Payments run through Stripe, which means some of these you can fix and some only your bank can. This article says which is which, so you are not retrying a card six times when the answer is a phone call.
A declined card
We never see why. Card details go straight to Stripe and never touch our servers, so a decline reaches us as a decline and nothing more — we cannot tell you the reason because we are not told it.
The usual causes, in order:
- An international-payment block — The commonest by far, and invisible until it happens. Many banks block cross-border charges by default and unblocking takes one call or one toggle in a banking app.
- A 3-D Secure step that was not completed — The bank’s confirmation screen or app notification. Dismissing it declines the payment.
- A mismatched billing address — It has to match what your bank holds.
- Insufficient funds or a card limit — Including a monthly online-spending limit you may not know you have.
"I cannot buy a credit pack"
If you are on a free account, that is correct rather than broken. Credit packs are top-ups for Pro and Pro Plus members, and checkout says so.
The reason is not an upsell: without the restriction, a large pack on a free account would buy unlimited AI without ever subscribing — the whole product for the price of a top-up. Subscribe first, then packs are available.
My renewal credits have not arrived
Credits are added when the invoice is paid, not when the renewal date passes. A card that is retrying, or a payment awaiting a bank confirmation, means the top-up has not fired yet.
Check your billing area for the invoice status. If it shows paid and the credits are still missing after a few minutes, that is worth telling us about.
Charged the wrong amount, or twice
- Check whether it is yearly against monthly — The commonest "wrong amount" — the yearly price is ten months for twelve, so it is a larger single charge rather than an error.
- Check for a pending authorisation — Banks show a pending hold alongside a settled charge, which looks like two charges and is one.
- Look at your invoices — The billing area lists what was actually charged and for what.
- Then tell us — With the date and amount. A genuine double charge is a refund, not an argument.
Cancelling and refunds
Cancelling keeps everything until the end of the period you have paid for, then reverts to free. Progress, XP, badges, flashcard scheduling and any remaining credits all survive it — see trials, renewals and cancelling.
On refunds: write to us. We would rather deal with a case properly than publish a policy that fits nobody, and particularly if something did not work the way this guide said it would.
What to tell us
Never card numbers — we cannot use them and should not have them. What helps is the date, the amount, and what you expected to happen. From the address on the account, through the contact form.
Common questions
We are not told. Payment runs through Stripe and the reason stays between them and your bank. The commonest cause is an international-payment block, which your bank can lift in one call.