Temporary Hold on Payment Method — Both Debit Card and PayPal Not Working

[chandanbp82]

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Hi GitHub Community,

I'm experiencing ongoing issues for the last 4 days when trying to make a payment for GitHub services. I see this message:

"We may place a temporary hold on your payment method to verify its validity. This is not a charge, and it will be released automatically after verification."

This happens for both my debit cards and PayPal.

Has anyone faced something similar? How long does this verification process usually take, and is there any way to resolve it?

Attached is a screenshot of the exact payment message.

Thank you!

[sam002696]

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Hi GitHub Community,

I'm experiencing ongoing issues for the last 4 days when trying to make a payment for GitHub services. I see this message:

"We may place a temporary hold on your payment method to verify its validity. This is not a charge, and it will be released automatically after verification."

This happens for both my debit cards and PayPal.

Has anyone faced something similar? How long does this verification process usually take, and is there any way to resolve it?

Attached is a screenshot of the exact payment message.

Thank you!

Hi 👋,

Yes, this is a fairly common issue when GitHub (or its payment processor) places a temporary authorization hold on your payment method to verify it's valid. This is not an actual charge, just a pre-authorization that should automatically disappear after verification.

💡 What You Should Know:

• ✅ The hold is usually lifted within 1–3 business days, but in rare cases it can take up to 5–7 business days, depending on your bank or card provider.
• 🏦 If you're using a debit card, some banks may take longer to release the hold, especially over weekends or holidays.
• 🧾 For PayPal, ensure your account is verified and linked to a valid funding source.

✅ What You Can Try:

1. Check with your bank to confirm whether a hold was placed and if they can release it manually.
2. Try using a credit card, if available — they typically verify faster than debit cards.
3. If you've tried multiple payment methods and nothing works:
   • Contact GitHub Support directly with a screenshot and details.
   • Choose the "Billing" option when submitting your request.

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📌 Reminder:

These verification holds are handled by GitHub’s payment provider, so sometimes it’s outside of GitHub’s direct control — but support can help escalate it.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

[Nyxox-debug]

Hi! 👋

Yes, that message typically appears when GitHub (or their payment processor) is verifying the validity of your payment method. It’s a temporary authorization hold, not an actual charge, and it’s usually released automatically after a short period.

However, if this issue has been going on for 4 days across multiple payment methods, it might be stuck or flagged for manual review.

Here are a few steps you can try:
1. Clear browser cache or try a different browser.
2. Ensure your card or PayPal is verified and has sufficient funds.
3. Double-check billing address and region match.
4. Try from a different network (some payment flags can trigger from VPNs or certain IPs).

If the problem persists, I recommend contacting GitHub Support directly — they can investigate the issue with their billing team.

[chandanbp82]

Thank you for your suggestions. I tried all the steps you mentioned, including clearing browser cache, using a different browser, verifying my payment information, and even trying another network, but the issue still persists. It has now been more than 4 days since the hold appeared, and I have already contacted GitHub Support but have not received any response from them so far. Could you please advise how much longer I should wait or if there's any way to escalate this further? Appreciate your help.

[hashtagronit]

Hey @chandanbp82 👋

Yes, this message is part of GitHub’s payment verification system, and I’ve seen others (including myself at one point) run into the same issue — especially when using debit cards or certain PayPal setups.

Here’s what might be going on and how you can deal with it:

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🧾 Why You’re Seeing This

GitHub (via its payment processor, typically Stripe) places a temporary authorization hold on your payment method to confirm it’s valid — not an actual charge. It’s common with new payment methods or if there are recent failed attempts.

For debit cards, banks sometimes block these small pre-auth charges or treat them as suspicious — especially for international transactions.

For PayPal, it can fail silently if your linked funding source (like a bank or card) doesn’t approve micro-verifications.

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⏳ How Long Does It Take?

• In most cases, the hold is released within 24–72 hours.
• But if there are repeated failed attempts, GitHub might “cool down” the payment method for a few days.
• If it's been 4 days already, it's a good idea to reach out to GitHub Support directly via:
  👉 https://support.github.com/contact

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✅ What You Can Try

1. Use a Credit Card instead of a debit card, if possible — they usually have fewer issues with international verification holds.
2. Check with your bank to see if they’ve blocked or flagged the micro-hold transaction.
3. Ensure PayPal has a confirmed card/bank and is set as the preferred funding source.
4. Try Incognito mode or a different browser just in case a caching issue is interfering.

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Hope this helps a bit — you're definitely not alone in this. Feel free to update if it gets resolved!

[chandanbp82]

How much time it takes for credit card

[Ajaxparmar]

I have the same issue on my account (We may place a temporary hold on your payment method to verify its validity. This is not a charge, and it will be released automatically after verification.)

[shinybrightstar]

Hi @chandanbp82

Thanks for reaching out. You can find solutions to most billing issues in our 💳 GitHub Community Discussions Billing & Subscription Guide.

If you need more help, the best place to get answers is by opening a ticket on our Support page.

Best of luck!