by Chris Banescu –
Today I received the PayPal Business Debit Mastercard that I didn’t ask for and didn’t want. A few weeks ago PayPal notified me of their decision to issue this debit card for my account. They did not bother to ask me first. They didn’t request my permission first. They didn’t give me the option to opt in. They sent it to me anyway.
First Email
Originally PayPal sent an email informing me of this “new benefit to your existing PayPal Business account” which they decided was good for me. They made that decision based on my “history as a PayPal customer.” PayPal’s long-winded email (six paragraphs long) touted the many benefits of this new card. No clear option to opt in or opt out was evident anywhere. No large or visible button or bolded “Yes, Send It” (opt-in) or “No Thank You” (opt-out) link was provided.
No clear option to opt in or opt out was evident anywhere.
I briefly scanned the first email and moved on. Figured it was just another marketing email notifying customers of features available. Never imagined that PayPal would actually send it to me without my specific request or approval. Who would do such a thing, in 2019 no less?
Second Email
A day later, PayPal sent me an “Account Update” email which told me how much I can spend with my new “PayPal Business Debit Mastercard®” and how much of my balance I can withdraw per day at “ATMs displaying the Mastercard®, Maestro® or Cirrus® acceptance marks.” Again the email provided no option to either accept or decline this card. That’s strange, I thought, why would they send this when I didn’t request it and didn’t give them permission to issue it?
Third Email
Two days later, PayPal sent a third email (see screen-shots below) letting me know that “A new card was mailed to you today.” It indicated it would arrive in 7 to 10 business days. It prompted me with bolded messages to “Watch your mail” and “Activate it promptly.” It included a big blue button to “Activate” it. It again hyped the many benefits of the new debit card. Nowhere did the email allow me to decline, refuse, or opt out of receiving this card.
Card Arrived Without My Permission
Today, the PayPal Business Debit Mastercard I did not want and did not ask for arrived. Puzzled how this is possible and wondering if PayPal executives have lost their minds, I started to investigate what happened.
This is a dreadfully inadequate attempt at providing an “opt-out” for customers.
I went back and started my research. I checked the PayPal emails history and carefully reviewed each one. In PayPal’s first six-paragraphs-long email (see screen-shot below), buried deep inside a larger paragraph at the bottom of the email, in non-bolded wording, was this sentence: “If you decide not to use it, you can close the card.” The “close the card” phrase was linked in barely distinguishable light blue color. It was not bolded. It was not underlined. It was obscured to escape quick detection by customers. This is a dreadfully inadequate attempt at providing an “opt-out” for customers. It requires customers to close a card they didn’t want or request in the first place.
It’s Called “Opt-In”
The very idea that customers should be asked for permission first, before being offered any new “benefit,” seems completely alien to PayPal executives. This is especially egregious for a financial institution and payment processor like PayPal. “Opt-in” is the only appropriate and ethical way for a company to provide any “benefit” to its customers.
Opt-in means the “property of having to choose explicitly to join or permit something.” It means that a company must get express permission from its customers before sending them or offering them anything; especially new debit cards with access to their bank accounts and money.
Or, put more simply, for the incompetent executives at PayPal: “Ask your customers first, before giving them any benefit they did not request!” I know, it’s a difficult concept to understand, especially for a bank.
I didn’t want it. I didn’t ask for it. I don’t need it. It won’t be activated.
Here sits my new PayPal Business Debit Mastercard. I didn’t want it. I didn’t ask for it. I don’t need it. It won’t be activated. It won’t be used. It will stand as a testament to the continuing incompetence and hubris of corporate executives who could care less about their customers, especially small business owners like me. It illustrates how not to market anything to existing customers. It’s actually an anti-marketing example by clueless management. It violates the most important rule of business: “Always Meet and Exceed Customer Expectations.”
First Email from PayPal
Third Email from PayPal
YOUR article is the only thing i could find on line about this. so for anyone else pissed about how paypal is doing this and finding out there’s absolutely NOTHING online when logging onto their account, you just have to do this: ( i had to call to find out):
go to http://www.paypal.com/nothanks
that will allow them to opt out.
sure would be nice if they told you that either in all the emails they send you or somewhere when you log into your account.
BAD PAYPAL. NO MORE TREATS FOR YOU!!!!
Anne, Thank you for your comments. The link you provided worked like a charm. It still remains to be seen whether PayPal will still send the card.
Thank you! I went to your link too. No idea why they sent me this!
THANK YOU for the link. Just typing in the website they gave did not work but YOURS DID! 🙂
Thank you Anne and OP!
