Here’s what to do when your credit card won’t work on PSN

Best answer: There are multiple steps to solve your credit card issue, but the first thing to try is removing the information and re-inputting it. This tends to solve most issues. If nothing works though, you can always grab a gift card instead!

An easy alternative: PlayStation Gift Card (From $10 at Amazon)

1. Billing Information

The PlayStation Network seems to make everything harder than it should be, with several stipulations in place that need to be followed. Let’s start with entering your billing information.

To begin, make sure the credit card you are using is either Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or debit cards with an official Visa or MasterCard logo. These are the only ones accepted on the PlayStation Store.

Your card checks out? Now make sure that your billing information has been entered correctly so it matches up with your credit card statements. Special characters like slashes or hyphens may not be accepted, so try entering your information without them. If you live on a street that you normally abbreviate like Rd. or Dr., try spelling the whole word out. The same goes for numbered street names (E.g. second instead of 2nd). PlayStation Network is extremely strict about this, so even if you normally don’t have to include apartment numbers or specific addresses, you may have to in this case.

Remember that only a credit or debit card with a North American billing address can be used on the North American PlayStation Network registration system. If you have an international card, this will not work in North America.

2. Troubleshoot

Your credit or debit card should also support AVS (Address Verification System). This system, as the name implies, is a way to verify the address of whoever is using the credit card. The billing address that you provide needs to match up with the address that your credit card company has on file associated with your card. Cards that do not support AVS may not be accepted on the PlayStation Store, so you’ll need to call your card issuer to check if yours does.

3. Launch in Safe Mode and restart

This is the classic “Have you tried turning it off and back on again?” method. Seriously, just try power cycling your console.

You can restart it from the power options, but sometimes it needs a more intense power cycle. Make sure that your PS4 is turned off, and then press and hold the power button for several seconds. You’ll hear an initial beep the moment you press it, and then another beep five or so seconds later that indicates you can let go. Once this is done, your console will be in Safe Mode, and a prompt will tell you to connect your DualShock 4 controller to the console via the USB charging cable.

From here you’ll see a black screen with a list of options to choose from. Simply hit the first one: Restart PS4.

This will restart the system as normal and you won’t need to worry about losing any data or saved settings.

4. Contact Sony

All of the above done? Good.

If you’re certain that everything has been input correctly and you’re still receiving a message that says something like “Invalid Credit Card Information,” you’ll need to contact Sony.

Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do, and that’s where Sony needs to step in. You can find all of the ways to contact them, from live support chats to their official support Twitter account, here. Generally speaking, Sony has a fairly solid track record when it comes to customer support, so you should not only be able to get in contact with someone, but more of than not, you’ll be able to find a solution to your issue.

Screw it: Gift cards

If all else fails or you just don’t want to deal with all of the aforementioned hassles, add money to your wallet using PSN cards or PayPal. You can buy PlayStation Network gift cards that range from $10–$100 at your local store of choice or online, here. You can redeem these by turning on your PS4, navigating to the PlayStation Store, selecting “redeem codes” and then entering the code you were provided from the card.

The gift of cash

PlayStation 4 Gift card

From $10 at Amazon
From $10 at Best Buy
From $10 at Walmart

A quick and easy way to get money on your PS4

PlayStation gift cards circumvent the annoying issues that can occur from using credit cards. By loading up on gift cards when you need them you are much less likely to go on spending sprees, too.