There are more games launching on the PlayStation Store than ever before, but many people are having problems actually purchasing them. Sony's payment servers have been randomly rendering credit cards invalid for as long as we can remember, but the issue appears to be getting worse – as active threads on various websites testify.
The persistent problem goes as such: when trying to purchase something from the PlayStation Store with a credit card – be it on a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita, or Sony's own web store – an error message will occur. This prevents the transaction from going through, and thus stops you from purchasing the digital goods.
This author has been affected by this issue for about eight or so weeks now, and it started with a card that used to function without a hitch on the PlayStation Store. But we're not alone: a NeoGAF thread popped up earlier this week in the wake of the Japanese giant's Flash Sale, where dozens of users from around the world identified the same problem.
In the past, the solution has always been to check the way that your address is displayed. Sony, apparently, has some form of extra security on its payment system which requires payment details to be replicated exactly as they appear on a bank statement. But this hasn't solved the issue for your humble host – or many others on the PlayStation support forums.
In fact, the platform holder will probably direct you towards your bank, who will – in turn – likely inform you that the problem is on Sony's end. We understand why this buck passing occurs, of course, but it's incredibly irritating when the problem never seems to get solved. In this author's case, it's pre-paid vouchers for the foreseeable future.
And that seems to be the route that many are taking, with PlayStation Network credit a constant best-seller on the Amazon charts. But with Sony parading record breaking PlayStation Store profits in the wake of this week's NPD report, shouldn't it be making its payment system a little less flaky if it wants to maximise digital revenue?
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
Comments 32
i only ever use PSN Cards anyway,it's much safer in this day and age
@FullbringIchigo True, but it's not particularly convenient. Especially if you want to buy £1.99 Rocket League DLC and have to buy a £10 card...
I don't even have a credit card and see no point in getting one. Literally every Dutch web shop uses iDeal, which is a lot more convenient, and almost every other one, including the PS Store, accepts PayPal.
@get2sammyb I get instant prepaid codes from Amazon or GAME. They do cards as little as £5 which is handy for small purchases. I do the same for my 360. I don't like having my card stored on there and it stops me compulsively buying things.
@get2sammyb true but it also means i still have money on there when something else comes along like some DLC for another game for example
Sony has to fix this but that said, after the PSN hack of 2011, I will never use a credit card on the PSN again.
This has happened to me mutliple times on my Account. Even done it with Paypal even.
@get2sammyb Sucks for you mate i have ideal in holland pay exactly what is owned and in a flash without leaving my ino behind Europe wins this 1.
Personally I buy PSN cards and don't bother with credit cards anymore, though if I do have to make a purchase, I usually do it through my PayPal account and so far never had any problems.
I wondered why I wasn't able to use my Visa this afternoon. Been trying to purchase some platinum on Warframe
I had a nightmare with this... My old card was invalid so updated my payment details n told me details were wrong for bout a month... . Then after that it magically worked again. Weird.
@FullbringIchigo that is what I always have done on e-shop and psn store also Google play store.
@get2sammyb And it's not particularly convenient when you want to buy $1.99 DLC but you need to pay $5 on your CC. They really need to drop that, I'm OK with a $1 minimum.
"But with Sony parading record breaking PlayStation Store profits in the wake of this week's NPD report, shouldn't it be making its payment system a little less flaky if it wants to maximise digital revenue?"
Something I've been saying since forever. Sony seem mote concerned with clucking about the PS4's sales, rather than actually actually doing anything remotely related to improving services.
@JeffreyG
One word for you: Amazon.de! (The .de technically makes it 2 words, but that sounds so lame). But I must say Holland is getting really cheap these days. I have a mate in Holland who watches these deals for me and there isn't a pre order I placed that cost me more than €45. You have this crazy webshop which name I can't come up with now, who gives like a €20 discount on everything every other weekend; my orders list there is chock full with games and hardware. Elite controller for €99 instead of €149, Halo CE for €40 instead of €99, Battflefront for €32 instead of €55...insane deals!
I used to order everything in England or Germany, but the Netherlands has a perfect game shopping climate at the moment...at least they get that climate right
I guess the only good thing is it stops impulse purchases. Of course,that's only good for us, it's not good for Sony. They should WANT those lovely impulse purchases all day long (and into the night, too)!
@rjejr Yeah, that's a fair point actually.
Generally just use PSN credit/PayPal or Debit card, never had a problem.
@get2sammyb It's worth nothing that, if a credit card fails for any reason 3 times, whether it's the buyer's fault or Sony's, you can't use that credit card for at least a week, sometimes 10 days, for security reasons.
So a lot of people will not only be not giving Sony money now, but also not giving Sony money over the next week.
Sony's policies seem to undermine what they are trying to achieve, which is to make loads of dosh. First the vita card issue now this. Why would a company want to stop you using your card?
That said I'm sure everyone would be more upset if a fraud group spent grands on your card - so maybe the extra security is actually a god send.
I don't use credit cards anymore myself, complete waste of money. Use a charge card so you don't accrue interest.
I always buy PSN cards. I don't trust putting my info on their...
Even more than the credit card issue. When are we going to see the price of digital games come down? And I'm talking across the board, this isn't just a Sony issue. It's Sony and MS in particular, however, who seem to want to push us all into this digital age. I'm willing to deal with that because lets face it, it is the future but companies need to be realistic as well. There isn't a single good reason why cost is the same whether I purchase through PSN or XBL or go with a disc copy.
@get2sammyb that reminds me a certain car is coming today for Rocket League. I've used PayPal for some time on the store so shouldn't have any issues. I don't know for sure as Game convinced me to buy the Witcher dlc in their shop instead by bundling it with some rather nice Gwent cards
@Boerewors Haha, I frequently check both the English and German Amazons for deals, though I have to use either Amazon gift cards or prepaid credit cards to buy something there, which is a little inconvenient.
I have to say I've never heard of a shop like that, though various other stores generally have decent pricing and fast shipping (almost always one day at little extra cost), so I'm pretty happy with buying most products from here.
Actually I think PayPal isn't working either.
@JeffreyG
My friend told me its Wekamp. But he also says you gotta be creative at times making serveral accounts to really benefit.
They finally blocked me from using my CC during the flash sale this past weekend, I was sooo mad... Is this even an known issue to Sony?
I can make purchases directly on my Vita, but if I try to buy something through the web store it always rejects my credit card. It also rejects my PayPal account. I have given up on the web store.
I use the US store as the prices are cheaper, so have never been able to use my UK credit card. Although these days I am starting to wonder if the $7 fee I have to pay to buy $50 PSN credit is beginning to offset what I save by buying games in USD instead of GBP.
@Link41x It has to be a known issue. I know I personally called Sony with this issue and was told to use prepaid cards. Their "solution" for their crappy service not working properly is overspend on non-refundable currency cards. I don't want to spend $20 on a prepaid card. I'm an adult. I want to spend $11.99 on my debit card like an adult. They even told me to go to Amazon because they would send me the code instantaneously! Like as instantaneous as taking the money from my account and starting my download?
Well this happened to me last night trying to buy Until Dawn in the sale. PS Store would not accept may credit card details or my Paypal account I tried the website and the store on my PS4 to no avail. I ended up buying a digital PSN card on amazon to purchase the game!
Can't pay by card or PayPal. Very annoying.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...