PayPal and Venmo Outage
PAYPAL and Venmo users have reported widespread issues with both payment platforms. Users complained about a global outage that left them in the dark around 11:50 a.m. ET or 4:50 p.m. BST on Thursday.
Outage Reports
About 30 minutes after the incident began, reports on DownDetector rose to nearly 10,000. Most users reported that they were locked out of their accounts and had problems logging back in. Some business owners said the outage left them unable to print shipping labels or view important financial information.
Affected Countries
Account holders in the US, UK, Spain, Germany and elsewhere reported being affected by the suspension. One person said PayPal is “completely closed” and they can no longer purchase anything with their account.
Users’ Experiences
“I’ve tried everything and can’t log in,” another user wrote. Users of PayPal’s own Venmo software reported similar issues, with one person saying they repeatedly received a “not working” error message. One user wrote that when he tried to log in to the account again, he received a message that said, “We’re sorry. We’re currently having trouble processing your request.”
Company Response
“Please try again soon, and if the problem persists, let us know,” the message said, according to the user. “We understand the inconvenience you are currently facing,” the company told several users. Venmo said it was working to resolve the outage. PayPal’s support account on X shared the same message with users.
Resolution
At 12:15 ET, users on DownDetector began commenting that they could use their accounts again. The US has reached out to PayPal for comment on the blackout.
Past Issues
This isn’t the first time PayPal and Venmo users have had issues with the apps. In August, some users feared they had lost hundreds of dollars in rent payments due to a global power outage. At the time, thousands of people reported technical difficulties, and some feared their accounts had been hacked.
Past Outage
“I sent $860 for rent and the transaction is nowhere to be found,” one frustrated customer wrote online at the time. PayPal remained silent throughout the outage, but eventually released a statement saying the issue had been resolved.
