Google Play Payment Declined? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• An expired card
• A billing address or zip code that doesn’t match your card
• Not enough money in your account
• Card restrictions or a decline by your bank
• A flagged or deactivated payments profile
• A card reported as stolen that needs verifying
• A payment method linked to too many Google Accounts

Step-by-Step Solutions

Work through these steps in order, and try your purchase again after each one.

1. 1

   Step 1: Act on alerts in your payments profile

   Google can’t process your payment until you answer an alert or request for information.

   If the error message comes with instructions for submitting more information to Google, submit it. Google can’t process the transaction on your account without this information. If you see “Your transaction cannot be completed” followed by such instructions, the other steps are unlikely to resolve the issue.

   Your payments profile might be deactivated. To reactivate it, sign in to Google Pay and, at the top, select Alerts. If you have a critical alert, enter your payment information and wait for the team to respond. Check your email for the review results.

   If a message asks you to verify your payment info, go to payments.google.com, sign in and, at the top right, select Alerts, then Verify. If there are no alerts, select Payment methods, then Verify next to the card, and follow the on-screen instructions.

2. 2

   Step 2: Update or remove an expired card

   Expired cards are a common reason Google Play payments don’t go through.

   If you see “Unable to complete transaction: expired card,” check whether your payment method is up to date and update it if it isn’t.

   Sign in to payments.google.com with your Google Account. Find the payment method you’re trying to use for the purchase and check the expiration date of the payment methods listed. Remove or update any expired payment methods, then try your purchase again.

   Good to know

   Google Play Help gives these payments.google.com steps on a computer.

3. 3

   Step 3: Check your billing address and zip code

   If your card is registered to a different address, the payment can be declined.

   Sign in to payments.google.com with your Google Account and click Payment methods. Find the payment method you’re using, click Edit, and check that the zip code listed matches the zip code of your card’s billing address. If needed, update the zip code, then try your purchase again.

   If you see “Your transaction cannot be completed,” also check that the billing address for your payment method matches the address in your Google Pay settings. If they don’t match, update your address and try again.

4. 4

   Step 4: Make sure you have enough funds

   A transaction can be declined because there isn’t enough money in your account.

   If you see “Unable to process payment: low card balance,” you might not have enough funds in your account to make the payment. Check your account balance or contact your bank.

   Even without that message, a transaction is sometimes declined because of insufficient funds, so check that you have enough to complete the purchase.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fix an issue with your account

   The message “Your payment was declined due to an issue with your account” means Google needs something from you first.

   This message can appear because Google saw a suspicious transaction on your payments profile, or needs a little more information to protect your account against fraud. For customers in European Union member states, it can also mean Google needs more information to comply with EU law.

   Sign in to payments.google.com and take action on any errors or requests in the payments center. You might need to verify your identity before you can buy anything through your Google Account. Make sure your name, address and payment information are up to date.

6. 6

   Step 6: Verify a grayed-out card

   A card that’s grayed out and says “verify on payments.google.com” was reported as stolen and must be verified before you can use it again.

   Go to payments.google.com and sign in. If you have more than one account, sign in to the one with the grayed-out card. Click Payment methods, then next to the card that says “Verification needed,” click Verify, then Charge card.

   Within 2 days, you’ll find a temporary charge on your card statement along with an 8-digit code. To complete verification, go back to payments.google.com and enter the 8-digit code.

   If you already tried to verify the card less than 2 days ago, wait up to 2 days. If more than 2 days have passed, check your card statement for a temporary charge from Google called “GOOGLE TEST,” with an 8-digit code.

   Good to know

   Make sure you enter the verification code for the right card.

7. 7

   Step 7: Try a different payment method

   If your card can’t be used for this purchase, add or choose another payment method.

   If your card is grayed out and says “card is ineligible,” you can’t use it for this purchase. Make the purchase again with a different card. If the card you want to use isn’t listed, follow the on-screen instructions to add a new card.

   If a message says your payment method is linked to too many Google Accounts, add a different payment method.

   For the “Your transaction cannot be completed” message, Google also suggests trying a Google Play gift card, and using the product’s mobile app on a mobile device.

   Good to know

   If you pay through your mobile carrier’s bill, make sure you’re connected to your carrier network, directly or by Wi-Fi, that you’ve added direct carrier billing as a payment method, and that you’re using the local currency. If it still fails, contact your mobile service provider.

8. 8

   Step 8: Contact your bank or card issuer

   Your bank can decline a payment, or your card may not be enabled for international or online use.

   Some messages, such as one saying your payment issuer declined your payment, mean your issuer declined the payment. This happens when the bank declines the transaction or the payment method isn’t enabled for international or online use.

   Contact the institution that issued your card to ask about the transaction and whether they know the reason for the decline. They can also make sure your payment method is enabled for international and online transactions. Depending on how you pay, your issuer can be your bank, the telecom carrier for your carrier billing account or your eWallet provider.

Frequently Asked Questions