Because banks prioritize privacy, they do not provide PayPal with the specific reason for a decline. You must contact your bank directly to resolve this. Common Causes for the Error Security Blocks

| Scenario | The Problem | The Resolution | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | A user from Country A tries to buy a product from a merchant in Country B using their local bank card. The transaction is declined with the "Check your account..." message. | The user's bank has blocked cross-border payments by default for security. The user calls their bank, verifies their identity, and requests that international transactions be temporarily enabled. The payment then goes through successfully. | | The New Card User | A user receives a new debit card and tries to link it to their PayPal account. PayPal sends the $1 authorization charge, but it's declined, triggering the error. | The user had forgotten to activate the new card with their bank. After activating the card via their bank's app, they try linking it again, and this time the authorization charge is approved, and the card is added successfully. | | The Large Purchase | A user tries to buy a laptop for $2,500 using their PayPal-linked credit card. The transaction is declined with the error message. | The user's credit card has a daily spending limit of $2,000. The user calls their bank, who confirms the limit was the issue. The bank temporarily raises the limit, and the user completes the purchase. |

Sometimes, PayPal's security system retains a "memory" of the initial failed attempt, causing subsequent tries to fail automatically. Clear your web browser's cache and cookies. Open an Incognito or Private browsing window.

PayPal acts as a middleman between the merchant and your bank. When this error pops up, your bank has refused to authorize the payment funds. The most common reasons for this block include:

While you are waiting for your card issuer to resolve the issue, you can try one of these workarounds:

Check that your physical billing address is identical on both platforms.

When you link a new card to your PayPal account, they send a (or currency equivalent) authorization charge to your card issuer to make sure the card is active and valid. If your card issuer declines this tiny charge, you will see the "Check your account at your card issuer" error, and you won't be able to link the card. You must contact your bank to allow this small authorization from PayPal.

If you plan to make a large purchase or buy from an international vendor, notify your bank beforehand through their app or website.

When you speak to your bank, the problem will likely fall into one of these categories. Be ready to address them:

You entered the 3-digit code on the back incorrectly.