Based on recent customer reviews, Paypal is drawing sustained criticism from South African users, who describe funds held or missing for weeks, restricted and permanently banned accounts, and refunds that never arrive. Many report unauthorised deductions and subscriptions they cannot cancel, alongside hacked profiles with changed email addresses. Reaching a human agent is a common frustration, with unmonitored email addresses, automated chat loops and cases closed without resolution. Withdrawal reliance on a single local bank and week-long transfer waits add further frustration, though the brand's global reach remains valued.
TrustIndex
1.8
NPS Score
-100
Recommended: Unlikely
Nov '25 - Oct '26
Frequently Asked Questions About Paypal
What do customers say about Paypal?
Based on recent customer reviews, Paypal is drawing sustained criticism from South African users, who describe funds held or missing for weeks, restricted and permanently banned accounts, and refunds that never arrive. Many report unauthorised deductions and subscriptions they cannot cancel, alongside hacked profiles with changed email addresses. Reaching a human agent is a common frustration, with unmonitored email addresses, automated chat loops and cases closed without resolution. Withdrawal reliance on a single local bank and week-long transfer waits add further frustration, though the brand's global reach remains valued.
Is Paypal trustworthy?
Paypal has a TrustIndex of 1.8 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 22 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked Paypal across 560 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Recent reviews (22)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Oct 2026
PayPal disrupted my business and left me chasing a decision already made
I am angry, deeply disappointed and hurt by how PayPal has handled my new South African business, KuhnChi. I submitted the verification documents requested, including my *** and bank statement. My account was permanently restricted, and I still have not been given a specific explanation I can understand, answer or put right. I believe I acted properly and in good faith. PayPal was my only available payment gateway at the time. Losing it meant I had to put my website under construction because I could no longer accept payments. That disrupted my launch and my opportunity to earn an income. I cannot put a figure on sales that might have happened, but the interruption to my business was real. For a startup, this is not a minor inconvenience. The communication has been unacceptable. On 9 October 2026 I was told a second review had been escalated and that further communication was expected by 20 October. When I chased on 18 October, PayPal told me that the permanent restriction had already been upheld on 10 October. I learned that eight days after the decision, while I had been expecting feedback by the 20th. I had not seen an email informing me of that decision. Why did I have to chase for information that should have been communicated clearly? Support told me it could not see the reason for the decision and described it as final. How am I supposed to understand or correct a problem nobody will identify? I have used PayPal for years, including a separate account held since 2018. I expected a clear explanation and basic accountability. Even lodging a formal complaint became an ordeal. The complaints links provided redirected me to a South African help page without the promised submission button. I explained this repeatedly, but was given instructions that did not resolve the problem. Eventually, on 18 October, an agent accepted my complaint in two parts and confirmed it was linked to my existing case. I was told to expect a response within another 10 days, but was refused a separate complaint reference because it was described as internal. That period has not yet expired as of 21 October. My criticism is the restriction, the delayed communication and the handling of the complaint, not a claim that this new deadline has already passed. I felt dismissed and left to carry the consequences alone. Repeated apologies do not explain what happened or get my business trading again. This experience has seriously damaged my trust in PayPal, and I cannot recommend relying on it as a startup's only payment gateway. I want a supervisor or complaints manager to take ownership, provide a written explanation of the restriction and notification history, explain any remaining independent review route, and reconsider restoring access. My existing case reference is available privately. I want an accountable response addressing what happened, not another generic acknowledgement. Today, 21 October, I tried again to get an update before posting this review. PayPal Assistant repeatedly returned an error and did not connect me to a human. I still have no substantive response to my complaint.
