All things Paypal (2017-onwards)
 

Went to buy PPMC cards at CVS, at four different stores there were none to be had. In fact they were the only cards not available, as if they were removed. Anyone seeing this? FYI my go to store before Christmas had at least 50 cards so I know they could not have all been purchased.

PPMC @711 hardcode?
 

I heard that vgc could be bought at 711 with cc after chip implementation. I tried to buy PPMC today and was declined. The rep told me prepaid cards were ok but not PayPal. Is this true?

Most of mine stopped carrying them and Wal-greens hardcoded cash only. I found a CVS about 5 miles further away that has probably a 100 in stock, but it must be far enough out of the fraud zone.

I bought one today and accidentally scratched off most of the middle numbers with my keys I usually use. I'll stick to coins from now on. Took me 6 tries to decipher the numbers.

I can verify that Walgreens is hardcoded in WA as well, only 3.95 fee can be paid with credit card.

I can buy as many as VGCs I want at WM or Simon Mall, so Paypal won't do me any good. This is only for people who want to complete the sign on bonus spending requirement and don't have other avenues to purchase VGCs... Can some clarify?

The other opportunity could be when there is a drugstore category bonus.

I am in a similar position right now .. did you end up using PPMC loaded into your paypal account to make the payment? Thanks!

Yes. I have 10 CVS within a 6.5 mile radius and only 1 has PPMC. Some even still have the spot on the rack with the item description for PPMC still there from where they were removed.

So how soon are you able to withdraw your funds or have you withdrawn all of it?

My kid's school allows tuition payment using a debit card for 0.99% fee that could be offset by the 1% cashback from PP debit card. Has anyone used PP Debit card to make tuition payments using funds loaded using PP cash cards? Does Paypal frown on these transactions as well? I would love to be able to use it but don't want to risk getting my paypal account limited. Anyone has any data points? Thanks!

any updates on your HUCA adventures?

since you tried to load your acct with MC from a reloadable card not knowing your PP acct is already limited can be a catch 22. I say that because if you file a dispute with your CC since PP won't help you, I'm not sure if CVS will be the one on the hook since they loaded your account although funds are now in limbo. If that is your go-to CVS, it may ruin your relationship with them and it may cause a policy change to cash only to prevent disputes from GC purchases. Like I said, I'm not sure if it'll be CVS who will have to eat the loss but I understand why you'd fight for $500, that is too much to lose.

If PP won't budge and your acct remains limited, you may have to wait till June to w/d your remaining funds there, if any. But I'm really curious if the recent MC load went to the account and * is now part of the freeze? If it is, then you shouldn't file a dispute with your CC but you may just have to wait patiently till your account 'thaws'. You have the option to file complaint with CFPB and that might force them to release your funds earlier than 6 months.

Good luck!

*I'm not sure if they'll give you this information or how you'll find out but I hope you do, so you can make informed choice.

Paypal seems to be getting tighter and really enforcing the rules that PPMC are intended for retail purchases ONLY (buying MOs at a retail store won't save you either).

If you try to use them to pay for your kid's tuition it will work but your account will probably get limited eventually especially if your source of funds were majority PPMCs.

Anyone noticed that new iOS PayPal app had a function to add cash in store like cvs 711. I think it is basically a new version of reload PPMC. even the limit is same, 500 per day, 4000 per month.
Has anyone tried this method yet? If 711 allows credit card payment, that will be great .

Just got a couple emails on what appear to be "warnings". One account has been loading for about a year and finally did a withdrawal last month. Other account just a handful of loads only, no withdrawals.

You mean you loaded with PPMC and left the funds in your PP account? Why did you do that? What did the email say?

Does anyone know whether PPMC is considered cash equivalents for Amex? I heard they may claw back points you earned via MS...

Heard where? If you can't find a source, don't believe it. And if you think the 100s of positive reports are all people trolling, try it yourself. It will cost you $23.95, $20 of that which ends up in your PP account, to find out if you get points or not.

If you've been following this lately at all you would know that AMEX has been clawing back sign up bonuses for MS.

-----

Heard from here
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/co...5k_in_bonuses/

That link says.... "Called MR Customer Care and they claimed I made returns that made me ineligible for the bonus for all 4 cards."


H thinks it might be MS, but admits he closed most of the cards before now.

He also mentions he used giftcards.com with Amex, something the GC thread says attracts attention. Retail prepaids, including PPMC, aren't mentioned.

And yes, it seems a lot of people were bit on the leaked Plat bonus a few months ago. That seems more and more like an isolated incident now.

Changing things a bit.. Anybody know if -4 gas station allows PPMC purchase via CC? Thinking about getting the 5% quarterly for CF/Discover (on the off-chance that they may be only anal about buying VGCs with CC)?

No, it doesn't work.

You're fine if you're buying with a co-branded card (Hilton, SPG, etc), but any card that earns MR points is asking for trouble.

