Why is my preferred payment unavailable? Trying to send from Paypal balance to family in the UK.

[ShariseS]

I've been able to do this before; sending money from my Paypal balance to my sister/brother/mother/father for Christmas every year (I'm in the US, they're in the UK). I typically send from my Paypal balance because I don't really use it for anything else.

Trying to do it this year and it just says that my preferred payment is unavailable, but without an explanation. Everything on my account is verified, and I've not changed or added anything since I last sent funds to my sister (earlier this year).  Does anyone have any idea for why this might be an issue? I have no problem using CC or bank, I just prefer to use my Paypal balance. 

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @ShariseS,

Welcome to the PayPal Community! I'm sorry to hear you're running into some issues choosing a funding source for a recent payment attempt. There have been some changes recently in how PayPal Balances can be used, so there may be some additional information you need to verify first. I was able to dig up a few Help Center articles you find useful here:

PayPal Cash and PayPal Cash Plus accounts renamed to PayPal Balance accounts

How can I use a balance with PayPal?

I hope that helps!

 - Jon K

[ShariseS]

Hi Jon

Thank you for your response!

I'm unsure as to whether this applies to me; my identity has been verified according to my account and there doesn't appear to be anything in my notifications or on my account that suggests that there needs to be action taken on my behalf.

[PayPal_Jithu]

Hello @ShariseS,

I appreciate the information. It seems like PayPal Internal Security may be blocking this action, it considers a variety of factors at each transaction to keep you safe. Any activity can often be stopped if the system detects any unusual or suspicious activity or not safe. In this case, you can certainly try again later or try sending money using a different funding source. If that doesn't work, I'd recommend contacting us from the Help link listed at the bottom of the website or reaching out by Facebook or Twitter so that our team can help you.

Thanks,

Jithendra