Why is the payment I sent pending or unclaimed? Can I cancel it?

If a payment you sent is pending or unclaimed, it means the recipient hasn’t received or hasn’t accepted the payment yet.

The payment would be pending or unclaimed if it was sent to an email address or phone number that isn’t registered to a verified PayPal account. Check that you sent the payment to the correct email address or phone number. Or the recipient may need to set up a PayPal account or verify their account for the payment to complete. You have the option to cancel the payment.

To cancel an unclaimed payment on the web:

1. Go to Activity.
2. Click Cancel under the payment in question.
3. Follow the steps to cancel the payment.

The payment would be pending or unclaimed if the recipient has opted not to automatically accept certain payments. These could be payments not in their preferred currency, or from buyers with unconfirmed addresses. You won't have the option to cancel the payment yourself. The recipient needs to accept or deny the payment within 30 days.

We automatically cancel pending or unclaimed payments after 30 days and send the money back to the original payment method. Refunds to bank accounts may take up to 5 business days, while refunds to credit or debit cards may take up to 30 days.