Copilot Pro activation issue

[kirtansoni1]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

Hello,

I activated Copilot, I added my card details and clicked on pay. The money got deducted from my bank account but in the payment history of Github it shows card declined (transaction not completed) and Copilot Pro is not activated.

Screenshot of bank statement:

Screenshot of Github Payment History:

What should I do?
Let me know if you need anything from me.

Thank you very much for your time,
Kirtan S.

[Aryan-Gore]

This is a billing/payment mismatch issue—money was debited, but GitHub Copilot didn’t activate because the transaction failed on GitHub’s side.

What likely happened
Your bank authorized/held the amount
But GitHub declined the payment
So the subscription was not created
✅ What to do

1. Wait 2–5 business days

Most cases → money is automatically refunded
It’s usually a temporary hold, not a completed charge

2. Contact GitHub Support (important)
   Go to:
   👉 https://support.github.com/

Tell them:

Payment deducted but shows card declined
Include:
Email used
Transaction date
Screenshot (if possible)

3. Check with your bank (optional)
   Ask:

Is it a pending hold or completed debit?
⚠️ Don’t try repeatedly

Multiple attempts can:

Trigger fraud protection
Cause multiple holds

[Gecko51]

What you're seeing is a payment authorization hold, not a completed charge. When GitHub's payment processor declined the transaction, your bank had already placed a temporary hold on the funds. Most banks release this automatically within 3-5 business days without any action on your end.

For the Copilot activation, you'll need to go through GitHub Support directly since this is a billing issue that community members can't resolve. Contact them at https://support.github.com/contact and select the billing category. Include:

• The email on your GitHub account
• The approximate date and amount of the transaction
• A screenshot of your bank statement showing the pending/completed debit
• A screenshot of the GitHub payment history showing "card declined"

GitHub Support can check the transaction on their end and either manually activate the subscription or confirm the hold will be released. Do not retry the payment until you've heard back from them, as multiple attempts can compound the issue.

Note: this forum is community-run and nobody here has access to billing systems, so Support is the only path forward for this.

[pauldev-hub]

Hi @kirtansoni1 ,

This is actually a pretty common issue and the good news is your money is safe — here's what's happening and what to do:

What's going on:

The deduction you see in your bank (₹991.89) is a temporary authorization hold, not a final charge. When GitHub's system marks it as "declined," the hold is supposed to reverse back to your account within 5–7 business days automatically. So you haven't actually lost that money.

Why it gets declined despite the deduction:

This usually happens because:
Your bank requires 2FA/OTP for international transactions and the session timed out

Your card has international/online transaction limits set by your bank
GitHub's payment processor and your bank had a mismatch during the transaction

What to do right now:

Step 1 — Don't retry payment immediately
Multiple failed attempts can cause multiple holds on your account. Wait for the first hold to reverse first.

Step 2 — Check your card's international transaction settings
Log into your bank's app and make sure international/online transactions are enabled. Some Indian banks (especially UPI-linked cards) block international merchants by default.

Step 3 — Contact GitHub Support
This is the most important step. Go to https://support.github.com and raise a ticket with:
Your bank statement screenshot (like you've shared here)
The transaction ID from GitHub (144UP7KN)
Explain that money was deducted but Copilot wasn't activated
GitHub support can manually verify the payment and activate Copilot, or ensure the hold is released faster.

Step 4 — Try a different payment method after the hold clears
Once the ₹991.89 reverses (5–7 days), try paying again using a different card or ask your bank to whitelist GitHub's merchant ID before retrying.
Your money will come back — just contact GitHub

Support with that proof and they'll sort it out quickly.
Hope this helps, Kirtan! If this resolved your issue, feel free to mark it as the accepted answer — it'll help others facing the same problem find the fix faster!

[ShuvoKumarRoy]

Hi Kirtan,
This is a known issue that happens when a bank transaction is processed on your end but GitHub's payment gateway marks it as "Declined" — the charge is usually a temporary authorization hold, not an actual payment.
Here's what you should do:

1. Wait 3–5 business days
   The 991.89 BDT/INR deducted from your bank is likely an authorization hold, not a completed charge. It should automatically reverse back to your account if GitHub declined the transaction.
2. Try a different payment method
   GitHub Copilot payments sometimes fail due to international transaction restrictions on certain cards. Try:

A different Visa/Mastercard
A card that explicitly supports international/e-commerce payments
PayPal if available in your region

3. Contact your bank
   Ask your bank to confirm whether the deduction was a settled charge or a temporary hold, and whether international transactions to GitHub Inc. are being blocked on their end.
4. Contact GitHub Support directly
   Since you have a transaction ID (144UP7KN) and bank proof, raise a support ticket at:
   👉 https://support.github.com/
   Attach your bank statement screenshot and GitHub payment history. They can manually verify and either activate Copilot or confirm the refund.
5. Clear browser cache / try incognito
   Sometimes re-attempting payment in a fresh browser session after the hold clears resolves the activation issue.

Hope this helps resolve your issue!

[Laalu7]

1. Update Your Existing Support Ticket:
   Since you have already opened a discussion or ticket, reply to it immediately with the following details to help support manually verify the charge:
   The transaction ID from your bank statement.
   The date and exact amount ($10.00) of the deduction.
   The last 4 digits of your Visa card ending in 9352.
   Attach the same screenshots you've provided here.

2. Verify with Your Bank:
   Contact your bank to confirm if the $10.00 charge is a completed transaction or an authorization hold. If it is a hold, the money is often automatically returned to your account within 7–14 business days if GitHub does not claim it.

3. Check for International/Recurring Restrictions:
   If you are in a region like India, ensure your card is enabled for international recurring payments without OTP, as GitHub’s subscription model often requires this to succeed.

4. Try an Alternative Payment Method:
   Many users find that PayPal is more reliable for GitHub subscriptions when direct card payments fail.