1 reviews | Active since Oct 2026
PayPal disrupted my business and left me chasing a decision already made
I am angry, deeply disappointed and hurt by how PayPal has handled my new South African business, KuhnChi. I submitted the verification documents requested, including my *** and bank statement. My account was permanently restricted, and I still have not been given a specific explanation I can understand, answer or put right. I believe I acted properly and in good faith. PayPal was my only available payment gateway at the time. Losing it meant I had to put my website under construction because I could no longer accept payments. That disrupted my launch and my opportunity to earn an income. I cannot put a figure on sales that might have happened, but the interruption to my business was real. For a startup, this is not a minor inconvenience. The communication has been unacceptable. On 9 October 2026 I was told a second review had been escalated and that further communication was expected by 20 October. When I chased on 18 October, PayPal told me that the permanent restriction had already been upheld on 10 October. I learned that eight days after the decision, while I had been expecting feedback by the 20th. I had not seen an email informing me of that decision. Why did I have to chase for information that should have been communicated clearly? Support told me it could not see the reason for the decision and described it as final. How am I supposed to understand or correct a problem nobody will identify? I have used PayPal for years, including a separate account held since 2018. I expected a clear explanation and basic accountability. Even lodging a formal complaint became an ordeal. The complaints links provided redirected me to a South African help page without the promised submission button. I explained this repeatedly, but was given instructions that did not resolve the problem. Eventually, on 18 October, an agent accepted my complaint in two parts and confirmed it was linked to my existing case. I was told to expect a response within another 10 days, but was refused a separate complaint reference because it was described as internal. That period has not yet expired as of 21 October. My criticism is the restriction, the delayed communication and the handling of the complaint, not a claim that this new deadline has already passed. I felt dismissed and left to carry the consequences alone. Repeated apologies do not explain what happened or get my business trading again. This experience has seriously damaged my trust in PayPal, and I cannot recommend relying on it as a startup's only payment gateway. I want a supervisor or complaints manager to take ownership, provide a written explanation of the restriction and notification history, explain any remaining independent review route, and reconsider restoring access. My existing case reference is available privately. I want an accountable response addressing what happened, not another generic acknowledgement. Today, 21 October, I tried again to get an update before posting this review. PayPal Assistant repeatedly returned an error and did not connect me to a human. I still have no substantive response to my complaint.
1 reviews | Active since May 2019
payment not being received
My dad sold speakers and the guy paid via paypal. we then had to open a paypal account for him. It has now been 3 months since this happened and still no money. we were told we have to pay R1000 refundable deposit that was done a month ago and yet, still no money in my account
1 reviews | Active since May 2019
payment not being received
My dad sold speakers and the guy paid via paypal. we then had to open a paypal account for him. It has now been 3 months since this happened and still no money. we were told we have to pay R1000 refundable deposit that was done a month ago and yet, still no money in my account
1 reviews | Active since Dec 2011
Paypal deducting ********ly even though I am trying to cancel subscription
I have a subscription PAYPAL MONAPPCLAB that I have been trying to cancel on PayPal for many months. This subscription transaction gets deducted from my Bank account every month. There is no available option on my PayPal profile to cancel this subscription, although PayPal itself says on its website, that i can cancel my subscription by unsubscribing on my profile. Not only can i not get hold of them, there is no transaction history of these subscription/deductions. I want to cancel my subscription, and I want a refund for the transaction that went off my bank account on the 1st of September. I should request refunds for all the other months as well as I have been struggling to get hold or help from them. This is extremely poor customer service.
1 reviews | Active since Dec 2011
Paypal deducting ********ly even though I am trying to cancel subscription
I have a subscription PAYPAL MONAPPCLAB that I have been trying to cancel on PayPal for many months. This subscription transaction gets deducted from my Bank account every month. There is no available option on my PayPal profile to cancel this subscription, although PayPal itself says on its website, that i can cancel my subscription by unsubscribing on my profile. Not only can i not get hold of them, there is no transaction history of these subscription/deductions. I want to cancel my subscription, and I want a refund for the transaction that went off my bank account on the 1st of September. I should request refunds for all the other months as well as I have been struggling to get hold or help from them. This is extremely poor customer service.
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2018
PayPal ****
you are suck a **** and i want my money back,. the dispute i had in April that was paid now you charging me for it saying i lost it now its August, i never got any information that i lost it ,now you take my money without my authority stating i lost the dispute in April must be insane and still tell me i owe you for what a dispute you claim i lost in april and your agenecies cant even explain why,i want my money back and i am not owing you anything i want my balance back on my account,
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2018
PayPal ****
you are suck a **** and i want my money back,. the dispute i had in April that was paid now you charging me for it saying i lost it now its August, i never got any information that i lost it ,now you take my money without my authority stating i lost the dispute in April must be insane and still tell me i owe you for what a dispute you claim i lost in april and your agenecies cant even explain why,i want my money back and i am not owing you anything i want my balance back on my account,
1 reviews | Active since May 2025
Difficult PayPal
Using PayPal in South Africa is a real nightmare. The problem starts with only one bank (FNB) registered to handle registration to PayPal. I bank with Capitec, and I received funds in US$ through PayPal. To get these funds into my Capitec Bank account is now ongoing for a week...FNB's app (website) is in a mess and trying to register at a FNB branch is not user friendly. I mean, why???
1 reviews | Active since May 2025
Difficult PayPal
Using PayPal in South Africa is a real nightmare. The problem starts with only one bank (FNB) registered to handle registration to PayPal. I bank with Capitec, and I received funds in US$ through PayPal. To get these funds into my Capitec Bank account is now ongoing for a week...FNB's app (website) is in a mess and trying to register at a FNB branch is not user friendly. I mean, why???
1 reviews | Active since Feb 2025
FNB/PAYPAL ACCOUNT
I have been trying to register and create an online profile to use with my Paypal account, I have never experiance such headache in my life! I keep getting This error "E-64726, sol bankit relationship already present. I realy wish I could even uderstand what this means, I have tried going to the branch, they tell me that Paypal issues are not dealt with in the branches. So where am I supposed to go for clarity now?
1 reviews | Active since Feb 2025
FNB/PAYPAL ACCOUNT
I have been trying to register and create an online profile to use with my Paypal account, I have never experiance such headache in my life! I keep getting This error "E-64726, sol bankit relationship already present. I realy wish I could even uderstand what this means, I have tried going to the branch, they tell me that Paypal issues are not dealt with in the branches. So where am I supposed to go for clarity now?
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
South African users deserve modern, instant withdrawal options
As a decade-long PayPal user in South Africa, I have watched global fintech evolve rapidly. Unfortunately, local withdrawal options feel stuck in the past. With the massive boom in online and freelance work, our user base has grown, yet we are still forced to rely on a single banking channel. Waiting up to seven days to access funds—especially as a non-customer of that specific bank—is unacceptable in today’s digital economy. I now actively choose alternative payment methods for instant access to my money whenever clients offer them. PayPal remains a global giant, but it urgently needs to introduce faster, more flexible, and more competitive withdrawal options for South Africans. We deserve the same efficiency provided to the rest of the world.
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
South African users deserve modern, instant withdrawal options
As a decade-long PayPal user in South Africa, I have watched global fintech evolve rapidly. Unfortunately, local withdrawal options feel stuck in the past. With the massive boom in online and freelance work, our user base has grown, yet we are still forced to rely on a single banking channel. Waiting up to seven days to access funds—especially as a non-customer of that specific bank—is unacceptable in today’s digital economy. I now actively choose alternative payment methods for instant access to my money whenever clients offer them. PayPal remains a global giant, but it urgently needs to introduce faster, more flexible, and more competitive withdrawal options for South Africans. We deserve the same efficiency provided to the rest of the world.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Worse service from Paypal. Remove restriction from my account.
Paypal is the worst A friend gifted me 100 USD via PayPal on Friday, 9 May 2026. On 15 May 2026, I visited an FNB branch and spent over two hours attempting to link my bank card to PayPal to transfer the funds to my FNB account. While the consultant managed to eventually link my card, I was unable to transfer funds from the PayPal account to my bank account. I then contacted PayPal telephonically. I spoke to a gentleman who informed me that I needed to provide proof of purchase. I clearly explained to the call centre agent that this transaction was not a purchase, but rather a personal gift from a friend. The consultant advised that he would escalate the matter to remove the restriction on the account and that I should expect feedback within 3–8 days. I was also informed that, because the calls are recorded, he could not provide me with a reference number for follow-up purposes. However, on Saturday, 16 May 2026, I received an email requesting that I log into my PayPal account and provide additional documentation, including: Proof of fulfilment Proof of purchase More information regarding the transaction I would like to reiterate the same information I provided to your call centre agent on 15 May 2025 at approximately 3:00 PM South African time: this payment was a gift, not a commercial transaction or purchase. Therefore, I do not have any proof of purchase or fulfilment documents to provide. Their email addresses, ***, ***, were returned, stating that the emails are unattended.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Worse service from Paypal. Remove restriction from my account.
Paypal is the worst A friend gifted me 100 USD via PayPal on Friday, 9 May 2026. On 15 May 2026, I visited an FNB branch and spent over two hours attempting to link my bank card to PayPal to transfer the funds to my FNB account. While the consultant managed to eventually link my card, I was unable to transfer funds from the PayPal account to my bank account. I then contacted PayPal telephonically. I spoke to a gentleman who informed me that I needed to provide proof of purchase. I clearly explained to the call centre agent that this transaction was not a purchase, but rather a personal gift from a friend. The consultant advised that he would escalate the matter to remove the restriction on the account and that I should expect feedback within 3–8 days. I was also informed that, because the calls are recorded, he could not provide me with a reference number for follow-up purposes. However, on Saturday, 16 May 2026, I received an email requesting that I log into my PayPal account and provide additional documentation, including: Proof of fulfilment Proof of purchase More information regarding the transaction I would like to reiterate the same information I provided to your call centre agent on 15 May 2025 at approximately 3:00 PM South African time: this payment was a gift, not a commercial transaction or purchase. Therefore, I do not have any proof of purchase or fulfilment documents to provide. Their email addresses, ***, ***, were returned, stating that the emails are unattended.