PayPal · PayPal Buyer and Seller Protection

QR Code and In-Person Payment Exclusions

Medium severity
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Consumer impact (what this means for users)

PayPal's Purchase Protection Program provides refund rights for buyers when items are not received or are materially misrepresented, but coverage is subject to PayPal's sole discretion and a strict multi-step process with hard deadlines. Consumers bear return shipping costs for SNAD claims and face account debits if a temporary refund is later reversed — a significant financial risk that is not prominently disclosed. You can protect yourself by opening a dispute in PayPal's Resolution Center within 180 days of payment and escalating to a claim within 20 days of opening the dispute.

How other platforms handle this

Coinbase Medium

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Coinbase Medium

Coinbase reserves the right to change its fee structure and fees at any time. Such changes will be posted on our website and will become immediately effective. Your continued use of the Coinbase Services after the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.

Xbox Medium

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Consumers using PayPal's newer PayPal World QR payment feature at physical retailers receive no Purchase Protection whatsoever — including for misrepresented items — which represents a significant gap compared to standard PayPal goods and services transactions.

View original clause language
However, PayPal's Purchase Protection program does not apply to payments made in person using PayPal World via QR code. For non-QR code payments, your purchase is not eligible for Item Not Received claims if you use PayPal or PayPal World to pay in person, or if you order online, but collect the item in person, or arrange for it to be collected on your behalf. Your purchase may be eligible for protection if the item you pick up is Significantly Not as Described.

Applicable regulations

DMA
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
PayPal Buyer and Seller Protection
Entity
PayPal
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 18, 2026
Last verified
April 28, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002585
Document ID
CA-D-00046
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
642f6bbfbdafdf50324bbd69bdac0d86d422741d505d1df7d8464d15f7305263
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: PayPal | Document: PayPal Buyer and Seller Protection | Record: CA-P-002585
Captured: 2026-04-18 08:52:12 UTC | SHA-256: 642f6bbfbdafdf50…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/paypal/paypal-buyer-and-seller-protection/qr-code-and-in-person-payment-exclusions/
Accessed: April 28, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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