Payment methods - blocked from adding or removing PayPal

Payment methods


Currently my husband's PayPal is registered as my only payment method, but I need to remove it due to divorce.

My card is not accepted, and I get blocked when I try to login to a different PayPal account:

"Something went wrong

Please go back to Apple Services and choose another way to pay.

PayPal isn't available at this time."


So I am completely blocked and my subscriptions can't be renewed.


Any help gratefully received 🙏🙏

iPad, iPadOS 18

Posted on Dec 4, 2025 2:33 AM

Reply
11 replies

Dec 4, 2025 10:07 AM in response to jo-ann72

Use a UK based card. While Apple does not clearly state that you can't use one from another country, in general it is easiest use one from the same country to which your account is set. You will also need a UK address and a UK telephone number. The thing about accounts is all these things work best if consistent to a single country. I don't know how PayPal does things but they too may have country restrictions, especially if interfacing with Apple.


Can you add a card directly to your account and not through PayPal? If you have ongoing subscriptions you have to enter a different payment method before you can remove your only payment method (account balance does not count as a payment method for this purpose). See this article for information about updating payment methods on various platforms (iPhone, Mac, etc.): If you need to change or update your Apple Account payment method - Apple Support “If there's an issue [such as you having a s





Dec 4, 2025 9:58 AM in response to jo-ann72

jo-ann72 wrote:

Hi,

I have tried both on my iPad and connected to my apple account on my PC.
My account is UK based but my cards are French, so they are not accepted (makes sense).

Apple no longer has access to the registered PayPal account because the password is no longer correct.
But I can't remove it and put a valid one, and can't seem to have 2 PP accounts so that I can then remove the wrong one...

I've read most of the help pages, though no advice worked, which brought me here.

Have you contacted Apple Support directly? There is a link at the bottom left of every page in the forum.


One thing I just noticed, you said you have subscriptions. You can't remove a payment method if it's tied to subscriptions. You may need to cancel all of the subscriptions. But, contact Apple.

Dec 4, 2025 10:54 AM in response to jo-ann72

I don't use PayPal so I don't know how it interacts with Apple. I don't know if PayPal is telling Apple you are using a UK based address and that is the problem, or if it is something else. The problem may be if you are not living in the UK there may be no way of resolving this without changing your account country to one where you do reside.


If you absolutely must use PayPal then you will have either have to contact PayPal about this, or ask Apple. I provided a PayPal link earlier. Here's one for Apple:


Refer to this page for Apple Support features ➔ Contact - Official Apple Support

Select from the presented options until you find a solution for your issue, or see if there is a chat or phone call contact method offered lower on the page under “Get more help” (you sometimes have to narrow down the options multiple times before this is shown). If you do not see your issue, keep experimenting with any series of selections until you reach one that offers a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


This support article has various country telephone numbers for contacting Apple for support and service ➔ Contact Apple Support - Apple Support For some countries look under “Other” listing at the end of the list. Not every country has telephone support, and phone numbers may only work when calling from the same country.



Dec 4, 2025 7:01 AM in response to azaksalmarzur28

azaksalmarzur28 wrote:

You are not stuck — this happens often when:
A PayPal account is the only•  payment method,
• Apple blocks PayPal login changes for fraud-prevention,
• A card is rejected because of region, billing mismatch, or account lock,
• And Apple won’t let you remove the old PayPal until another valid method is on file.

Which one do you think it is? What are your suggestions for how the OP should fix this?

Dec 4, 2025 9:49 AM in response to jo-ann72

I am not clear as to how you are trying to add a payment method.


If your issue is with the PayPal end of things (as the quoted message implies) you will need to get assistance from PayPal --> https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/home


Make sure this is one of the payment methods that you can use with your account, as listed in this support article: Payment methods that you can use with your Apple Account - Apple Support .


If you can't add a payment method, check Add a payment method to your Apple Account - Apple Support , or this one —> If your payment method is declined in the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support



Dec 4, 2025 9:53 AM in response to Limnos

Hi,


I have tried both on my iPad and connected to my apple account on my PC.

My account is UK based but my cards are French, so they are not accepted (makes sense).


Apple no longer has access to the registered PayPal account because the password is no longer correct.

But I can't remove it and put a valid one, and can't seem to have 2 PP accounts so that I can then remove the wrong one...


I've read most of the help pages, though no advice worked, which brought me here.



Payment methods - blocked from adding or removing PayPal

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