PayPal/RBS cancel all PayPal Top Up Cards

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If you have a PayPal Top Up Card it has now been cancelled and your card has been blocked as of the 14th April.

PayPal have parted company with RBS the company behind the program and they stopped accepting applications for new cards in August 2010. I’m informed that there will be a new PayPal Top Up Card available at some time between June and August. Based on the three month estimated launch date I’m guessing the program is no where near ready, but I understand that this time the PayPal Top Up card will be a Mastercard.

I’m told that any balance on your current PayPal Top Up card will be refunded into your PayPal account by the 30th April. However you will have originally paid £4.95 for your card and if it was issued between the 14th April 2010 and August 2010 (when cards stopped being issued) then you’ve not received the service you paid for. I suggest that you do as I have done and telephone PayPal and request a full refund of your £4.95.

Quite frankly, although PayPal sent an email notifying users that their cards would be cancelled the whole process has been badly handled. There is no information on the PayPal Top Up Card website to let users know the program has ended, no information on when you’re balance refund will be processed and no information on the website about the £4.95 you paid for the service. There is also no information about the replacement PayPal Top Up Mastercard that supposedly will become available and certainly no date for when you’ll receive or even be able to apply for one.

At the very least PayPal should either have had a replacement program in place and issued new Top Up cards to their users, or ensured that the current program ran until August this year so that their current customers could use their cards at least until their expiration date.

PayPal Top Up Cards were quite handy to have and I routinely used mine for overseas payments and for website payments. As I kept a low balance on the card I figured that if it was ever cloned any potential financial damage was limited to the available balance. It was also a fast way to access your PayPal balance as funds were available the next working day to spend on the card, unlike bank withdrawals which take a few days.

We’ll let you know as soon as we hear details of any replacement Top Up cards becoming available, although as PayPal stopped issuing RBS backed cards in August 2010 they’ve had long enough to plan a replacement so I’m guessing no announcement to date means it’s not going to be any time soon.

17 Responses

  1. When it comes the new one should be better in that you do not need to top up, received an email last month frm Paypal

    Your PayPal Top Up Card ends on 31 March 2011 and we’re pleased to offer you the new PayPal Access PrePaid MasterCard® in its place. We’ll take care of everything for you, all you need to do is:

    Spend your Top Up Card balance by 31 March, or we’ll refund it to your PayPal account – you can check your current balance by logging in now with your PayPal Top Up Card details

    We will send your new card to the same address as your original Top Up Card. If your address has changed, you can update it now by logging in to the PrePay Technologies site using your PayPal login details

    Wait for your new PayPal Access Card in the post – there’s no need to apply. We will be in touch mid April to give you more information about the new PayPal Access Card

    The new PayPal Access Card can give you instant access to your PayPal account, with no need to top up. You can use it to withdraw cash, shop online or on the high street, anywhere MasterCard cards are accepted. If you don’t wish to receive a PayPal Access Card, just log in now to let us know

  2. The new cards are going to be supplied by prepay solutions

    As you said Chris its a bit of a shambles with nothing in place before your old one ran out.

    I have money basically locked in my paypal top up card and although warned i think a month is a bit long to wait.

    Phoned paypal and they say its an RBS problem, Phoned RBS and well do i really need to tell you who they think i should call.

  3. Hmm – I have not received any emails from them, should I be worried? My card expires in November 2011. Will I automatically get a new one, or do I need to contact them?

  4. Got my “Top Up Card goodwill gesture” £4.95 refund credited to my PayPal account today 😀

    Now… when can I apply for a replacement card?

  5. Having no credit cards the only way I could conduct online purchases or pay my way other than using cash was through my Paypal top-up-card. This was the only pre-paid debit card I had so when the card was blocked it also blocked me using my Paypal account (linked card) other than for ebay purchases or fees. So Paypal not only have the money loaded on my top-up-card account they also have total control over my Paypal balance. Communication from Paypal since 31st March = ZERO. Who on Earth would anyone even want their replacement debit card when Paypal treat their customers with such contempt and illegally sequester clients funds. I have used Paypal for many years particularly on ebay but will go out of my way to avoid making transactions through them in the future. Disgruntled and out of pocket!

  6. Just read this morning that RBS bosses are still getting millions in bonuses this year. Wonder if they are using OUR PAYPAL TOP UP CARD money for that? RBS were the issuers of the TOP UP CARDS. So is it them who have our money?
    They obviously weren’t making enough money from the people using their top up cards and decided that they would stop the service and cards. I topped up my card on the day before the cards were blocked, and l had not received any emails stating that the card would no longer be active from the 31st March 2011. PAYPAL or RBS must have MILLIONS of peoples money. Some of those people are now in desperate need of paying their bills etc and are really hurting financially. Do any of these organisations give a —-? I think not.
    We should go the the newspapers and expose this scandal. I bet RBS is making a killing collecting interest on OUR MONEY. Are they going to pay us compensation or some interest at least for the total inconvenience, frustration and stress that this situation has caused the many of thousands of people who relied on the PAYPAL TOP UP CARDS? Time is ticking away and their is no sign of my money being returned to my bank account or my paypal account. Very unhappy with the way we have all been treated.

  7. I have also now received my balance returned to my paypal account from RBS. It was fee free and although not much at least they have returned it. I too have had no communication from Paypal to apply for a new card, or even if they are going ahead with their proposed scheme with the Mastercards. It is a shame as this particular card came in very handy when overseas and for standard website payments as well as sticking petrol in the car on the odd occaision.

  8. I found a PayPal community website last nite, where a moderator from PayPal itself had said that the replacement cards will be issued to a select group in May, who will have already received an email to that effect. The rest of us have to wait and see if we ever get offered the chance to apply….no date is specified for that.

  9. Am i right in thinking that the new cards can no longer be topped up at a PayPoint? As that is is the only way I’ve got to put money on it. (Thats if i get a new one)

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