[Solved] Cannot link Paypal to GCash

After a bazillion years of trying to get GCash to respond properly to my concern, I finally got the answer I'm looking for. I don't want to go into the details of how frustrating it is to deal with GCash support kasi ayoko ma-highblood so let's just get into the details of why I wasn't able to link my Paypal account smoothly.

Root causes:
1. My Paypal acount type is business
2. My first name in Paypal is wrong (it included my middle name)

So yeah, before you attempt to link your Paypal account to GCash, make sure to take note of the following prerequisites:

• Your first and last name on Paypal must be identical with your first and last name on GCash
• Your Paypal account must be setup in the Philippines
• Your Paypal account type must be personal (not business acocunt)
• Your GCash account must be KYC-ed (fully verfied)

When I first tried to link my Paypal account, I kept on getting this error:

"We are unable to link your account. Please make sure your credentials are the same in both your PayPal account and GCash wallet"

The error message was followed by two emails. The first was a preapproved payments plan registration notification, and shortly after -- its cancellation.

The message prompted me to check my details both on Paypal and GCash. My email, full name, and even home address are exactly the same down to the very last character. So what gives?

I kept asking GCash support about it. I've gone throught Facebook, Website, and InApp support.

They're all trash.

I told them that I've checked my details and they all match. And if they could just provide me which details don't match, then I'll work on it. But hey, they just can't do any more digging. I was convinced that my details were perfect, but I still don't get what's wrong. They kept on resending the steps and guidelines and it was getting frustrating having to deal with their very incompetent support group. Eventually I took my problem with Paypal, but the answer I got was as dismal. The verification part is made on GCash's end so they're the one's who can answer my question.

Then I found this thread on Reddit discussing the issue. OP found out that his first name in Paypal included his middle name so he requested to have it changed. I figured it must be the same case with me. I just need to validate if my first name really included my middle name.

But heck, there's nothing on my Paypal dashboard that says this is my first name. I have no welcome banner when I log in, and my profile simply states my full name, as in <first> <middle> <last>. I was wondering where I could see a clue of what my actual first name is.

Until one day, GCash responded to one of my many emails with yet another set of steps and guidelines. But this one's longer and more detailed. It included the prerequisite that your Paypal account must be PERSONAL type and not BUSINESS.

I felt pretty hopeful! So okay, I requested to downgrade my account. From business to personal. No biggie, my Merch by Amazon account got terminated anyway so there's no reason for me to run a business account.

When my request got approved, I logged into Paypal and noticed this change:

I don't know why I had to blur that lol

I have a welcome banner now!

Okay so apparently Paypal doesn't greet its business account holders looool.

And also, I got to validate that my first name is indeed wrong! I mean, welcome templates don't usually include your middle name right? It's usually just Welcome <firstname> or Hi <firstname>! 

Great. So that's it. I had my name changed at Paypal, which was quite an ordeal too. I had to request thrice, each with a note that says not to include my middle name with my first name. All of them were executed wrongly. They'd say congrats we've changed your name but nothing has really changed! I'm still being greeted with my middle naaaame aaarggh. That's the time I contacted support through email, not by contact-us form, and thankfully they responded correctly.

Finally I was able to successfully link my Paypal account to GCash, and cash-in my money instantly.

The name change also did not affect my Paypal to Bank transactions, so I'm glad. No more waiting 3 days to withdraw my earnings!

Frustrating! Why you can't link your BDO Debit Mastercard in GCash

Last update: October 2, 2019 (Successfully linked BDO Mastercard to GCash!)

Long story short, BDO blocks GCash transactions because it considers it a high risk app.

According to a BDO customer support agent, Mastercard has added more security layers in its platform restricting several apps, like GCash, from transacting with your bank account in order to minimize fraudulent activities. 

In order to link your BDO account to GCash, you have to call BDO Hotline and request to whitelist your account. In this process, you have to confirm that you have no other means to shop online, or have no other card you can link to GCash. Otherwise, they won't process your request.

BDO clearly doesn't want you to link your account to GCash because of its many potential security threats. But I think they're not allowed to explicitly discourage you because that's denial of service? Hehe

So if you're considering using your BDO card for GCash transactions, look for other options. Or just quit using GCash altogether, their customer service sucks so much it opened a new level of disappointments for me. 

Story time!

