Community
Wiki Posts
Search

Credit card protection vs. PayPal ?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 19, 2017, 2:12 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 213
Credit card protection vs. PayPal ?

Hi,

I was wondering about something:

What's the difference in consumer protection (e.g a dispute) in paying with:
Credit card directly vs. adding the card to PayPal and paying through PayPal.

I know credit cards have some protections, and I'm sure PayPal has some as well. But I'm not sure what happens when you pay though PayPal using a credit card (vs. the same card directly)? Do you get added protections from both?

Any experiences or knowledge on this matter, that you can share please?

Thanks.

Last edited by kayanco; Nov 19, 2017 at 2:20 pm
kayanco is offline  
Old Nov 23, 2017, 12:09 am
  #2  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: ZOA, SFO, HKG
Programs: UA 1K 0.9MM, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Hertz PC, SBux Gold, TSA Pre✓
Posts: 13,811
PayPal has fewer protections as PayPal complicates things.

As many protections are statutory rather than contractual, card issuers must abide them or face consequences. Because PayPal is not a financial institution, PayPal are not constrained by the protection statutes.
kayanco likes this.
garykung is offline  
Old Nov 23, 2017, 8:07 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,249
Regardless of the legal requirements, PayPal customer service is horrid when contacted about anything. My rule is to expect little to nothing from PP CS to avoid disappointment.
mikesyr18 and kayanco like this.
AFAM-DFW is offline  
Old Nov 23, 2017, 8:34 pm
  #4  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Paypal is not a CC and therefore you have none of the legal protections you have with a CC.

Do not ever pay for a service to be rendered in the future with anything other than a CC (no PayPal, no debit cards).

Just ask people holding tickets on AB or at resorts which go bust.
Often1 is offline  
Old Nov 23, 2017, 9:30 pm
  #5  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,507
There's also no recourse with your CC issuer if you use PayPal. If you attempt to file a chargeback, PP will take adverse action against your account. Or did back in the day, anyway.
tmiw is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 1:53 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
Originally Posted by Often1
...
Do not ever pay for a service to be rendered in the future with anything other than a CC (... no debit cards).
Debit cards have the same basic protections as credit cards depending on the issuer, but Visa/MasterCard generally apply the same protections guidelines to both.

For example, I get purchase protection, extended warranties, $0 liability, satisfaction guarantee, and airport concierge on my Empower FCU debit MasterCard, and I get dispute resolution on my Bank of America debit card.
mikesyr18 is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 4:36 am
  #7  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: ATL
Posts: 802
Originally Posted by mikesyr18
Debit cards have the same basic protections as credit cards depending on the issuer, but Visa/MasterCard generally apply the same protections guidelines to both.

For example, I get purchase protection, extended warranties, $0 liability, satisfaction guarantee, and airport concierge on my Empower FCU debit MasterCard, and I get dispute resolution on my Bank of America debit card.
Not exactly.
On a debit card, IF you report a fraudulent transaction after 2 days, you are liable for the first $500. With a credit card, it is $50. If you wait more than 60 days, you have no protections other than maybe a promise by the financial institution. Meanwhile, you could have checks bouncing all over the place.
There is no way in hell that I would ever carry or use a debit card, especially with the rich rewards that many credit and charge cards offer.
kayanco likes this.
bigbuy is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 9:17 am
  #8  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,507
Originally Posted by bigbuy
Not exactly.
On a debit card, IF you report a fraudulent transaction after 2 days, you are liable for the first $500. With a credit card, it is $50. If you wait more than 60 days, you have no protections other than maybe a promise by the financial institution. Meanwhile, you could have checks bouncing all over the place.
There is no way in hell that I would ever carry or use a debit card, especially with the rich rewards that many credit and charge cards offer.
With the alert systems most banks have these days, though, it should be fairly simple to discover the fraudulent charges within the 48 hours. But yeah, agreed on the rewards.
tmiw is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:05 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
Originally Posted by bigbuy
Not exactly.
On a debit card, IF you report a fraudulent transaction after 2 days, you are liable for the first $500. With a credit card, it is $50. If you wait more than 60 days, you have no protections other than maybe a promise by the financial institution....
Visa and MasterCard provide $0 liability on both debit and credit cards. The law says the terms you've explained. Visa and MasterCard can add additional protections to the law above the minimum if they so wish.
mikesyr18 is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:12 pm
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,171
Originally Posted by mikesyr18
Visa and MasterCard provide $0 liability on both debit and credit cards. The law says the terms you've explained. Visa and MasterCard can add additional protections to the law above the minimum if they so wish.
Credit card liability in the US is limited to $50 per federal law. $0 liability is offered by issuing banks (not Visa/MasterCard) for competitive reasons.
kayanco likes this.
Hawaiian717 is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:14 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
Originally Posted by Hawaiian717
Credit card liability in the US is limited to $50 per federal law. $0 liability is offered by issuing banks (not Visa/MasterCard) for competitive reasons.
The banks follow the general guidelines of Visa/MasterCard. Think about it... Why would Visa/MC advertise $0 liability if the banks could strip it away? Banks likely sign up for $0 liability when they sign a contract with either of those issuers.