Couldn’t find anywhere to comment to the original so commenting here. I don’t see any comments pointing out how this card got issued so wanted to share. I’m signing up for a new business account with PayPal and noticed the “option”. When you get to the Describe your business page, you have fields you fill in and at the bottom it says your account offers a PayPal business debit MasterCard… automatically receive it no annual fee PayPal business debit card after you receive a total of $250 in payments.
The problem is it’s already checked so unless you uncheck the box, once you click continue you are opted in.
I don’t agree with this as a business process. Any options (especially services) provided on ANY website should not be checked by default. It should be a law that the customer should take the positive action. I like PayPal overall but this is NOT a customer focused feature! Just wanted to share.
I am disappointed with this action by PayPal as well. I’m supposed to be able to “opt-out” before November 17, 2019, but darned if I can figure out where to opt out! I do not want or need this piece of plastic.
Fortunately, someone on the PayPal forums figured it out, so I’m sharing here:
“Hey! I went through similar troubles, but I’ve found the solution. You can’t go through PayPal’s site to opt out, go back to your email where you were notified about the debit card opt out situation. Towards the bottom, there should be a blue block of white text that says:
“If you do not want to receive this card, log in to PayPal to opt out by November 17, 2019, and we won’t ship it.”
If you click on the “log in” link, it’ll take you to a specific page that will let you opt out. I hope that’s true for everyone!”
I just received this email today, and thought it was spam at first, but then logged onto my PayPal account and sure enough, there was a line saying “here is your mastercard debit card details”. Um, yeah, no. I cancelled it ASAP. I like PayPal, I want to like PayPal after this, but WTH? Why are they sending me a debit card I never agreed to receive? Incredibly disappointing and frustrating.
I literally just aske PayPal on twitter what is up with sending rogue debit cards to people even though they never asked for them, and the person I ended up DM-ing with had no flipping clue about this situation and said that I “maybe” accidently activated it when I had logged onto my paypal account. Yeah, probably not, nice try.
Why aren’t there more people pissed off about this and talking about it?
I am so pissed off at PayPal. I did not request for a card and they sent me one. Who does that?! Scammers. I just canceled it finally after several months of not knowing that I needed to cancel or else… I hope I don’t have to pay any fees.
I just got a letter from PayPal to let me know my debit card would ship soon. I proceeded to the opt-out screen to stop this stupidity. I am waiting for a representative to tell me how to opt out of future stuff like this. I don’t have time for this, can I send them a bill? I didn’t ask for this action item they might as well pay be for my time. Right?
Thank you for this info. I’ve been getting a lot of spoofed emails from “PayPal” recently, so when I got this email today I assumed it was just another fraudulent attempt to get my info. They really make it impossible to opt out via your account info. I used to really find PayPal handy, but if they keep doing shady crap like this I will stop using them completely.
Thanks for posting this. First time I really read the email was when it said that the card had been shipped. I thought my account had been hacked because I definitely didn’t request the card.
I also received a card I didn’t want and got frustrated trying to find how to opt out…
I finally gave up and called PayPal at 1888-221-1161 and they did it for me….She said there was
an opt out on one of the 3 letters I received but I told her I didn’t bother to read it because I wasn’t
interested in a card…..I also told her that I shouldn’t have to opt out of something I didn’t request.
Very Irritating!!!
Good call, calling them. Since when are we supposed to trust a link on a letter we receive in the mail, supposedly from PayPal! They should have some big plastered thing posted on their Summary page. And, they shouldn’t be sending unauthorized access to your PayPal balance without prior consent. THEY are facilitating fraud.
I also received and email saying my card was in the way… TWO DAYS LATER it showed up! I though this was some fake thing trying to get me to click a link. I don’t remember even getting any emails before the one saying I had “requested” a card! Excuse me??? NO I DID NOT. How dare they just opt me into something and say I “requested” it? Unbelievable! Now I’m going to have to sort this out in the midst of the pandemic- I DO NOT have time for this!
I got a SNAIL MAIL telling me the way to opt out is to go to paypal.com/nothanks. I’m LIVID. I closed my PayPal account. Also … why isn’t ANYONE reporting about this as a journalist? Why is this even legal???
I am really ticked off at PayPal. I received the first email saying they were going to send me a debit card. I opted out by the May 11 date, but today (May 15) received an email saying my card is on the way. I tried to opt out again, but they said the card had already been created. I use the PayPal.com/nothanks to cancel the card. I received a message that they were cancelling it and asked why. DO THEY HAVE TO ASK? I DIDN’T ASK FOR IT AND DO NOT WANT IT. What really makes me mad, though, is that I did do the step that should have stopped the card from being created and they still went ahead and created the card.
