PayPal Payment Declined

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Check the card and billing address

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   1. Log in and open Wallet
   2. Select the card and confirm number, expiry and CVV
   3. Make sure the billing address matches the one on your card statement
   4. Retry the payment
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Call the card issuer

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   1. PayPal says the issuer does not share the decline reason with PayPal
   2. Phone your bank or card company and ask why a PayPal charge was refused
   3. Ask them to allow the merchant, then retry
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Use a different funding source

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   1. At checkout choose another card, a linked bank account or your PayPal balance
   2. Or add money to your PayPal balance first and pay from it
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Look for an account limitation

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   1. Open the Resolution Center or the bell icon on your Dashboard
   2. If a limitation is shown, follow the steps in the account limited guide
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Checkout says the payment was declined, or you cannot create an automatic payment, even though the card works elsewhere.

Why it happens

• Card issuer refused the charge and does not disclose the reason
• Expired or closed card, or wrong card number, expiry or CVV
• Billing address on PayPal does not match the card statement
• Amount exceeds available credit, balance or a spending limit
• A limitation on your PayPal account blocks payments

This guide also covers

• paypal payment declined
• paypal card declined
• why was my paypal payment declined
• paypal payment failed

Other PayPal errors

• PayPal Account Limited
• PayPal Funds on Hold
• PayPal Account Frozen: 180-Day Hold
• PayPal Can't Log In
• PayPal Verification Code Not Received
• PayPal Transfer to Bank Pending or Not Arrived
• PayPal Payment Pending
• PayPal Can't Add Card or Bank