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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteUsually, no. PayPal’s US Purchase Protection excludes personal payments sent using Friends and Family, so it generally won’t cover an authorized transfer just because an item wasn’t delivered or didn’t match its description. What to do depends on whether you authorized the payment: ask the recipient to refund an authorized transfer, but report a payment made by someone who accessed your account without permission as unauthorized activity.
Which situation applies to your payment?
| What happened | PayPal route described in its US guidance | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You sent Friends and Family for an item or service, but the recipient did not deliver. | Friends and Family personal payments are excluded from Purchase Protection. | Ask the recipient for a refund. Do not assume a buyer-protection claim is available. |
| You sent the payment to the wrong person or for the wrong amount, or changed your mind. | A completed payment generally cannot simply be cancelled. | Contact the recipient and ask them to refund it. |
| Someone accessed your account and sent money without your permission, and the payment did not benefit you. | Report it through the Resolution Center as unauthorized activity. | Report the facts accurately and follow PayPal’s prompts. |
PayPal’s US definition of an “Unauthorized Transaction” is a payment sent from your account that you did not authorize and that did not benefit you. A voluntary payment does not become unauthorized just because the recipient failed to deliver.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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MasterCard Virtual eGift Card | $105.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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MasterCard Virtual eGift Card | $28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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| 4 |
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MasterCard Physical Gift Card – $200 (plus $6.95 Purchase Fee) | $206.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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MasterCard Virtual eGift Card | $105.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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If you authorized the payment, ask the recipient for a refund
For a completed transfer you authorized, PayPal’s US guidance says to contact the recipient for a refund. PayPal’s GB help guidance similarly says to find the payment in Activity and ask the recipient to return it; completed payments cannot simply be cancelled. Whether the recipient agrees to refund you is not guaranteed.
- Sign in to PayPal and open Activity.
- Find and open the completed payment to review its details.
- Use the recipient’s contact details to ask for a refund, keeping your request and any reply.
If you paid for something with Friends and Family and it never arrived or was not as described, those facts alone do not make the payment eligible for US Purchase Protection. PayPal’s US terms reserve that protection for eligible purchases and exclude personal payments, including payments sent using Friends and Family functionality (PayPal US Purchase Protection terms, updated January 26, 2026).
#1 Best Overall
- Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Condition: a.co/9V5i70m
- When you access your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Mastercard Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. - Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call Mastercard customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
If someone else sent the payment, report unauthorized activity
Use this route only if you genuinely did not authorize the payment. PayPal’s US help page gives this procedure:
- Open the Resolution Center.
- Select Report a problem.
- Select the payment in question.
- Choose I want to report unauthorized activity, then follow the prompts.
PayPal says it will investigate and email you within 10 days. Its US User Agreement makes the protections conditional on cooperation and following required procedures. Under the provision described there, reporting within 60 days of the transaction can qualify you for 100% protection if PayPal is satisfied that the transaction was unauthorized. Check the agreement for your account’s country and the circumstances of your case; this US deadline is not a worldwide rule (PayPal US User Agreement).
Rank #2
- Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Condition: a.co/9V5i70m
- When you access your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Mastercard Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. - Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call Mastercard customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Could your card issuer help?
If you funded the transfer with a debit or credit card, ask the issuer whether the transaction can be disputed under your card agreement. This is not a guaranteed workaround for PayPal’s Friends and Family exclusion: availability depends on your issuer, the funding method and the facts.
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Rank #3
- Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Condition: a.co/9V5i70m
- When you access your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Mastercard Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. - Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call Mastercard customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Deadlines that apply to different types of cases
PayPal’s US terms list the following timeframes for eligible Purchase Protection claims. They do not extend protection to an excluded Friends and Family payment.
- Item Not Received: file within 180 days of payment.
- Significantly Not as Described: file by the sooner of 30 days after delivery or fulfillment, or 180 days after payment.
Unauthorized transactions are handled separately from purchase claims. The 60-day condition described in PayPal’s US User Agreement concerns its unauthorized-transaction protection, not the purchase-claim deadlines. A general US seller dispute in PayPal’s dispute process automatically closes after 20 days unless escalated to a claim; that general process does not create a Friends and Family Purchase Protection right (PayPal US dispute guidance).
Rank #4
- Cards are shipped active and ready for use.
- This card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Funds do not expire. If available funds remain on your card after the valid thru date has passed, please call customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout. No fees after purchase.
- Double check if the URL/website is genuine before entering card details online. Do not provide any gift card details (example: claim code) to someone you do not know or trust. There are a variety of scams in which fraudsters try to trick others into paying with gift cards.
- If you believe that your Card has been lost or stolen, notify Mastercard immediately by calling 1-833-791-7288. You will be asked to provide the Gift Card number and other identifying information.
- Use your Mastercard Gift Card in the U.S. everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted, including online. Your Amazon.com Balance cannot be used to purchase Mastercard gift cards.
Why your country matters
The Purchase Protection terms and unauthorized-reporting instructions above are for US accounts; the completed-payment guidance cited here is from PayPal GB. These sources clarify the difference between an authorized payment and account misuse, but they do not establish that every rule or procedure is identical worldwide. Check the User Agreement and help pages for the country where your PayPal account is registered, and ask your card issuer about the specific transaction if you used a card.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Condition: a.co/9V5i70m
- When you access your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Mastercard Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. - Mastercard Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Mastercard Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call Mastercard customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