May 19, 2020 as I write this. Just got the email from PayPal that they’re sending me this stupid Business Debit Card without asking me first. I closed the card on the website (which I shouldn’t have to do, because again, I never asked for one), and sent them a nasty message asking them what the hell were they thinking. I’m going to cancel my PayPal account AND my Venmo account (Venmo is owned by PayPal), and going to another service. This is a shameful action taken by PayPal, and I’m honestly looking into how I can report this to my state’s Attorney General. I smell a class action lawsuit, or at least a cease and desist.
Thanks Anne! The link worked to opt out. Paypal … can not believe how sketchy of a business they’ve become?
http://www.paypal.com/nothanks
Thanks for making this post. It helped me find a link to finally opt-out. This was a really dumb idea on PayPal’s side. There’s enough phishing scams going on that getting a suspicious email about a debit card you never ordered/requested is a huge red flag.
Glad I found this article. I received and cancelled the card today. It even states in their agreement “You agree that the Debit Card will be used for business purposes only and not for any personal, family or household purposes.”
What’s the point of this card? I don’t have a business, so why did they waste time, material, and effort on this?
So annoying!!!
Me too. This makes me really angry because I did not ask for this card, and misuse of this information or the card could impact my credit rating and my privacy.
Thank you so much for this post. My daughter received one of these emails today. I am furious that PayPal would issue credit cards to customers without their consent! The emails clearly state that the customer ordered it! Unbelievable!
I’m trying to opt out using the link someone provided above, but it’s asking for my login information. I DON’T EVEN HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT! I do have a Venmo account…perhaps that’s why PayPal sent me this debit card? I’m super annoyed and don’t have time for this.
Thank you for your comment – I don’t have a paypal account either. I also received a similar card from Walmart’s Green Dot bank. I’ve had a previous experience with them and know they are bad news and super difficult to connect with and/or resolve issues. I plan to turn them into the regulators – maybe they can get their attention. The BBB won’t do anything to them, because I have not been charged any money.
I also received a PayPal debit card without requesting one. Since I was a recent victim of identity theft I was very concerned. I tried to contact PayPal and their first response was “Debit card are GREAT and I should just activate it“. Second time around the asked me for additional identification information including my drivers license and a current bank statement. I sent them a copy of my current driver license and told PayPal that I have only been using my PayPal account (for the last 18 years!) with a credit card, I would send the a copy of the relevant credit card statement but since I was concerned about fraud with respect to THEIR debit card I would not send them a bank statement. The PayPal response was to close my account and a “promise” to send me any outstanding balance from my account after 180 days.
My son is 17 and got an email a few weeks ago that they were sending him a Paypal Prepaid Mastercard. He disregarded it as junk mail, as he doesn’t even have a PAYPAL account!!! Today it came in the mail. It’s a prepaid mastercard and they want him to have his direct deposit directed to the card. This is sort of nuts because they sent a legitimate card to him. It’s so fishy.
I read your comment. My mom doesn’t have PayPal either and the sent her a card and it came in the mail today. What did your son do with the card? My mom doesn’t want it.
I received a PayPal Cash MasterCard in the mail today as well. I did not request it either. I also do not have a PayPal account.
I called the local police and filed a report.
Paypal was fined $15M by the CFPB in 2015 for signing customers up for unwanted credit cards – looks like they’re at it again.
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-takes-action-against-paypal-for-illegally-signing-up-consumers-for-unwanted-online-credit/
You can file a complaint (I know I am) with the CFPB at the following link
Just happened to me today (April 2, 2021), so PayPal is persisting with this nasty tactic.
several months ago they tried to pull the same trick, I called to complain, and they promised not to do this to me again. I guess they have a dual problem of short memory and neglected ethics.
The link they provided in the email to ‘Close the Card’ took me to the general settings page. NO ‘Close the Card’ option in sight. So they seem to relish adding insult to injury.
I went to https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ and logged a complaint against them.
Thank you so much for this post. I received an unsolicited card in the mail. Your post was the best information available about the fact that I had to cancel something I didn’t ask for in the first place. Thanks to the person who provided the cancellation link. It was so much faster than calling.
I’m glad to see this post after searching for about 20 minutes. I received a UNREQUESTE debit card in the mail. Talk about annoyed :/ ……
So, I called the number on the card and they’re asking me what number did I use to create the card and what email did I use… I’m what in the entire world is going on. I didn’t create anything, I didn’t ask for anything, I didn’t do anything…. So, eventually, they cancelled it. This is really disturbing and took about 2 hours out of my life that I’m not going to get back. Lord, help us !!!!!!……….