The only reason I wanted to link my BDO to GCash is to allow me to transfer my BDO funds to my BPI account without having to go out to withdraw and deposit. It was an exciting thought, to be able to cash in my money from BDO and move it seamlessly to BPI. Real time and without charges. Wow. That's just so ideal for me as I've been doing this whole withdraw then deposit process manually for the past 2 years. 

But when I tried to link my BDO Debit Mastercard in GCash, I always receive this unfortunate message:

"Sorry, your card enrollment cannot be processed. Visit http://bit.ly/DebitCardErrorInfo to know more about failed enrollments."

So what should you do?

1. Forget about asking GCash Care or reaching out to any of their hotlines. 

They were NEVER helpful in my months long attempt of trying to ask WHAT'S WRONG. Even if you've provided ALL the details they need to look into your account, they will always, and without fail, ask for it again. They never review your request. They're just delaying your request until you eventually give up and forget about it. 

I call it rude, lazy, and a fckn customer service disgrace. But then I thought they were probably doing it on purpose to discourage people from actually using BDO because the bank has put so many restrictions on GCash. 

At this point they could have told you to call BDO instead to whitelist your account right? BUT NO. They don't know that detail. Or they're purposefully withdrawing that basic information.

Which leads me to only step that matters,

2. Call BDO Hotline at 02-631-8000 (landline)

Tell them you can't link your BDO account to GCash. They will inform you of the Mastercard security features they've put in place blah blah blah and ask you if there's really no other card you can use. Then they'll get your account number, card number and a few other info for verification.

They'll lodge your request to whitelist your account number and have you wait for 4 hours or a confirmation message coming from BDO. After that, you can try linking your account again...

I got this message from BDO nine hours after the call and immediately tried to relink my card.

Did it work?

NO! It didn't! Much to my dismay, which I'm growing more fond of, my card still won't link, and I'm still getting the same unfortunate message.

So what now?

Nothing. I don't want to deal with it anymore... at least for now. 

If you're experiencing the same problem, I hope calling BDO to whitelist your account works for you. It didn't for me, but I sincerely hope it works for you at least. Please let me know if it does, I want to learn of success stories! Maybe I'll try to look into it another time... when I'm not feeling so hopeless.

Haaaaaay! 

UPDATE (August 2019):

I tried to link my BDO debit Mastercard to GCash again, AND FAILED. I called BDO to confirm why it's still not working even if I've already had my account whitelisted, and the customer rep told me I need to coordinate this with GCash because everything is fine on their end, at least concerning my account.

I emailed GCash support once again, sent all the details they needed, and finally they answered with something more conclusive:

So it's BDO's fault?

So that ends it. No luck getting BDO to work on GCash. Hay.

IMPORTANT UPDATE (October 2, 2019)

Finally! Linked my BDO Debit Mastercad to GCash! Was also able to successfully cash-in from my linked BDO savings account as well, for no extra charge -- the very reason I stick to GCash for my interbank transactions. FI-NA-LLYYYYY!!! 

Thoughts? I think it's ultimately a Mastercard issue. I feel sorry for blaming BDO and GCash for all of this. But hello, they should also know not to keep their customers in the dark about what's happening with their credit companies. With this level of issue, we need technical answers.

It's also worth noting that we had OTP problems recently with our other Mastercards from Security Bank and BPI, which we escalated to customer service. Interestingly, they got resolved at the same time. Then I got the idea of randomly trying to link my BDO (even if I was 100% sure it would lead to more unnecessary frustrations) since it's a Mastercard, and holey moley, for the first time in this gruelling journey, IT FKN LINKED.

So, my advice? It's not you. It's them. So just wait it out.

ALTERNATIVELY - Use PayMaya

Alternatively, if you still can't find yourself to link BDO to GCash, TRY PAYMAYA instead. I've been able to cash-in money from my BDO account to Paymaya, then from Paymaya to my other bank accounts. FOR FREE. 

How?

1. Download PayMaya on your mobile device
2. Register using my invite code so we both get ₱50 credits!
   
   COPY PASTE THIS INVITE CODE: 
   3K6FPH4
3. Click on Add Money >> Using Debit or Credit Card >> Using New Card
4. Enter your BDO Mastercard card details, along with the amount you wish to transfer
5. Cash-in amount will be credited to your PayMaya wallet in real-time
6. Now, if you want to transfer your PayMaya funds to another bank account:
   Click on Bank Transfer
7. Enter bank details >> Continue
8. Funds will be sent real-time using InstaPay