This article refers to payment issues stemming from both purchasing a new subscription and renewing a current Foreign Policy subscription and how to resolve them.
Note: If your subscription is purchased through the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or other third party, you will need to contact the third party directly for payment and billing information.
My subscription renewal payment failed
If your subscription is up for renewal, you may receive an email stating: We were unable to process the credit card on file for your recent Foreign Policy subscription renewal. Your account is currently on hold while we attempt to reprocess payment; you can still access articles at this time.
If you receive this email, please ensure that the card on file is correct and up-to-date. See How to Update an Existing Payment Method on Your Account for instructions on how to find the payment information on your account and change it, if necessary.
If your payment information appears in order, please wait three days and Foreign Policy will automatically attempt to reprocess your subscription renewal payment. Your Foreign Policy subscription access will remain active during the grace period.
After three days, you may receive the email again stating that Foreign Policy was unable to process your payment on file for your renewal. If the payment fails a second time, please contact your bank or credit card company to inquire about the reason for the payment failure. You can tell your bank or credit card company to let the payment go through.
I want to purchase a new subscription but my payment failed
There are many reasons your payment could fail when attempting to purchase a new subscription, including:
- Incorrectly-entered card information
- Insufficient funds
- The transaction was flagged by your bank or credit card as potentially fraudulent
Please first ensure that your card information, including number, expiration date and billing address, was entered correctly when attempting to make the purchase.
If the issue persists, contact your bank for more information on why the charge was blocked or failed.
If you continue to have payment failures after following these steps, please contact us at support@foreignpolicy.com for further assistance.
How to add a new payment method to your account
To add a new payment method to your Foreign Policy account, please follow the steps below:
- First, go to your Account Settings and sign in to your Foreign Policy subscription, if not already signed in.
- Click Subscription Settings on the left panel and then, under the Payment Method tab, click Add card. You also can use the drop down arrow to add a PayPal account instead of a card payment.
- Add your payment method by filling out the required information. Ensure that Apply this payment method to all active subscriptions is checked before clicking Save changes to add the payment method to your account.
You have now added a payment method to your account which you can use to purchase a Foreign Policy subscription.
How to update an existing payment method on your account
To change an existing payment method on your Foreign Policy account, please follow the steps below:
- First, go to your Account Settings and sign in to your Foreign Policy subscription, if not already signed in.
- Click Subscription Settings on the left panel and then click the Payment Method tab to show your payment methods on file.
- Click the pencil icon to edit a payment method already on file. You can also add a new payment method by clicking Add card. Be sure to click Set as default on the payment method which should be charged for your subscription.
Note: If you update your payment information or add a new payment method after a payment failure, please make sure to click Set as default on the payment method which should be charged for your subscription.