Proton VPN payment issues
This article explains why payment for your Proton VPN subscription might have failed, and what you can do to fix it.
Card payments
If your payment fails, you’ll usually see an error message. Here’s what those messages typically mean:
Authorization failed
This usually happens for two reasons:
1. 3D secure (3DS) issues
The bank needed additional verification for your purchase, but the verification wasn’t successful.
- If you received a verification code on your phone, check that you entered it correctly
- If not, you’ll need to contact your bank for help
2. PayPal renewal issues
If you pay for a recurring subscription with PayPal and get this error message, it might be because your PayPal billing agreement has been canceled since your last payment.
- Contact our support team for help.
Payment failed
This can happen for quite a few reasons, and banks typically don’t tell us exactly what went wrong. Here are a few things you can try:
- Check your balance
- Make sure you entered your card details correctly
If that doesn’t work, contact your bank or try using another card.
Card payment issues with no error message
Sometimes you won’t get an error message if your subscription payment fails. This is usually because the payment process is interrupted (for example, if your internet connection drops or you close your browser).
If your payment didn’t go through because of an interruption, you can usually just try again. If it keeps happening, contact our support team.
What to do if a failed card payment appears on your bank statement
Occasionally, a subscription payment fails, but the money still appears to have been withdrawn from your account. This is known as a pending (or uncaptured) payment, and the bank will reverse it within 48 hours.
Some banks issue a refund to your account. But others simply cancel the original transaction. So if it looks like the payment hasn’t been reversed, check your statement to be sure.
If it’s been more than 48 hours and the failed payment hasn’t been cancelled or refunded, contact our support team for help.
Bitcoin payments
Bitcoin payments can take up to 24 hours to process. There are a few reasons for this:
- Network congestion: Bitcoin operates on a blockchain network. High transaction volumes can lead to processing delays.
- Lower transaction fees: The blockchain network prioritizes transactions with higher fees. Smaller transactions tend to wait longer.
- Technical issues: Bugs and other bitcoin mining disruptions can cause delays.
- Security checks: Some exchanges and wallets carry out extra checks to prevent fraud or theft.
If it’s been more than 24 hours and your Bitcoin payment hasn’t gone through, please contact our support team for help.