PayPal’s session timeouts are meant to enhance security, but for businesses that rely on continuity the online payment gateway can feel like it’s working against them.
Many users are now complaining that even short periods of inactivity lead to forced logouts, requiring repeated authentication throughout the day.
For businesses relying on PayPal to handle high transaction volumes, the platform’s default five-minute session timeout is a significant source of frustration.
“Imagine you’re in the middle of processing dozens of transactions, only to be kicked out and forced to log back in,” says Sarah, a Melbourne-based e-commerce entrepreneur. “It’s not just annoying; it’s time-consuming, and time is money.”
An Unscalable Frustration
Businesses with high transaction volumes often juggle multiple accounts, deal with frequent customer queries, and process refunds. Having to log in repeatedly adds friction to an already complex workflow.
Others argue the issue isn’t just about session timeouts. Some have raised concerns about PayPal’s broader usability challenges. There’s no functionality to customise session lengths or streamline account access for businesses.
One user vented their frustration directly on the PayPal community forum,” This stinks and I’ve been dealing with it for 10 years or more. Very tired of PP, would love to ditch it for something else as it is always 5+ years behind the curve.”
Another user said,” This timeout is ABSOLUTELY the worst. Good luck trying to view archived invoices and create new ones while having them in other tabs or windows,”
“Before you can copy and paste anything, you’ve been timed out,” said the user.
Time Is Money—and It’s Being Wasted
For larger businesses, every second counts. “I run a dropshipping business that processes hundreds of transactions daily,” says Lila, another merchant. “When you’re forced to log in over and over again, it disrupts the flow. It’s stressful and inefficient.”
Critics point out that similar platforms, including Stripe and Square, don’t seem to suffer from the same level of friction. “They’ve figured out how to balance security with usability,” Lila says.
What Businesses Want
The consensus is clear: businesses need options. Many users have called for adjustable session durations or even a dedicated business app designed to handle high transaction volumes with fewer interruptions.
According to DownDetector, over 6,000 users worldwide reported issues with the app as of noon on Thursday (November 12), with 88% experiencing login problems. Meanwhile, 8% of users reported trouble with purchases.
