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Subscription payment issues (card declines, re-authenticate loops, updates not sticking)

If your card is repeatedly declined on a subscription—or you keep getting “re-authenticate your card” emails that lead to an error—here’s how to fix it fast and what’s going on behind the scenes.

Updated over a month ago

At a glance (quick fix)

Most “stuck” subscription payment problems are solved by starting a fresh subscription. This effectively resets the payment mandate with our secure payment provider.

Do this:

  1. Cancel the affected subscription in your account.

  2. Create a new order for your usual products and select the subscription option at checkout.

  3. Complete checkout with your card. This will create a new, clean payment authorisation.

If that doesn’t work, follow the steps below or contact us—details at the end.

Why this happens

We don’t store or process full card data ourselves; we use a certified payment provider. On rare occasions, the secure “mandate” that lets your bank approve recurring charges can get out of sync. Common triggers include:

  • A new or reissued card (new number or expiry date).

  • 3-D Secure / Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) not fully completing when you first updated your card.

  • Bank-side rules (e.g., risk checks, spending limits, travel flags) blocking the recurring payment even though one-off charges work.

Troubleshooting steps (in order)

1) Re-authenticate the card from your account

  • Sign in to your account and open the affected subscription.

  • Choose Update payment method and follow any prompts from your bank (SCA/3-D Secure).

  • If you were using an email link that errors, re-authenticate inside your account instead of the email link, or try an incognito/private window.

2) Start fresh (recommended reset)

If the subscription still declines each month:

  1. Cancel the problematic subscription.

  2. Recreate it by placing a new subscription order at checkout.

Tip: this creates a new payment mandate and avoids any hidden “stuck” state.

3) Check common bank/checkout blockers

  • Card details: number, expiry, CVC, and billing postcode match your bank’s records.

  • New card activation: confirm your bank has fully activated the card for online and recurring payments.

  • Sufficient funds/limits: check daily/card limits and enable online or international transactions if relevant.

  • 3-D Secure: complete any pop-ups from your bank. Don’t close the tab until you see confirmation.

  • Browser issues: try another browser or device; disable VPN; clear cache/cookies; use a private/incognito window.

  • Card type: some prepaid or business cards can block recurring charges by policy.

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