Paypal Check Your Account At Your Card Issuer Before Retrying This: Card Better

To fix the error, you must understand why your bank said “no” to PayPal. Here are the seven most common reasons, ranging from benign to serious.

Ironically, PayPal is often blocked by banks by default.

Usually, no. The card itself is probably fine. The issue is the relationship between PayPal, your bank, and that specific transaction. Unless your bank tells you “this card is permanently blocked from online payments,” you don’t need a replacement.

If you live in the US but try to pay a merchant in Europe, or if PayPal processes the transaction through a foreign entity, your bank may block it. Many debit cards are locked for "International Use" by default. You must call the bank to unlock "Cross-Border" transactions.

Sometimes, the issue is unresolvable. Your bank may have a permanent policy against PayPal (rare, but exists with some credit unions). Or your card type (e.g., Visa Electron) is not supported. In this case, do not waste hours. Use one of these better alternatives:

Banks have fraud algorithms that look at velocity—how many transactions you do in a short period.

To fix the error, you must understand why your bank said “no” to PayPal. Here are the seven most common reasons, ranging from benign to serious.

Ironically, PayPal is often blocked by banks by default.

Usually, no. The card itself is probably fine. The issue is the relationship between PayPal, your bank, and that specific transaction. Unless your bank tells you “this card is permanently blocked from online payments,” you don’t need a replacement.

If you live in the US but try to pay a merchant in Europe, or if PayPal processes the transaction through a foreign entity, your bank may block it. Many debit cards are locked for "International Use" by default. You must call the bank to unlock "Cross-Border" transactions.

Sometimes, the issue is unresolvable. Your bank may have a permanent policy against PayPal (rare, but exists with some credit unions). Or your card type (e.g., Visa Electron) is not supported. In this case, do not waste hours. Use one of these better alternatives:

Banks have fraud algorithms that look at velocity—how many transactions you do in a short period.