There are many reasons why you might see this issue. You can go through the troubleshooting steps listed in this article below or on this thread. If the issue still persists, we recommend sending a ticket to Zendek, so we can check your account to see if there is a pending transaction, and remove it. If you send a ticket, always remember to add your correct Gamertag. Without it, we are not able to find your account.
TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS FOR MS STORE
THE PAYMENT POP-UP DOESN’T APPEAR (i.e. can’t purchase at all)
If there is no payment window showing up on the screen after clicking “Buy and download” in-game and the notification “purchase” failed appears immediately after the notification “purchase pending” follow the instructions from this article: Purchase issues: No payment window
If the problem persists after that, run System File Checker (see: Using System File Checker in Windows) then restore or reset your PC (see: Recovery options in Windows 10)
YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE AND SELECT/CHANGE YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION (i.e. the purchase stays on hold or fails)
Check the status of the order.
- Sign in to account.microsoft.com.
- Select Payment & billing > Order history
You can use the filters to specific billing periods or to review In progress, Returned/Refunded, Digital, or Physical orders that were bought with this Microsoft account.
If the payment is in progress, wait. There are various steps in an online payment process. A payment can be immediate or take up to 10 days in some extreme cases.
- Here is the typical online payment journey:
- You enter your payment information (e.g. debit card or PayPal details) into the online checkout form to make a purchase.
- The payment gateway securely sends your data to the payment processing company (e.g. Bank).
- The payment processing company then sends that data to the card scheme (e.g. Visa).
- The card scheme checks with your bank to see if you have enough money to make the purchase, and that the card isn’t blocked.
Any of the reasons below cause the payment to stay on hold longer than usual.
- Connectivity issues
- Family settings
- Insufficient Funds
- Incorrect Payment Information
- Server Outage
- VPN or IP Proxy Usage
- Incorrect Region Settings
- Your billing address doesn’t match your Microsoft account locale
- Multiple Transactions at once
If the purchase appears as canceled or refunded, follow the instructions from this article.
If the problem persists after that, contact Microsoft support.
THE PAYMENT POP-UP CRASHES/FLASHES
If the payment pop-up disappears too quickly or crashes before you are able to change your payment method or click the “Buy” button, we invite you to follow the instructions from this article: Purchase issues: The payment window appears too briefly
THE PAYMENT POP-UP IS BLANK (PLAIN WHITE OR GREY BOX)
If the payment pop-up that appears on the screen is completely blank or gray, please go to
Purchase issues: The payment window is blank
TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS FOR XBOX
THE PAYMENT POP-UP DOESN’T APPEAR (i.e. can’t purchase at all)
Follow the instructions from our knowledge base article "How to get rid of the error message “Purchase failed” on Xbox. If the problem persists after resetting your console to factory defaults, we invite you to contact the Xbox support team corresponding to your supported region.
YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE AND SELECT/CHANGE YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION (i.e. the purchase stays on hold or fails)
There are various steps in an online payment process. A payment can be immediate or take up to 10 days in some extreme cases.
- Here is the typical online payment journey:
- You enter your payment information (e.g. debit card or PayPal details) into the online checkout form to make a purchase.
- The payment gateway securely sends your data to the payment processing company (e.g. Bank).
- The payment processing company then sends that data to the card scheme (e.g. Visa).
- The card scheme checks with your bank to see if you have enough money to make the purchase, and that the card isn’t blocked.
Any of the reasons below cause the payment to stay on hold longer than usual.
- Connectivity issues
- Insufficient Funds
- Incorrect Payment Information
- Server Outage
- VPN or IP Proxy Usage
- Incorrect Region Settings
- Multiple Transactions at once
Try updating your payment method and billing info. Some purchases, such as pre-orders, may have specific requirements for how to pay. For more info about managing your account’s payment instruments, go to:
Update your billing address and payment options
To learn more about Microsoft account balance and redeeming account currency codes, visit:
Using a Microsoft account balance to make a purchase
For more info about bank verification and requirements for specific regions, go to:
What happens if my billing address doesn’t match my console’s locale?
In that case, you won’t be able to purchase content. You must have a valid billing address and payment option that matches your console locale.
For example, if you’re in France and set your console location to France, you will see French Microsoft Store info. However, if your billing address is in Germany, you won’t be able to purchase content because you must have a valid payment option that’s connected to a French billing address.
If the problem persists, contact Xbox support to investigate.
TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS FOR STEAM
Open Steam, go to Account details then select Purchase History. If the transaction is “pending” in Steam’s system, you can click on “view receipt” and cancel the transaction yourself.
If a technical issue prevents you from opening the payment window, the purchase won’t be in the system. If the problem persists, please review the info provided below for the scenario that best fits your situation.
TROUBLESHOOTING IF THE PAYMENT POP-UP DOESN’T APPEAR
General technical issues can prevent the payment window (Steam overlay) from opening upon clicking the ‘Buy and Download’ button. If the payment window, doesn’t appear, follow the instructions from this article:
How to get rid of the error messages “Purchase pending” and “Purchase failed” on Steam.
If the Steam Overlay still doesn’t work after following the steps above, reinstall Steam.
To find additional step-by-step instructions on how to enable and troubleshoot the Steam overlay, go to Steam Community Overlay and follow Steam’s recommendations or contact Steam Support for further assistance with the Steam Overlay.
TROUBLESHOOTING IF YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE AND SELECT YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION
There are various steps in an online payment process. A payment can be immediate or take up to 10 days in some extreme cases.
- Here is the typical online payment journey:
- You enter your payment information (e.g. debit card or PayPal details) into Steam’s online checkout form to make a purchase.
- The payment gateway securely sends your data to the payment processing company (e.g. Bank).
- The payment processing company then sends that data to the card scheme (e.g. Visa).
- The card scheme checks with your bank to see if you have enough money to make the purchase, and that the card isn’t blocked.
Any of the reasons below cause the payment to stay on hold longer than usual.
- Connectivity issues
- Insufficient Funds
- Incorrect Payment Information
- Server Outage
- VPN or IP Proxy Usage
- Incorrect Region Settings
- Multiple Transactions at Once
We recommend waiting 72 hours before canceling the transaction yourself in Steam. If your next payment remains on hold again, contact Steam support.