Resolve Payment Issues as a Buyer

If you are trying to complete a purchase and run into issues at checkout, this article walks you through common reasons and errors that may prevent a payment from being processed.

Please note that Payhip does not directly manage or process payments.

Troubleshooting payment issues

Error: "Your card was declined" or "An error has occurred. Please try again."

The card issuer has declined the payment for an unspecified reason. This could be due to insufficient funds, suspected fraud, or account restrictions.

How to resolve:

  • Please ensure there are sufficient funds available and that your card is authorized for online or international transactions.
  • If you do not suspect that is the reason, you should reach out to your card issuer to find out why the payment was declined. Once the issue with your card issuer is resolved, you can attempt the transaction again.

Error: You have been blocked from purchasing.

Sellers on Payhip can block certain customers from purchasing their products, so if you see this message at checkout, it is likely that the seller has restricted your ability to buy from their store.

How to resolve:

  • The best way to resolve this issue is to contact the seller directly. If you have purchased from them before, you can find the seller's contact information in the email receipt we sent you. Alternatively, if their store has a Contact page, you can use it to reach out for assistance.

Error: Your card is not supported

The card you used may not support the type of transaction you are trying to make. Some cards are restricted to local transactions or may not be valid for certain purchases.

How to resolve:

  • Please contact your card issuer to confirm whether your card can be used for this purchase. If not, consider using a different card that supports this type of online transaction.

Error: This account cannot currently make live charges

This error typically occurs when the seller's Stripe account associated with their store is under review or has restrictions that prevent it from processing payments.

How to resolve:

  • Please contact our support team, and we will notify the seller on your behalf. They may need to submit additional verification documents to Stripe to resolve this matter.

Error: Apologies, cannot complete transaction

This happens when the seller's Stripe cannot process the payment, possibly due to a problem with the card or restrictions set by the card issuer.

How to resolve:

  • Please contact your card issuer for more information. If everything checks out, you can try using a different card.
  • If you are still having trouble, contact the seller, as they can check their Stripe account and look at the transaction logs to see why the payment failed.

Error: Your Postal Code is Incomplete

This error occurs when the payment processor requires the postal code to be entered in a specific format.

How to resolve:

  • If your postal code contains letters or special characters, try entering it in different formats, either with or without spaces. 

Error: You cannot associate this card, try a different one.

This error occurs when the card you are using is already linked to a PayPal account, but you are trying to pay directly with the card instead of logging into PayPal.

How to resolve:

  • To complete the purchase, you can either log in to your PayPal account to use the card or try a different card that isn't linked to PayPal.

Error: Something went wrong. We'll take you back to checkout so you can try again.

If you see this message while attempting to complete a purchase, it is an error generated by PayPal and may occur for several reasons.

How to resolve:

  • Sometimes, this error is due to a temporary glitch. To complete the transaction, you can try clearing your browser's cache or using a different device/browser.
  • If the problem persists, please contact the seller so they can contact PayPal Support directly. Payhip does not have access to payment processing details. PayPal can provide more information and assist the seller in resolving the issue.

Error: The instrument presented was either declined by the processor or bank, or it can't be used for this payment.

This error means the payment processor has rejected the payment because of an issue with the payment method. Since Payhip works with PayPal to process transactions, this issue is not handled by Payhip, and it must be resolved through PayPal or your card provider.

How to resolve:

  • If your payment was declined, the quickest solution is to try an alternative payment method.
  • If you are using a credit or debit card, your bank may be blocking the transaction for security reasons. It’s best to contact your bank or card provider and ask if there are any restrictions on online or international payment, or whether the transaction was flagged as suspicious activity that requires authorization.

Get in touch with our support team

If you're still experiencing issues or encountering an error not listed above, please get in touch with our support team at contact@payhip.com.

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