Failed Payments Troubleshooting & FAQ

Having trouble making a payment towards your Later subscription? This article outlines the most common causes for failed payments, and how to solve them.

Common Reasons for Failed Payments

Below is a list of the most common reasons for payments to fail, and how to fix them. We suggest going through each reason (starting from the top) to try to resolve the issue. If none of these solutions work, please contact your bank or card provider for further assistance.

Invalid Card Details

If your credit card details have changed, or your card expired and you were issued a new one, your payments will fail until you update these details in your Later account.

Solution:

• Update your payment details in your Later Billing settings

Insufficient Access to Funds

Sometimes a recent payment or withdrawal will put an account over its available funds limit, causing the transaction to be declined.

Solutions:

• Check your credit card or bank account to ensure you have enough funds, and that you haven't passed your daily spending limit
  • If this is a temporary situation (i.e. you expect to be back under your limit shortly), your payment will likely be processed during one of our automated retry attempts, so no action from you is required (but keep an eye out for additional failed payment notifications, just in case!)
• If you’re using a card issued to you by a business, check with your financial team to ensure the payment is within the limits of the card

Security Features

Credit cards come with many security features for your protection. Some of these features, such as 3DSecure, are mandatory for banks in certain regions. These features often rely on a pop-up verification check before approving a charge. If this pop-up is blocked by your browser, you won’t be able to complete your payment. 

Solutions:

• Ensure your browser allows pop-ups
  • In most browsers, you’ll see a ‘blocked window’ icon appear in the URL bar when a pop-up is blocked, and clicking that icon will allow you to open it
• Try in an incognito/private browsing window
• Try on a different browser, device, or network

Foreign Transaction Blocks

In some cases, transactions from foreign companies may be blocked as a security measure.

Solution:

• Contact your bank to lift the security block, and ensure they allow recurring payments from Later so your next payment doesn’t get blocked again

Indian Credit Card Restrictions

Due to Indian banking regulations, India-based credit cards may not support recurring subscription payments for Later. Because Later’s monthly plans use automated recurring billing, these payments may fail if your card requires each transaction to be manually authorized.

If you’re using an India-based credit card, try one of the following options:

• Subscribe through Later’s iOS app. Apple supports UPI AutoPay for eligible iOS subscriptions, which can work with Indian payment methods.

  Important: iOS subscriptions have some restrictions. See the iOS (In-App Purchase) section of Upgrading to a Paid Plan for details.

• If you’re using an India-based credit card and subscribing through iOS is not possible, contact Later Support about an annual plan. In this specific situation, our team can create a manual payment link for an annual Later subscription.

  Note: The manual payment link option described here is specifically for customers affected by India-based credit card recurring-payment restrictions. It is not a general alternative to Later’s standard payment methods.

  This process must be repeated each year when your annual plan renews. Please contact our team before your renewal date to help prevent an interruption in service.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my Later account if my payment fails?

After your payment fails, our system will automatically try to collect it several more times over the course of a month. If all subsequent attempts fail, your Later account will automatically revert to the Free plan. That said, you can easily reactivate it, and everything will be just as you left it. Here’s how to reactivate your paid Later plan

What happens when I update my card after a failed payment?

When you replace an expired or declined card, Later may immediately retry any outstanding invoice using the new payment method. You may be charged as soon as the updated card is saved.

Updating your card does not cancel the outstanding invoice or change the plan and billing frequency associated with it. For example, if an annual renewal invoice has already been issued, changing your card does not convert that invoice to monthly billing.

If you need help changing your plan while an invoice is outstanding, contact our support team before updating your payment method.

How can I update my payment method or details?

Log into Later and click Update Credit Card on the failed payment modal displayed in your account to update your payment information.

I canceled my Later plan. Why am I still being charged?

If you’re receiving payment notifications after canceling your plan, it’s typically for one of the following reasons:

1. You attempted to cancel your Later plan, but the cancellation wasn’t completed. Follow these steps to cancel your Later plan, and ensure you follow all the prompts right to the end.
2. You have a failed payment from a previous invoice that our system is still attempting to collect. Our system will automatically retry past failed payments multiple times, even if you have canceled your account going forward. In this case, please reach out to our team for assistance.

How can I check if my payment went through?

If you subscribed to Later through desktop, and are the primary account owner, you can check on your payment under the Status column on the Payment & Billing History page of your account settings.

If you subscribed to Later through the iOS app, you can check your billing history through your Apple account.

What happens to my scheduled posts if my plan gets downgraded?

If your plan gets downgraded, your already-scheduled posts will remain on your Calendar and publish as normal; however, you will no longer be able to edit those posts unless you upgrade your plan.

Reactivate Your Paid Plan

If all retry attempts for a payment fail, your Later account will automatically revert to the Free plan. But don't worry, your account will remain intact and reactivating is quick and easy!

To reactivate your plan in Later:

1. From app.later.com on desktop, go to Settings > Subscription
2. Click Upgrade Plan
3. Select your desired plan
   • Growth+ plans only: Add additional Social Sets and users, if needed 
4. Enter your credit card details 
5. Click Subscribe