Payment card declines can occur when adding funds to your Runpod account. This guide explains common causes and how to resolve them.
Common causes of card declines
Card payments may be declined for several reasons:
| Cause | Description |
|---|
| Fraud protection | Your bank flagged the transaction as potentially fraudulent, especially for international or first-time purchases. |
| Insufficient funds | The card doesn’t have enough available credit or balance. |
| Card restrictions | Some cards block online purchases, international transactions, or specific merchant categories. |
| Expired card | The card’s expiration date has passed. |
| Incorrect details | The card number, expiration date, CVV, or billing address doesn’t match the issuer’s records. |
| Prepaid card limits | Prepaid cards may have transaction minimums. Stripe recommends deposits of at least $100 for prepaid cards. |
Troubleshoot a declined card
Follow these steps to resolve a card decline:
Step 1: Check your card details
Verify that the card number, expiration date, CVV, and billing address are entered correctly. Even small discrepancies can cause declines.
Your bank can tell you why the transaction was declined and resolve any blocks on your card. Payment processors don’t share specific decline reasons due to privacy regulations, so your bank is the best source of information.
Common bank-side issues include:
- Fraud alerts that require you to confirm the transaction is legitimate.
- Daily spending limits that have been reached.
- Blocks on international transactions (Runpod processes payments through Stripe).
Contact your bank before trying multiple cards. If the payment processor detects several failed attempts from your account in a short period, it may temporarily block all payment attempts. These blocks typically clear after 24 hours.
Step 3: Try an alternative payment method
If your card continues to decline, consider these alternatives:
- Different card: Use another credit or debit card from a different issuer.
- Cryptocurrency: Runpod accepts crypto payments through integrated processors.
- Business invoicing: For deposits over $5,000, contact sales to arrange invoicing via ACH or wire transfer.
For supported card brands, see Stripe’s documentation.
If you’ve verified your card details and spoken with your bank but still can’t complete a payment, contact Runpod support for assistance.
Prevent service interruptions
To avoid disruptions from unexpected card declines:
- Enable auto-pay. Configure automatic payments to reload your balance before it runs low. If a charge fails, you’ll have time to resolve the issue before your resources are affected.
- Add a backup card. Keep a secondary payment method on file in case your primary card is declined.
- Monitor your balance. Check your Runpod balance regularly on the Billing page and add funds before they run critically low.
- Notify your bank. If you plan to make a large deposit, contact your bank in advance to prevent fraud blocks.
