When a payment does not go through, the app tells you why in the same words as the notification. Nothing is booked on a failed payment: a purchase that fails is not made, and wallet money that was set aside for it goes back.
The reasons, and the fix for each
| The app says | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The payment was declined | The card refused the charge. Nothing was taken. | Check the card with your bank, or use another card or the wallet. |
| Your wallet balance does not cover this | The phone is set to wallet only, and the balance is short. The message names the balance and the price. | Top up by the shortfall, or pay this one by card. |
| No payment method | A card was needed and the account has none. | Add a card, or set the phone to wallet only and top up. |
| Payment needs your confirmation | Your bank wants you to approve the charge (3-D Secure). | Approve it in the app when prompted. |
| Card payments are switched off | Card payments are unavailable on the service at the moment. | Pay from the wallet; the message says whether it is short. |
| Charge failed | The payment provider had a problem, even after retries. | Treat it like a decline: try again later or with another method. |
When it was a renewal
A failed renewal is retried over the following days, and you are told each time with the reason above. Fix it before the retries run out and the next one goes through with nothing lost. If it keeps failing the phone is suspended, and later expires; Auto-renew, expiry and what happens to your data says how long its storage is kept after that.
Notices about failed payments and payments needing confirmation are always emailed, whatever your notification settings, because they protect your account.
On Android
Where Google Play is how you pay, phones are paid from your wallet, and a failed renewal means the balance was short. Top up through Play by at least the amount the notice names.
Charged but nothing arrived? A top-up that was taken and never credited is a failed payment on our side, and we refund it. Write to us with the date and, for a card, the last four digits.
Still stuck? Write to us and we will answer.