A charge labeled “PP*REG Protection” on your bank or credit card statement is a payment PayPal processed on behalf of a merchant selling a protection or warranty plan. The “PP*” prefix is PayPal’s standard billing descriptor, and “REG PROTECTION” is the shortened merchant or product identifier attached to that transaction. If you don’t recognize it, the charge usually traces back to a subscription, an automatic renewal, or an unauthorized use of your payment method, and you have several ways to identify, cancel, and dispute it.
What the Charge Actually Is
When PayPal handles a payment for a seller, the statement line typically begins with “PAYPAL *” or “PP*” followed by a truncated merchant name.1Slash. PayPal Charge Identifier In this case, the merchant name has been shortened to “REG PROTECTION,” which points to some form of protection plan — a device protection subscription, a purchase protection service, or a similar recurring product billed through PayPal.
One documented source of recurring “protection” charges billed through PayPal is Back Market’s device protection plans, which are administered by a partner company called Bolt. Those plans run as monthly charges for up to 24 months and can be paid by credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Apple Pay.2Back Market. How Do Monthly Subscriptions Work for Protection Plans Other merchants sell warranty and protection plans through PayPal billing as well. Confirming which merchant is behind the charge is the first move.
How to Trace the Merchant
Log into your PayPal account and open the Activity tab. The transaction history shows the full merchant name, the date, and the amount, and it flags whether a charge belongs to a recurring billing agreement. Under Settings, go to Payments and then Automatic Payments (also labeled “Subscriptions and saved businesses”) to see every merchant authorized to bill your PayPal account on a recurring basis.3PayPal. What Is an Automatic Payment and How Do I Update or Cancel One If nothing matches there, check the “Linked Businesses” section, where some transactions are categorized separately.4PayPal. Manage Subscriptions
If PayPal was used as guest checkout, the subscription may not sit inside your PayPal account at all. In that case, look at the statement line itself for any reference number or phone number that can point back to the merchant.
How to Stop the Recurring Charge
If the charge ties to a PayPal automatic payment, you can cancel it inside PayPal. On the website, open Settings, click Payments, choose Automatic Payments, select the merchant, and cancel future billing. In the app, tap the Menu icon, then Subscriptions or Linked Businesses, select the merchant, tap Account, and tap Unlink.5PayPal. How to Cancel Recurring Subscriptions Under PayPal’s user agreement, automatic payments can be canceled up to three business days before the next scheduled payment. You can also cancel by calling PayPal at (888) 221-1161.6PayPal. PayPal User Agreement
Unlinking PayPal stops future charges to your PayPal account, but it does not necessarily cancel the underlying contract with the merchant.5PayPal. How to Cancel Recurring Subscriptions For a protection plan such as the ones sold through Back Market’s partner Bolt, cancel the plan itself in the merchant’s own account portal — in Back Market’s case, under Orders and then Protection Plans.2Back Market. How Do Monthly Subscriptions Work for Protection Plans Contacting the merchant directly is the surest way to close the account and confirm no balance remains.
How to Dispute the Charge
Two dispute paths are available: PayPal and your card issuer.
Through PayPal
PayPal accepts disputes within 180 days of the payment date. On the website, go to the Resolution Center, click Report a Problem, select the transaction, and choose a reason such as “I have a billing issue” or an unauthorized charge. In the app, open Activity, tap the transaction, and tap Report a Problem.7PayPal. I Want My Money Back, Can I Cancel a Payment If the merchant does not resolve the dispute within the window, you have 20 days to escalate it to a claim, and PayPal then investigates and decides the outcome.
Through Your Card Issuer
If a credit or debit card funded the PayPal payment, you can file a chargeback with the card issuer instead. Contact the bank, report the disputed transaction, and provide the supporting details. Chargebacks must generally be filed within 120 days of the transaction date, and there is no fee to the consumer for initiating one.8PayPal. What Is a Chargeback Common grounds include not recognizing the charge, not receiving what was purchased, or unauthorized use of the payment method.
Your Rights Under Federal Law
For charges on a credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act gives you specific dispute rights. You can dispute billing errors, including unauthorized charges and services not delivered as agreed, by sending a written notice to the card issuer’s billing inquiry address within 60 days of the statement date on which the error first appeared.9FTC. What to Do if You’re Billed for Things You Never Got or You Get Unordered Products The issuer must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, up to a maximum of 90 days.10FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
While the investigation is open, you don’t have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges, and the issuer cannot report you as delinquent to credit bureaus or pursue collection on the disputed sum.10FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges Federal law caps consumer liability for unauthorized credit card charges at $50, and Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover each maintain zero-liability policies that waive even that amount on consumer cards when the cardholder reports the issue promptly.11Mastercard. Zero Liability Protection Debit cards carry weaker protections and a shorter liability window, so report suspected unauthorized debit charges as quickly as possible.