https://www.visa.com/chip/personal/s...-liability.jsp
If the unauthorized transaction involves your debit card or account, Visa's Zero Liability Policy requires issuers to replace any funds taken from your account as the result of an unauthorized debit transaction within 5 business days of notification.
https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/abou...onditions.html
Note: Zero Liability does not apply to the following Mastercard payment cards: commercial cards, or unregistered prepaid cards, such as gift cards.
I don't see debit cards there, so $0 liability applies.
mikesyr18 is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:42 pm
  #12  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,507
Originally Posted by mikesyr18
The banks follow the general guidelines of Visa/MasterCard. Think about it... Why would Visa/MC advertise $0 liability if the banks could strip it away? Banks likely sign up for $0 liability when they sign a contract with either of those issuers.

https://www.visa.com/chip/personal/s...-liability.jsp


https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/abou...onditions.html

I don't see debit cards there, so $0 liability applies.
All bets are off if the transaction isn't run over Visa/MC (for instance, if you enter the PIN). Most banks will still refund you the money though.
tmiw is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:45 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: HHonors, TrueBlue, Delta SkyMiles, Hyatt Discoverist, Starwood Preferred Guest, American Airlines.
Posts: 2,035
Originally Posted by tmiw
All bets are off if the transaction isn't run over Visa/MC (for instance, if you enter the PIN). Most banks will still refund you the money though.
Correct, but we're not talking about the debit networks here. Banks also encourage the use of payments over "credit" on a debit card, so zero liability applies unless the cardholder makes a mistake and chooses debit.
The only time to use debit is if you're looking to get cash back at a grocery store instead of using an ATM, but many banks refund all ATM fees (Schwab, some credit unions) so I can see that practice decreasing in the future.
mikesyr18 is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:57 pm
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 213
Lots of good useful discussion on this thread.

One feature of PayPal is that your actual credit card number is hidden for the merchant. I like this aspect and think it can be useful. BUT, if it's true that PayPal has less protection compared to using the same credit card directly (e.g. charge backs), that would negate the benefit of not sharing the CC info from the merchant.

So I'm surprised that the use of Virtual cards hasn't taken off. To my knowledge only Citi lets your generate a one-time use credit card number. You can even set max spend limit and expiry date.
kayanco is offline  
Old Nov 24, 2017, 1:04 pm
  #15  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,507
Originally Posted by mikesyr18
Correct, but we're not talking about the debit networks here. Banks also encourage the use of payments over "credit" on a debit card, so zero liability applies unless the cardholder makes a mistake and chooses debit.
The only time to use debit is if you're looking to get cash back at a grocery store instead of using an ATM, but many banks refund all ATM fees (Schwab, some credit unions) so I can see that practice decreasing in the future.
I actually see debit eventually being forced by most stores. They do have the right to do so by law, despite what the banks would prefer.
tmiw is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.