Consumer complaint received 2026-05-06 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: MN

Complaint narrative:
I contacted PayPal customer service via live chat to close my personal account because I have permanently relocated from the United States to XXXX XXXX. I no longer reside in the US and no longer have a US phone number. PayPal 's automated assistant told me there was " 1 issue preventing us from closing your account '' and routed me to a live agent ( " XXXX XXXX. " ). Over the course of the chat, I encountered the following pattern of conduct, which I document with exact quotes from the transcript : Refusal to identify the restriction. I asked at least five times what specific restriction was blocking closure of my account. The agent never identified it. Her only references were " some restrictions '' and " the limitation on your account. '' When I asked directly, " How can I solve the restriction if I don't know it? ", she did not answer. " Consider it closed '' non-resolution. The agent told me, verbatim : " Well since there are some restrictions in your account XXXX you can consider that as already close. '' The account in fact remained open. Telling a customer to consider an account closed while keeping it open is not closure, and it leaves me exposed to any future activity, fees, or claims associated with an account I have explicitly and repeatedly asked to terminate. Self-contradiction. The agent stated, " I'll be sending you the steps on how to resolve the limitation on your account, '' implying she knew the nature of the restriction. When I pointed out that she could not send resolution steps without knowing what the restriction was, she did not respond to the contradiction. False statement that closure is unavailable. The agent told me, " I'm really sorry XXXX we don't have an option to close your account. '' PayPal 's User Agreement clearly permits account closure by the customer. The agent then redirected me back to the same self-service Contact Us flow that had already routed me to her. Refusal to escalate. I formally requested, in writing in the chat, escalation to a supervisor. The request was ignored. No case or reference number provided. I requested a case/reference number for the interaction multiple times. None was provided. Inappropriate phone limitation. The agent stated she could only call the US number on file, despite my explanation that I no longer have a US number and despite my offer to provide an international callback number. No alternative contact method was offered. The cumulative effect is that PayPal is keeping my account open against my explicit, documented, repeated request to close it, while simultaneously ( a ) refusing to disclose what is preventing closure, ( b ) refusing to escalate, and ( c ) telling me falsely that account closure is not an option PayPal offers. I have a complete chat transcript and will provide it as an attachment to this complaint. Desired resolution : Immediate closure of my PayPal account ; or, if a legitimate restriction genuinely exists, a clear written statement identifying that specific restriction and the specific steps required to resolve it. Written confirmation of closure once executed, including the disposition of any balance, pending transactions, holds, or linked payment instruments. An internal review of this customer service interaction, particularly the agent 's statements that closure is unavailable and that I should " consider '' the account closed while it remained open.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief