Why is my credit card being declined?

The most common reasons why your credit card may be declined when you make a payment are:

1. The address, zip code, and security code (CVN/CVV) that you entered while checking out doesn't match the information that the bank has on file. To fix this, try checking out again with the correct information.


2. The charge would put you over your credit limit (if it's a credit card) or there's not enough money in the account to cover the amount of the charge (if it's a debit card or a pre-paid credit card). To make sure that's not the problem, check your balance with your credit card company.


3. You just made another payment (usually for an alternate account) with the same card within the past few minutes and the cart you're trying to check out is for the same amount. Our payment processor tries to prevent duplicate charges. Why do I get errors when upgrading multiple accounts? has some suggestions for working around the problem.


4. You're trying to use a prepaid credit card. We do accept prepaid credit cards, but sometimes those cards need to be activated first. We recommend prepaid Visa cards over any other type, since they're most often successful. If you're having a problem with a prepaid card, call the number on your card and see if they can help you figure out why the charge is being declined.


5. Your credit card company thinks the charge may be suspicious or fraudulent, or blocks internet-only/"card not present" transactions unless you call them to authorize the charge. To fix this, call the number on your card and ask if the charge is being flagged as possibly fraudulent.

If none of those seem like they're the right reason, or your credit card company tells you that the charge should be successful but it's still failing, open a support request in the Account Payments category. We'll help you figure out what the problem is and how you can fix it.