There was a report on reddit where a earned his 100k points on the plat legitimately, but Amex froze the account, and he ended up with -35k points because they went back and reviewed his PRG, Green, and other MR cards where he did MS and they took those back.

Probably a basic question but does the PPBDC used as credit trigger and earn rewards on the backup funding PPEMC? Seems obvious but could not find any *recent* definitive results about this :confused:

Has anyone had the experience of loading a purchased PPMC for an A-->B transaction that's been a regular pattern for years, getting failed transaction error messages, calling customer service as requested by the error page, and then being told that PPMC loads on their account were blocked from making person to person transfers, and could only be used for online purchases? This happened to a friend of mine in January whose account was later limited, and since I haven't seen any similar reports here lately, I'm trying to assess whether this pattern might be widespread among PPMC users.

this pattern has long been discussed as one of those shutdown by PP for "misuse/abuse" of MC loads. many have not talked about it since then because their accounts have already been limited. Some were lucky to get warnings prior to shutdown, others were shutdown with no warnings, soon as the pattern was detected. your friend is one of those lucky ones who was able to avoid detection for years until PP caught up with it.

The root of my question wasn’t that this could lead to shutdown (which I agree is well-covered) and more that the person was told that My Cash loads couldn’t be used for certain *types* of transactions while *not* having their accounts limited.

That type of restriction is not something my friend found in the terms and conditions for My Cash or for PayPal as a whole, or at least told me as much. It’s almost analogous to buying a gift card for Amazon.com and then being told after loading it that it can only be used to buy clothing, but not kitchen utensils. It sounds like deceptive advertising, and not just in the sense that the My Cash product actually can’t be used like cash once it’s been loaded. This person didn't have their account limited, but still wasn't able to send funds loaded via My Cash to anyone.

Apparently PayPal has the ability to restrict funding in someone’s account from making certain types of transactions *without* having their account limited, and not just blocked from making transactions generally, which isn’t something I’ve seen noted here.

Has anyone had problems with sending money by credit card (and paying the 3% fee) back and forth between two accounts?

I have an important account I use for other business that it is better not to risk getting shut down. But if it is not risky I would like to do the below with a family member:

Example:

Account A sends money to account B by credit card to meet minimum spending and pays the fee.

Account B withdraws.

Some time later Account B sends money to account A to meet minimum spending and pays the 3% fee.

that has been reported in the past as a high risk transaction for shutdown so if you care about your account....DON'T!

Thanks a lot for your response. I will try to avoid it.

Stupid questions (I didn't see this in the wiki):

a) Does Paypal have a "problem" (like they'll ban you) if you pay your rent with a credit card via PayPal? I know there's Radpad and all that, but let's say for whatever reason one party chooses to use PayPal.

b) Anyone know if Amex has a "problem" with this in terms of counting towards the spend requirement to earn the bonus points?

I would think both "a" and "b" would be acceptable, but you never know.

I have the same question (though not Amex specific).

I'm also trying to decide if paying for "goods and services" and grossing up the amount to cover the cc fees is better than doing a personal transaction and selecting to cover the fees.

Okay so has anyone tried:

1. using the credit card to pay a friend on paypal

2. have the friend transfer money to their bank

3. give you cash

4. pay off card?

Obviously would only be worth it for sign up bonuses.

Yes I'm sure people have done that many times. In moderation I think it is a safe thing to do.

Edit: I probably should have said that no MS with paypal is completely safe.

Have you heard or seen anyone talking about limits on this? I feel like the only limit would be adding new cards constantly but I guess if you only added them every couple months I don't see it being an issue.

No, I don't know of any limit. There probably is an unpublished limit and you will get shut down (or warned) if you exceed it.

Been a while since I dipped my feet in the PP waters, but now that the PO is failing in NorCal...

Anyone have any DPs about linking a GC (like a high value AGC) to an account and setting it as the funding method for a PPBDC? (And then buying an MO...)

Not sure if this is possible, but worth splashing a stone in the FT waters.

Data point: PP MyCash is still alive and well in a drugstore within the city limits of Philadelphia. Loaded US$500 with my credit card onto an already scratched-off PPMC card. The balance went immediately to my PayPal account. I'll wait a few days and then start doing mild spend on it to make myself look "legitimate," including some actual PayPal purchases. But my method is to slowly drain the account from PPBDMC by getting cash back at the drugstores when I make a small purchase. It's my substitute for ATMs :-o

Looks like CVS as of very recent has stopped accepting credit cards for paypal cash cards (and subsequent reloads). I've yet to encounter a Rite Aid that works either. But I'll keep looking for that anonymous drugstore that still takes credit.

Are there any drug stores left? Walgreens went to cash only. Anyone know of any grocery stores that will load/reload with a credit? I'm sensing the end of OBC without CVS.