clarify meaning of 'automatic payments' section

[Gorlash]

Well, I'm not sure exactly what this section represents.  Most of the businesses listed there, are businesses where I have made single payments using Paypal... they mostly *don't* have auto-renewal aspects to them.

If I make set those accounts to Inactive, will that prevent me from making single payments to those companies in the future??
That isn't what I want, I just want to prevent them from submitting auto-renewal charges in the future without my approval.

[PayPal_Schae · Accepted solution]

@Gorlash

Thank you for your post, welcome!

I can see how pre-approved payments (auto payments) would be confusing! Pre-approved payments are also called billing agreements. These refer to an agreement on file that allows the merchant's application/website process payments on behalf of you. This could be for any amount at any time, depending on the order/service. These agreements are agreed upon when you complete that one-time payment. It does not guarantee that the merchant will auto-renew or draw money out, but it gives them the right to if needed. A couple of examples would be Uber or Grubhub. They also can be where subscriptions are shown, such as Netflix. 

If you see a merchant that is active and it was a one-time payment, then you can make them inactive. This would cause you to approve future transactions with the said merchant. For services like Netflix, you'd want to keep them active or else you'll have to renew it every month yourself. A good way to vet these payments is to read the checkout details carefully before completing your payment, as the agreement Terms & Conditions are stated there before paying. 

I hope this information helps! Thank you.

-Schae

[Gorlash]

Thank you!!  That made the situation completely clear to me, and I definitely appreciate it!