If you experience difficulties or receive a payment failure error message when you attempt to purchase a Private Internet Access (PIA) subscription, here are the most common reasons and what you can do to fix it.
Common Causes of Failure
- Incompatible card type: PIA accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. If your card is not one of these, try an alternative payment method such as PayPal or cryptocurrency.
- Incorrect billing information: Even a single error in your billing details will cause the transaction to fail. Double-check that everything you enter matches exactly what your bank has on file.
- Prepaid card not registered: Prepaid cards must be registered with the issuer for at least 24 hours before use. If your card isn't registered, or the registered address doesn't match what you enter at checkout, the transaction will fail.
- Autofilled or pasted card number: Autofill and copy-pasting can bypass the required formatting for card numbers, causing the entry to fail. Enter your card number manually instead.
Failures After Submission
If the error occurs after you submit the payment, the following are the most likely causes:
- VPN or proxy detected: If the IP address tied to your payment is associated with a VPN or proxy service, the system may flag and block the transaction.
- Bank delaying the payment: Some banks hold or delay payments as an anti-fraud measure. Because PIA's billing system cannot accept delayed payments, this causes the transaction to fail. Contact your bank and ask them to allow charges from PIA to go through without delay.
- Insufficient funds: Ensure your card balance covers the purchase amount. Note that all pricing is in US dollars, and currency exchange fees may apply.
If you continue to experience issues with purchasing a subscription, please try another payment method or contact us for further assistance.