Having an issue when making a digital payment is no new thing. After all, it isn't a cash payment.
PayPal has stood out as one of the most reliable money transfer services for years now, but it is far from perfect.
That said, if you receive the message "we're having trouble with this transaction" whenever you try to make a PayPal payment, it means something is preventing the transaction from going through, and it isn't always limited to the elements involved in the transaction (funding source).
In this guide, I'll help you better understand what this issue represents and how to tackle it in your case.
Why PayPal Says We're Having Trouble With This Transaction
As mentioned earlier, this issue can be represented by a lot of reasons, including:
1. Incorrect Banking or Payment Details
This is the first reason to look out for when experiencing trouble with your PayPal transaction. If the information you provided when linking your bank account to PayPal doesn't match what your bank has on file, you won't be able to complete any transaction with this payment source through PayPal.
Also, if there's anything wrong with the payment details you are looking to send funds to, like you entered information that can't be found in PayPal's records (wrong username or email address), the transaction wouldn't go through as well.
2. Ineligible Banking Details for Instant Transfer
PayPal transfers are instant, so if you linked a bank account or debit card that doesn't support instant transfers from payment services, then it is a sure thing that you'll have trouble completing transactions on PayPal.
3. Account Limitations
If there's any limitation placed on your PayPal account, you won't be able to transfer money beyond that limit. The limitation here doesn't just apply to the transfer limit but to the account level limit, where you might not be able to transfer or withdraw money at all.
4. Server Downtime
Last, but not least, a malfunctioning server can cause you trouble with PayPal transactions.
PayPal, just as any other money transfer service, relies on the good functioning of its servers to ensure that customers have the best experience, and downtime for the server in charge of money transfers can negatively impact this experience, leading to transaction issues.
How to Fix "We're Having Trouble With This Transaction" PayPal
Now that we know all that can cause this issue, it should be very easy to tackle it. To help you out, I've narrowed down the troubleshooting steps based on the reasons we saw earlier.
1. Link a Banking Details that Match What's on File
The first thing you want to do is make sure that you actually linked the correct banking details to your PayPal account—that is, what your bank or financial institution has on file.
Also, double-check the payment details in the transaction to make sure that they are correct. If everything seems to be fine at this level and you are still having trouble with your transactions, you may want to take the next troubleshooting step.
2. Make Sure Your Funding Source Supports Instant Transfers
Not all banks or debit cards support instant transfers, most especially accounts and banking cards from some credit unions or small financial institutions.
So you want to make sure that the bank account or debit card you linked to PayPal supports instant transfers.
3. Remove any Limitations Placed on Your Account
If an account limitation is the reason you can't complete transactions on PayPal, you'll need to remove the limitation to continue using the service normally.
Account limitations can only be resolved in the Resolution Center. There's you'll find exactly what limitation is placed on your account and the steps you need to take to resolve it.
On the other hand, if the transfer limit is what's causing you trouble with your PayPal transactions, it means you've reached the maximum amount you can transfer on PayPal in a given period, and all you'll need to do here is wait for this period to pass so your transfer limit will be restored.
4. Check and Report any Issues with PayPal
PayPal features a status page that reports the statuses of all its servers. You can check to see if the server in charge of money transfer is working properly or is down.
If you checked the server in charge of money transfers and everything seems to be okay, then you have to report the issue that's affecting your account to PayPal.
You can contact PayPal and explain what's going on with your account. PayPal has one of the most reliable customer services in the payment sector, so you should hear back from them with solutions to resolve the issue.
Final Thoughts
It is no new thing to have transaction issues when dealing with digital payment services like PayPal, and most of the time, the issue isn't just limited to what's involved in the transaction.
If you're having trouble completing your PayPal transactions, you'll want to check your funding source and whether your account has limitations.
This guide explains the issue better and shows how you can easily tackle it in every case, and you should find a fix that gets you out of the issue.
