The OpenAI ChatGPT has been making headlines for its incredible language processing capabilities and ability to carry on natural language conversations with users.
However, many people are finding that they cannot purchase ChatGPT due to a card declined error. Most people are reporting on OpenAI forums and reddit that they can’t purchase as their credit, debit and other cards are getting declined.
This is a common issue faced by many people, especially those residing outside the USA, like India, Germany, Switzerland, and others. But what’s the reason? Let’s find out.
Reasons Why Your Card is Getting Declined on OpenAi
There can be various reasons due to which you card might be getting declined if you’re trying to purchase ChatGPT or other OpenAi’s products.
However, as the customer support of OpenAi is not responding, here’s our take on the reason.
Reason #1. Indian Banking Law
One of the major reasons why Indian residents are not able to purchase ChatGPT is due to a new banking law that came into effect in October 2021.
According to this law, Indian credit cards cannot be used for recurring payments without the e-mandate setting.
While this may be a security measure to prevent fraudulent transactions, it has caused problems for Indians trying to purchase subscriptions from international businesses, including Open AI.
Reason #2. Stripe Payment Error
Another reason for the card declined error could be due to an error in the payment gateway, specifically Stripe.
Stripe is a popular payment processor used by Open AI and many other businesses worldwide. However, due to various reasons like technical glitches or maintenance work, the payment gateway could be temporarily down, resulting in a failed transaction.
Reason #3. Unavailability of ChatGPT 4 in Certain Countries
Open AI may have restricted the sale of ChatGPT 4 in certain countries due to various reasons like legal requirements, licensing issues, or lack of demand.
If you try to buy ChatGPT 4 from one of these countries and get the error message “Card Declined,” it’s possible that Open AI hasn’t made it available for sale in your area.
If you want to buy ChatGPT 4, you should definitely turn off your VPN. Some people have said that when they did this, they were able to pay successfully.
Reason #4. Tax Calculation Problems
If you’re experiencing a “card declined” error while attempting to purchase ChatGPT, it’s possible that there might be a tax calculation problem.
There could be a discrepancy between the total amount being charged and the amount your financial institution expects.
When you make a purchase, the total amount usually includes the product’s cost, and any additional charges such as sales tax or VAT, depending on your location.
If there is an issue with the tax calculation, it might result in an incorrect total charge, causing your card to be declined.
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
- Check your billing information: Make sure your billing address and other details are correct and up to date, as this information is used to calculate the applicable taxes.
- Verify the total charge: Ensure that the total amount, including taxes, matches what you expect to be charged. If you notice any discrepancies, contact the ChatGPT support team to clarify the issue.
What Can You Do About It?
If you’re facing the card declined error while trying to purchase ChatGPT, there are a few things you can try. The first method will work almost every time.
- Install ChatGPT for Mobile that’s officially built by OpenAI. You can click the link to install IOS version. After installing the app, just click the three dots on the top right corner, click Settings > Subscription and then purchase ChatGPT 4. You can access this on any device.
- You can check with your bank to ensure that your card has not been blocked for international transactions.
- You can also try using a different payment method like Apple Pay, which is currently working for USA residents.
- You can try signing in from another browser and clearing your cache.
- Also, try turning off your WiFi router for about three minutes and then logging back into ChatGPT. You could try to buy it, it might help.
- Using a VPN will not work, so you should add the right address and a pincode that is close to you. For example, one person on reddit said that he was able to buy the ChatGPT plus when he put in the right pincode.
- Even though ChatGPT support isn’t very helpful, we still think you should email them at [email protected].
ChatGPT 4 is Now Available For Purchase
The reason why ChatGPT 4 was showing a “Your Card Has Been Declined” error was because in some countries, OpenAi was not able to calculate taxes.
Today, almost everyone trying in India and Germany was able to purchase ChatGPT 4 as it’s now able to calculate the taxes on the amount of purchase.
So yes, now you will not see any error or 1020 error code while purchasing Open Ai’s GPT 4.
Alternative Option: Using Microsoft Bing
If you’re unable to purchase ChatGPT 4 due to the aforementioned reasons, there is still an alternative option for you to experience the latest version of Open AI’s GPT model. Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, is powered by GPT-4 and can be accessed for free by anyone with an internet connection.
While Bing may not offer the full functionality of ChatGPT, it is still a great way to test out the latest advancements in language modeling and see how GPT-4 performs in a real-world application.
Simply go to Bing’s website and start by clicking on “Chat” to experience the power of GPT-4 for yourself.
The End!
The Open AI ChatGPT card declined error can be caused due to various reasons, including Indian banking laws, Stripe payment errors, or unavailability in certain countries.
Even though these problems can be frustrating, they can be fixed by trying different ways to pay or by getting in touch with customer service.
If any of the above steps worked well for you, let other people know what worked for you by leaving a comment below.
Read more about ChatGPT:
It doesn’t work for me. We are based out of Malaysia. Contacted 4 banks, the issue is with OpenAI credit card processing merchant Stripe.
Contacting your bank won’t help. It’s the problem with Stripe payment gateway, as there are many countries Stripe does not support right now. Wait for few weeks, the problem is with Tax calculation. Once OpenAi can calculate the appropriate tax according to where you live, your payment will be done.
Thanks for the info Mr Francis Lui. From Perak, Malaysia with the same problem. Might try Bing for a while.
My invoice is due in a few days’ time, yet I can’t make any payment. My API access to OpenAI will be interrupted.
Francis Lui, thanks for the info. Same issue here (Penang, Malaysia)
Stupid Payment portal, Not able to subscribe ChatGPT plus from india
I don’t know why it’s lagging in India. The problem was solved few weeks ago as per OpenAi’s support and Twitter.
Why won’t it accept my unemployment Bank of America debit card?
Really no idea, I guess you should try with another bank if you have a second account or ask someone you know if they can do the payment on your behalf.
still the issue persist in india, tried all the above said measure , other stripe payment methods are also not working not just open AI
Then it’s strange. Some of us also struggled with this but after a week it was solved.
same problem with my card from Singapore
I am not able to buy ChatGPT Plus subscription from India. I tried 11 different credit and debit cards from different banks. Also tried changing browsers, even devices, but the issue remains the same. So I decided to build my own ChatBot using Python, but again, the OpenAI website wasn’t accepting any of my debit or credit cards, BUT, when I put the address of Nigeria, it accepted my card. Still not able to buy ChatGPT, but I have built the chatbot, and using that for now.
That’s strange because many of our readers in India have reported that they can now access ChatGPT 4. The main issue was tax calculation error from stripe and now it’s resolved. Can you tell us from which state you are?
I am from West Bengal, India. In the month of April I successfully upgraded to plus subscription. But the very next month my debit card with International transction turned on is constantly being declined.
No idea about that. Guys if anyone have the solution to this problem help Niya.
i am also not able to purchase plus subscription, it is july right now, i have tried my both debit and credit card, it’s being declined, i don’t know what going on, can someone help me, and one more thing does gpt 4 also showing my cut off knowledge sep 2021?
same here in Israel, first month was ok but after I get the same error also with apple pay.
Strange! Here’s what you can do, install ChatGPT on your Iphone and purchase the premium from Mobile version of GPT. You can also access that on desktop.