Accepted payment methods

We process card payments via Stripe and have optional additional gateways for specific regions. This article covers what works, what doesn't, and how to handle problems.

Cards

We accept all major credit and debit cards via Stripe:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover
• JCB (Japan)
• UnionPay (China)
• Diners Club

Both credit and debit cards work. Prepaid cards work if they support online international transactions (some don't).

Regional methods

Depending on your region, Stripe may offer additional options at checkout:

• Apple Pay / Google Pay — most regions, shown automatically if your device supports it
• SEPA Direct Debit — EU
• iDEAL — Netherlands
• Bancontact — Belgium
• Giropay — Germany

What's NOT supported

• Bank transfer (direct wire) — too high-friction for small purchases.
• PayPal balance — we don't integrate PayPal directly.
• Cryptocurrency — no.
• Cash or physical payment — not a thing online.
• Pay later / BNPL — case-by-case depending on Stripe region, but not guaranteed.

Why my card was declined

Common reasons, roughly in order of frequency:

1. Insufficient funds or over credit limit.
2. Your bank blocked the transaction — international charges, unusual amount, or fraud-detection false positive. Call your bank.
3. Wrong CVV or expiry — re-enter carefully.
4. Wrong billing address (AVS failure) — some banks reject cards without matching address.
5. 3-D Secure challenge failed — your bank's verification didn't complete.
6. Card type not accepted — rare (see supported list above).

3-D Secure (SCA)

Many cards, especially in Europe, trigger an extra verification step where your bank pops up a "is this you?" challenge (often via SMS code, banking app approval, or fingerprint). This is called 3-D Secure 2. It's required by law in EU/UK for most online payments.

You'll be redirected to your bank's page, complete the challenge, and return to us. If it fails, the charge doesn't go through.

Payment failed — what to do

1. Try again — many failures are transient (temporary fraud-flag, network glitch).
2. Try a different card if you have one.
3. Use Apple Pay or Google Pay if available — some banks trust those more.
4. Call your bank's customer service — they can whitelist the transaction.
5. Open a support ticket if nothing works. We can sometimes see why Stripe declined on our end.

Is my card info secure?

We never see your card number. Stripe handles all card entry directly on their infrastructure — we get back a token that represents your card, not the card itself. This is called PCI tokenisation and it's the standard for card-accepting platforms.

Our database never stores card numbers, CVVs, or expiry dates.

Currency

Prices are displayed in your region's currency when possible, but the underlying charge is in the platform's base currency (typically USD). Your bank handles the FX conversion at their standard rate.

Your statement may show a slightly different amount due to FX fluctuation between display time and charge time. Rare; typically under 1% difference.

Related

• "Refund policy" — if you change your mind
• "Using coupons" — applying discount codes
• "Invoice and receipts" — downloading proof of payment