previously Used in PayPal Account or Assigned to a Closed PayPal Account
PayPal remembers a credit cards details even when it’s already been removed from the account. The information is also remembered even if a PayPal account which is linked to the credit card is closed and deleted. In this case, try another credit card, or assigned the credit card to a PayPal account, and pay with this account logged in. - PayPal Limit on Non-Member Credit Card Usage
There is a limit based on the number of times, the amount of the transactions, the type of merchandise being sold that a credit card can be used within the system without having to verify ownership by opening an account. The restriction is for security and fraud protection reasons. There is no workaround to this limitation, but you should be able to use another credit card. If there is problem, try using another email address or else register a PayPal account. - Credit Card or Email Address Raises Flag in the Transaction
Closely linked to the reasons above, where some part of the transaction raises a flag on the server that stops the payment. Two possible flags are on the credit card or email address. Try changing either the credit card or the e-mail address or both when attempting to pay again.
Message Type 2 :
"We can’t process your payment right now, so please try again later. We’re sorry for the inconvenience."
The main reasons for this particular error is ;
- You Have Exceed Certain PayPal Security Limits
When you do not have a PayPal account, a credit card has a total lifetime transaction limit of approximately $4000. This value is the total of all payments ever made through the PayPal Guest Checkout Experience on that credit card. Even if the total is below $4000, you can only use that card 15 times as a guest. If the card is flagged by PayPal, an account (username/password) will be required for security reasons. In either case, you will need to sign up for a PayPal account in order to use that credit card. - You Already Have An Existing PayPal Account
If you do have an existing PayPal account and the credit card or email address is recognized, you MUST log in to PayPal first for security reasons.
These are unfortunately limitations imposed by PayPal for security reasons. These issues can be resolved by setting up a PayPal account using a specific credit card and/or bank account which will also make future online purchases faster (using PayPal) because you will not have to reenter your billing address, card no., CSV, etc.
A PayPal account also first tries to make payment using your credit card and then goes to your bank account so the chances of the transaction being successful are enhanced plus the $4000 limit with 15 transactions is removed.
You can also find useful information on using PayPal on their Self Help page.
