Steam now requires that Paypal has the funds for a game before purchase?

[KillDeer]

So I try to buy a game today. My paypal has 0 dollars in it (it always does). When I go to make a purchase through Steam using Paypal I get this message...

>To complete this payment, add a debit or credit card to your PayPal account. Your card will not be charged unless the transaction amount exceeds your balance.

I do not have a credit card. I never have.

Back in May and any time before then I was able to purchase games on Steam with my Paypal balance at 0 and the funds were automatically drawn from the attached bank account without any delay. Why do I have to maintain a balance on Paypal now?

I see this in the help files...

>To make a payment with PayPal without having a credit card linked to your PayPal account, you must have the total amount of your purchase in your PayPal account balance. PayPal does not offer transfers directly from your bank account without having a backup credit card tied to the account. You will need to move funds from your bank account into your PayPal account and use your PayPal balance as the method of payment.

WHY? Why did this change? Did Gaben lose millions of dollars from Russian scammers or something and force this stupidity?

I will not be able to buy any games during the summer sale now because it takes close to 6 days for my bank to do the manual slow ass 1998 bank transfer to a Paypal balance.

[Speed Demon]

That is utter ****! I bought FEZ during the Summer Sale using PayPal WITHOUT a credit card attached to the account and it worked beautifully! It was only AFTERWARDS that the credit card thing kicked in.

[KillDeer]

I just spoke to PayPal on the phone. I couldnt stomach waiting hundreds of hours for a response again so just 15 minutes on hold to speak to a girl in Manila.

The response from PayPal is basically that the "instant bank transfer" was a "trial program" that accounts were allowed to for a while use instant transfers from a bank account and what was really happening was PayPal was covering the cost for the 5-8 business days while the money was actually cleared and confirmed from the bank. For whatever reason (the girl I spoke to couldnt explain) this trial only lasts for a few purchases. Not just on any date but just that any account that used the instant transfer a few times was reviewed by someone and removed from the trial program usergroup.

Paypal's plan was to tease people by showing them how great instant transfers are and then cut the access and ask you for a credit card with the offer of "You can do instant bank transfers if you do this!!!" It might have made more sense if they had overtly explained this at any time during the process.

So the answer is "ur fukt"

Steam wants instant payments (no echecks with games in escrow).

Paypal wont do instant payments without a credit card attached.

Paypal's answer if you don't have a credit card or you have a family credit card that is already attached to a different Paypal account? A debit card, because everyone on earth lives in America where your bank card just magically has a visa logo. △

[Speed Demon]

Ah. At least I can buy Pre paid Steam Cards (the wallet thingy). Otherwise, all of us would have had to wait a week, by which time the Summer Sale would have been over, defying the procces in the first place.

This is utter #$%^*&$#%&$^!! (Rant over, switching to logical side now).

[V1RK]

My payments with paypal go straight through even tho I have 0 gbp in paypal because its credited from my debit card and i never had any problems purchasing using it in the summer sale

[KillDeer]

Messaggio originale di Speed Demon:

Ah. At least I can buy Pre paid Steam Cards (the wallet thingy). Otherwise, all of us would have had to wait a week, by which time the Summer Sale would have been over, defying the procces in the first place.

This is utter #$%^*&$#%&$^!! (Rant over, switching to logical side now).

I cant. They don't sell them in Canada as far as I can tell.

[Speed Demon]

Sure they do. They're in EB Games, which in the States it is called GameStop.
I bought one yesterday!

[Camyak]

Messaggio originale di Speed Demon:

Sure they do. They're in EB Games, which in the States it is called GameStop.
I bought one yesterday!

Agreed. I see them at EBGames all the time (I'm from NB, Canada), and I'm sure even your local EBGames store doesn't sell them, another store probably does.

If you're not sure, maybe try looking at some store websites. Most retail stores have a site with a list of what they sell and usually you can find your local store too.

[Speed Demon]

Messaggio originale di camyak:

Messaggio originale di Speed Demon:

Sure they do. They're in EB Games, which in the States it is called GameStop.
I bought one yesterday!

Agreed. I see them at EBGames all the time (I'm from NB, Canada), and I'm sure even your local EBGames store doesn't sell them, another store probably does.

If you're not sure, maybe try looking at some store websites. Most retail stores have a site with a list of what they sell and usually you can find your local store too.

The irony is that i'm from QC, where the tax laws restrict a lot of the contests, for example...

[KillDeer]

Ah okay I'll have to try EB Games sometime. Theres not one near me and I never go to the area where there is one. Guess I'll make a special trip in a few months

[Darren]

I had trouble with this about a week or two ago, it now works perfectly fine for me.

[Failia]

Messaggio originale di KillDeer:

I just spoke to PayPal on the phone. I couldnt stomach waiting hundreds of hours for a response again so just 15 minutes on hold to speak to a girl in Manila.

The response from PayPal is basically that the "instant bank transfer" was a "trial program" that accounts were allowed to for a while use instant transfers from a bank account and what was really happening was PayPal was covering the cost for the 5-8 business days while the money was actually cleared and confirmed from the bank. For whatever reason (the girl I spoke to couldnt explain) this trial only lasts for a few purchases. Not just on any date but just that any account that used the instant transfer a few times was reviewed by someone and removed from the trial program usergroup.

Paypal's plan was to tease people by showing them how great instant transfers are and then cut the access and ask you for a credit card with the offer of "You can do instant bank transfers if you do this!!!" It might have made more sense if they had overtly explained this at any time during the process.

So the answer is "ur fukt"

Steam wants instant payments (no echecks with games in escrow).

Paypal wont do instant payments without a credit card attached.

Paypal's answer if you don't have a credit card or you have a family credit card that is already attached to a different Paypal account? A debit card, because everyone on earth lives in America where your bank card just magically has a visa logo. △

If that's true, that explains a lot on why it might work for a while period, stop working for some reason then suddenly start working for me again with no reply from Steam or PayPal.

I typically don't make a lot of purchases on Steam all at once so it's possible that my account was on this trial program initially, someone reviewed my account, removed me for an undetermined amount of time then put me back in again.

[76561198138587013]

i have the same problem but i have the money in my accout

[Ineffable Anathema]

Check the date on this thread ... >.<

[Shadow_tj]

This is not true. Up to yesterday evening paypal was accepted, last night i indeed needed to add a creditcard.. Them this morning i could buy new games without a creditcard and now it is not working annymore.. So if this was true why could i pay this morning again and now not more.. And yesterday evening some problems,