PayPal · Decline codes
What does the PayPal PAYER_CANNOT_PAY error mean?
Checked
PayPal's PAYER_CANNOT_PAY error means the combination of the buyer's and the seller's PayPal settings stops this buyer from paying this seller; PayPal adds "Please contact the payer to find other ways to pay." Retrying the same PayPal account won't help; the buyer needs another payment method.
- PayPal description
- Combination of payer and payee settings mean that this buyer cannot pay this seller.
- Type
- Hard decline
- Who declined
- PayPal
- Retry
- No, not with the same account or settings
- Shopper action
- Pay with another method
- Merchant action
- Contact the buyer about another way to pay
- PlatformDTC renewal
- No retry; one-click update-card link and reminders
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC classifies PAYER_CANNOT_PAY as a decline no retry can clear, because the same agreement will keep hitting the same settings. On either retry schedule (the default Fixed schedule or Smart retry), the renewal is not retried; the subscription is held past due (not cancelled) and the customer gets a one-click link to switch payment method, re-sent up to 4 times per cycle.
Why it happens
PayPal checks both sides of every payment. When the buyer's account settings and the seller's account settings can't work together, for example on country or currency, it refuses with this error.
What the shopper can do
Pay with a card or another method the store offers.
What the store can do
Offer card payment as an alternative.
If many buyers from one country get this error, check your PayPal account's receiving settings for that country or currency.
For developers
Read details[0].issue from the error body. PayPal returns two descriptions for this issue; both say the payer cannot pay this transaction.
Frequently asked questions
- Can PAYER_CANNOT_PAY succeed on retry?
- Not with the same buyer and seller settings. A different payment method is needed.
- Is it the buyer's or the seller's problem?
- PayPal says it's the combination of both sides' settings, so either may need to change.
Sources
- Orders v2 API errors — PayPal
Related
- PAYEE_ACCOUNT_RESTRICTED — Payee account restricted: the merchant's PayPal account is restricted.
- INSTRUMENT_DECLINED — Instrument declined: the card or bank in the buyer's PayPal was refused.
- COMPLIANCE_VIOLATION — Compliance violation: PayPal declined the payment on compliance grounds.
- TRANSACTION_REFUSED — Transaction refused: PayPal refused the request without a specific reason.
- PAYER_ACCOUNT_LOCKED_OR_CLOSED — Payer account locked or closed: the buyer's PayPal account can't be used.
- MAX_NUMBER_OF_PAYMENT_ATTEMPTS_EXCEEDED — Max payment attempts exceeded: too many attempts on this order.
- CARD_EXPIRED — Card expired: the card used through PayPal has expired.