In this article
- I just want to try Paperspace and/or I have Account credit (from a referral or promo code), so why do I need to enter a credit card?
- How do I know I can trust Paperspace with my payment information?
- What payment methods does Paperspace accept?
- Authorization Holds: I haven't purchased anything yet and/or I have enough Account credit, so why do I see a "Pending" charge(s) on my card?
- Why is my credit card being declined?
- How do I update my payment source or billing address?
I just want to try Paperspace and/or I have Account credit (from a referral or promo code), so why do I need to enter a credit card?
Billable products & services like Virtual Machines, Jobs, and Notebooks will always deduct from your positive account balance first. If, however, you run out of credit and this balance becomes negative, we need a way of collecting payment. For this reason, all Paperspace accounts must have valid card on file to use Paperspace resources, even if you have credit on your account.
Note: Paperspace does not offer free trials at this time for CORE Virtual Machines or Gradient Subscriptions.
How do I know I can trust Paperspace with my payment information?
Paperspace does not store your card information in our database. Instead, we use Stripe to process and record all payment transactions. Stripe has been certified to the most stringent level available in the payments industry. Learn more at https://stripe.com/docs/security/stripe.
Any billing information you have entered in the Paperspace Console UI is encrypted and passed to Stripe upon clicking the "Add Card" button on the Billing page, "Create My Paperspace" button on the CORE Virtual Machine creation page, or the Gradient Subscription upgrade page.
What payment methods does Paperspace accept?
We accept all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and Discover. Some electron and prepaid cards may not work, as determined by Stripe (see previous section for some info on Stripe). In most cases we cannot override this, however you are welcome to open a Support ticket, if you have no other payment method, and we will try to assist.
We do not accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or cryptocurrencies at this time, but that may change in the future!
Authorization Holds: I haven't purchased anything yet and/or I have enough Account credit, so why do I see a "Pending" charge(s) on my card?
Paperspace uses Authorization Holds to help mitigate abuse of services. Most card companies show these transactions as “Pending.”
Paperspace issues an Authorization Hold transaction every time a card is added or re-added. Authorization Holds also occur whenever an Hourly Subscription VM is created on an account that is new and/or has not established billing history with Paperspace. These transactions happen automatically, and they are typically released immediately upon success.
It is important to understand that Authorization Holds are not regular charge transactions in that they do not withdraw money from your card. They are designed simply to ensure the specified amount is available, by placing a "hold" on the funds. Depending on the bank that issued your card, you may never see them appear at all.
Paperspace also reserves the right to occasionally place manual Authorization Hold(s) on your payment source, depending on Account balance changes, Service Limit Increase requests, and other activity. This generally applies only to brand new Accounts and/or those having no billing history with Paperspace.
Why is my credit card being declined?
Card entry failure can happen for a few reasons:
- Insufficient funds. Your card does not have enough funds to pass our Authorization Hold transaction (see prior section for more information about Auth Holds) or to cover the service you are trying to purchase. You will need to ensure you have funds available on the card, then you may try re-entering card details. If you believe this decline is in error, contact your bank.
- We cannot determine your location & IP address. Using a VPN, proxy server, or accessing from behind a network firewall can cause payment entry to fail, so we recommend adding your card while connected from your normal IP address.
- Your bank is blocking the transaction. Depending on the bank, you may be able to authorize the transaction on your own if the feature is available on the bank's web service. Otherwise, you would need to ask them directly to allow future transactions with Paperspace.
- The billing address information you entered does not match what is on file with your bank. Typically this decline is explicit in the UI. If you are positive what you've written is accurate, contact your card-issuing bank for assistance before re-entering payment details.
- Note to Revolut cardholders: If you see an address error when adding your card, you need to temporarily disable "Security based on the geographic position" option in the Revolut app and try again. Once successfully added, feel free to re-enable this option.
- For cardholders outside the United States: When entering your address details, the postal code should not contain any spaces nor dashes, and it should match the one on your card's statement. Also, enter your country's name on the State field.
How do I update my payment source or billing address?
If you have a new credit card to enter, or your billing information has changed, go to the Billing section of your Console UI and click the Add Card button to enter the new credit card and/or billing address.